Thread: Goal Zero Nomad 13.5 Vehicle Battery Charging Setup

I spent some time this afternoon talking with Walker who is one of the lead development engineers over at Goal Zero. We had a great conversation and discussed the needs of the typical overlander. After the meeting Goal Zero decided to that they will be stocking and selling an off the shelf 10 Amp charge controller, with Goal Zero jacks pre-installed, for $49.99. Goal Zero will be making this product implementation immediately. We will also be stocking these charge controllers as well. This is fantastic news as you will now be able to have a true plug and play option for the spectrum of Goal Zero panels available with the purpose of charging an automotive 12 volt battery. You could potentially combine 4 of the Boulder 30 panels and the charge controller for $1250. This would give you an on hand 120 watt plug and play system. If you need less power just go with a few less panels.

Not to let the cat entirely out of the bag but I do think that Goal Zero would be open to a flexible / packable panel that is larger than the Nomad 27. I would really like to hear feedback on this if the community hear on ExPo would be interested in a bigger flexible unit? Don't get me wrong the rigid panels are great. If you were in a short wheelbase vehicle where space was an issue a packable panel would be nice.

The photo below is sort of a spy shot of a couple bigger panels that Goal Zero is working on. The one on the left is a 90 watt panel.
IMG_0973[1].JPG

The picture below gives you an idea of the of what the charge controller will be. You can see the two Goal Zero plug adapters in my hand. These plugs accommodate the Nomad and Boulder series panels.
IMG_0979.JPG

If you need Goal Zero product or have solar questions let me know. Starting next month (May) we will be offering free shipping to the lower 48 on most Goal Zero products. On the heavier items like the 350 Power Packs we will have a very attractive flat rate.

-Jim

Expedition Offroad
801-810-7632

Originally Posted by Ash

EEzi-Awn need to make a rain fly out of solar panels...

Originally Posted by lostworldexpedition

Now, that would be awesome

Or an awning that uses flexible panels... Maybe some day the cost for flexi panels will come down...

I'll talk with with Goal Zero and see what we can come up with. I have been planning to do a vehicle awning for a while now. It looks like it's time to make something happen.

Originally Posted by expdtnoffroad

I spent some time this afternoon talking with Walker who is one of the lead development engineers over at Goal Zero. We had a great conversation and discussed the needs of the typical overlander. After the meeting Goal Zero decided to that they will be stocking and selling an off the shelf 10 Amp charge controller, with Goal Zero jacks pre-installed, for $49.99. Goal Zero will be making this product implementation immediately. We will also be stocking these charge controllers as well. This is fantastic news as you will now be able to have a true plug and play option for the spectrum of Goal Zero panels available with the purpose of charging an automotive 12 volt battery.

Not to let the cat entirely out of the bag but I do think that Goal Zero would be open to a flexible / packable panel that is larger than the Nomad 27. I would really like to hear feedback on this if the community hear on ExPo would be interested in a bigger flexible unit?

Fantastic news Jim! I would also be interested in hearing about the possibility of a larger packable panel maybe in the 60-90 watt range.

Cheers,
Salue

Does Goal Zero offer any bags and methods to prop up the Boulder 30 panels? Will you offer the 20% off in May?

Originally Posted by expdtnoffroad

I spent some time this afternoon talking with Walker who is one of the lead development engineers over at Goal Zero. We had a great conversation and discussed the needs of the typical overlander. After the meeting Goal Zero decided to that they will be stocking and selling an off the shelf 10 Amp charge controller, with Goal Zero jacks pre-installed, for $49.99. Goal Zero will be making this product implementation immediately. We will also be stocking these charge controllers as well. This is fantastic news as you will now be able to have a true plug and play option for the spectrum of Goal Zero panels available with the purpose of charging an automotive 12 volt battery. You could potentially combine 4 of the Boulder 30 panels and the charge controller for $1250. This would give you an on hand 120 watt plug and play system. If you need less power just go with a few less panels.

Not to let the cat entirely out of the bag but I do think that Goal Zero would be open to a flexible / packable panel that is larger than the Nomad 27. I would really like to hear feedback on this if the community hear on ExPo would be interested in a bigger flexible unit? Don't get me wrong the rigid panels are great. If you were in a short wheelbase vehicle where space was an issue a packable panel would be nice.

The photo below is sort of a spy shot of a couple bigger panels that Goal Zero is working on. The one on the left is a 90 watt panel.
IMG_0973[1].JPG

The picture below gives you an idea of the of what the charge controller will be. You can see the two Goal Zero plug adapters in my hand. These plugs accommodate the Nomad and Boulder series panels.
IMG_0979.JPG

If you need Goal Zero product or have solar questions let me know. Starting next month (May) we will be offering free shipping to the lower 48 on most Goal Zero products. On the heavier items like the 350 Power Packs we will have a very attractive flat rate.

-Jim

Expedition Offroad
801-810-7632

CactusJK, Goal Zero will be coming out with protective cases for a variety of their products later this year. They also have a very cool tripod for the Boulder 30 panels. We should have pricing and availability on the tripod soon. I have attached a crappy cell phone pic of the tripod below. As far as our pricing goes we are currently working on our pricing structure to become much more competitive than we are currently. The other thing that we will be offering is unique package deals oriented for the overland community. We will update the community as the packages become available. I will post up more pictures of the tripod and other accessories when I get back from the desert this weekend. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or feedback. I will continue to speak with Goal Zero about future product development. Feedback from the community is helpful and seriously considered.

IMG_0982[1].JPG

Thanks. Might be good to sit back and let all this settle out in favor of the overland users!

Originally Posted by expdtnoffroad

CactusJK, Goal Zero will be coming out with protective cases for a variety of their products later this year. They also have a very cool tripod for the Boulder 30 panels. We should have pricing and availability on the tripod soon. I have attached a crappy cell phone pic of the tripod below. As far as our pricing goes we are currently working on our pricing structure to become much more competitive than we are currently. The other thing that we will be offering is unique package deals oriented for the overland community. We will update the community as the packages become available. I will post up more pictures of the tripod and other accessories when I get back from the desert this weekend. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or feedback. I will continue to speak with Goal Zero about future product development. Feedback from the community is helpful and seriously considered.

IMG_0982[1].JPG

Originally Posted by Fireman78

I bought a whole bunch of stuff from the Goal Zero guys at the OV Expo a couple weeks ago.

I did too, and am loving it all! The Light-a-life is awesome.

I'm looking forward to seeing their controller as well, which is something I will need once I get around to outfitting my cargo trailer with solar.

So now I am using my Escape 150 and "Light a Life" lamp for lighting up my shop/out building which has no power to it. And, running my satallite radio in my grocery getter wind-up Subaru that has no cig lighter power. I pretty much use it every single day. Now Iam thinking it will charge up my R/C cars while in camp.

I have a female 12V receptacle already attached to my second battery. is there a male 12V connector setup option for the charge controller?

Originally Posted by expdtnoffroad

I spent some time this afternoon talking with Walker who is one of the lead development engineers over at Goal Zero. We had a great conversation and discussed the needs of the typical overlander. After the meeting Goal Zero decided to that they will be stocking and selling an off the shelf 10 Amp charge controller, with Goal Zero jacks pre-installed, for $49.99. Goal Zero will be making this product implementation immediately. We will also be stocking these charge controllers as well. This is fantastic news as you will now be able to have a true plug and play option for the spectrum of Goal Zero panels available with the purpose of charging an automotive 12 volt battery. You could potentially combine 4 of the Boulder 30 panels and the charge controller for $1250. This would give you an on hand 120 watt plug and play system. If you need less power just go with a few less panels.

Not to let the cat entirely out of the bag but I do think that Goal Zero would be open to a flexible / packable panel that is larger than the Nomad 27. I would really like to hear feedback on this if the community hear on ExPo would be interested in a bigger flexible unit? Don't get me wrong the rigid panels are great. If you were in a short wheelbase vehicle where space was an issue a packable panel would be nice.

The photo below is sort of a spy shot of a couple bigger panels that Goal Zero is working on. The one on the left is a 90 watt panel.
IMG_0973[1].JPG

The picture below gives you an idea of the of what the charge controller will be. You can see the two Goal Zero plug adapters in my hand. These plugs accommodate the Nomad and Boulder series panels.
IMG_0979.JPG

If you need Goal Zero product or have solar questions let me know. Starting next month (May) we will be offering free shipping to the lower 48 on most Goal Zero products. On the heavier items like the 350 Power Packs we will have a very attractive flat rate.

-Jim

Expedition Offroad
801-810-7632

Well, I did some solar charging of the Sherpa 50 with the Nomad 13.5m this weekend. <20% on the battery both times. The first test was a very overcast day and after all day it charged the Sherpa to where the 60% icon was flashing. The next day it was sunny and was able to fully charge the battery after 7.5 hours.

The panels were tilted at about 45˚ and I moved them a few times to track the sun. In the field I won't be around to move them. I'm happy with these results and I'm not all that surprised. I have always considered the claim of charging in 4hrs under optimal conditions to be more of a holy grail and the I take the reminders from Goal0 that 7-8 hours as more realistic.

I am having a bit of trouble deciding what the LCD panel is telling me. When it is at the 80% mark, does that tell me I have between 80-100% or that I have consumed 20% and I have between 60-80%?

Thanks, so far I am pretty happy the set up. If it performs like this over the summer I'll be plenty happy. I'm particularly happy with my booty-fabbed panel frame. I made it with some stuff I had in the shed, plastic plumbing fittings for 3/8 flex tubing and some garden stakes.