USB-C Lamp

For those having a car with a USB-C charging port in the dashboard, IKEA just brought out a very cool and inexpensive product, a dimmable USB-C lamp called HÖSTULOTA. It does fit my Hyundai inster perfectly, not only when plugged into the dashboard, but also stowed away in the glove compartment. 

Open Fire Illegal in Germany

Slowly moving back to Germany, I have to follow up the the laws and the ones that changed over the last 25 years. Sleeping in cars appears to be legal still, however, camping is apparently not. Camping in Germany is defined (lately) by using seating outside the vehicle. Also, using open fire is forbidden, meaning, any sort of gas, gasoline or alcohol stove is forbidden.
Well, lucky me, I got an EV with V2L capabilities. OK, I still can't but a chair outside my vehicle, however, I am able to use the V2L function of my car to prepare hot meals by means of either an electric hotplate, an Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker), a microwave or an Air Fryer.

My vehicle supplies AC at 3.6kW, which is enough to supply any of the above mentioned kitchen appliances.
For wet cooking, I am using Instant Pots for years by now. The 3l model requires 800W and runs perfectly from my PV island and should do great with the EV.

For baking, roasting and BBQ, my mini Air Fryer does a great job at 1kW. Just for the car, I ordered a 1.5l Air Fryer which uses 900W. 

I look forward to EV camping with the electric kitchen appliances.

New mobile shack?

Dear friends,
I was silent for a while, sorry for that... some things happened in my life (too many in fact) depriving me of the energy to follow up with things.

Said things had a huge influence on my life, thereby changing my whole attitude towards life and the future. Six years ago, I decided to no longer need a personal vehicle, hence, I sold my Merc B. The idea was to move to Canada, where I could not import my car anyway.

The plan with Canada is dead after what I have seen over the last 2 years, during which I stayed almost all my legally admitted days as a guest. Canada has changed!

Anyways, that's noch the topic here. So, After a long consideration, I got myself a personal vehicle again. And it is an EV. Fighting the idea of an REEV, the thought that such things need care for a gas engine and the attention an EV asks for, I went for battery only, skipping the gasoline part.
Long story short, with a a test drive, I decided to get a Hyundai inster. In particular for reasons of practicality. And you guessed, it was not the base model, which lacks most practical features. So, I got one with adjustable rear seats and fully foldable front seats.

The car allows for Ikea's Släkt mattress to be deployed for one person to sleep on.

The sleeping option seems sorted out for me. Now come questions about using the car as a mobile shack, as the title suggests.

With the front passenger seat folded, and the rear passenger seat in a regular position, one can create a table situation. Hyundai even sells an accessory for that... not sure if I will buy it. Looks somewhat expensive for what it is.

This car offer a so called V2L connection. Meaning, the cars accumulator (the high voltage one) and the inverters can offer 230V AC. A few 10kWh in fact. In my view, this could be very interesting when running some power amplifiers. After all, an EV is just a power-bank on wheels. In this case, a power-bank in which one can sleep.

Another use came to mind immediately, in particular with the bedding setup shown above: astrophotography. As soon as things have calmed down a bit in my life, I do see myself driving to a dark place and putting my DWARF smart-telescope on top of the car, while lounging in the rolling power-bank operating the smart-telescope from my phone.

Back to radio. An EV needs charging every so often. My intention is to come up with a shortwave setup which could be deployed quickly from the car alone. So that during charge stops, one of the other QSO can take place.
In terms of aerials I have no real plan yet. Fishing rods and PVC-pipes come to mind. My car has roof railings, however, I don't want to have anything permanently fixed. Depending on the band, a wire pyramid could be a pretty funny option (should work for 2m at least).

Fun times ahead, I hope!