How is it that there is not a 110 Volt outlet in the cargo area?? Anyone have something rigged up? pics? Thanks!

 

I went to Radio Shack and picked up an inverter. It can be hooked to the battery for maximum output, but I just use the provided cigarette lighter connection. That's sufficient to recharge laptops, camera batteries, etc. while on the road. Check at your local Radio Shack--they have several models, and they're pretty inexpensive (depends on how much wattage you need).

 

What do you mean HOW? I have yet to see a vehicle with a 110v ac outlet in the cargo area. Do you mean a 12v dc outlet (cig light)?

If you meant a 12v Cig outlet, check here: https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-electrical-lighting-sound-systems-13/dc-plugs-better-idea-18405/

We were just talking about this last week. Do a search, there are other threads as well.

 

Toyota offers them on just about everything they make nowdays

 

110v ac or 12v dc?

 

110 AC My buddies tacoma has an oulet in the box. It switches its max wattage output levels for if you are driving or just parked. I think it is 125 watt driving and 250 parked. Pretty impressive really!! makes a great place for filleting fish at the lake!
The Toyota Matrix (looks like a suppository) has 110 Ac on the dash. A coworkers new Titan offers it in the back seat.

i was wrong. it is 100 driving and 400 parked

 

Yes - the Toyota Matrix / Pontiac Vibe twins were the first non-utility vehicle that I know of to offer 110V AC...

I'm a total beginner when it comes to electricity - what would have to be done in order to create the in-vehicle equivalent of a standard "wall outlet" (110 AC)?

 

To convert 12V DV (what your Jeep runs on) to 110V AC (what your house runs on) you need a device called an inverter. Toyota and a few others are including built in inverters in a few vehicles. They can be installed wherever you find room - typically, they look like a car stereo amplifier - an aluminum finned box and depending on what wattage you get, usually about 8"x12"x2", some are smaller, others waay bigger. But they will need beefy wires run to them if you get much over 200W.

I picked up an 800watt inverter at harbour freight for $50, ran an 8G wire to the battery and mounted the unit under the passenger seat with the outlet facing the door sill, could just as easily use a longer wire and mount it in the back.

 

Dodge Calibers, Durangos, Journeys & Nitros have a 115V two-prong outlet. The Jeep Liberty & Patriot have them as well. I dont know what other Chrysler vehicles have them. It shouldnt be too long before they make their way into more Jeeps.

 

What I did was buy an inverter from my local Radio Shack. If you go to radioshack.com and search on "inverter", you'll get a bunch of hits. There are different kinds. Mine plugs into the cigarette lighter, and has two standard house sockets (110V) right on the device. I just plug whatever needs house current into it.

Some devices don't work well on certain kinds of inverters (motors with a condensor starter come to mind) because less expensive inverters don't put out a very good sine wave (in fact, it's more of a square wave). That means those devices can overheat and be damaged. IOW: You need a better quality (more expensive) inverter for refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. If you need to power something other than a computer, laptop, mp3 player, etc, don't go by price alone. You'll need to learn something about inverters, waveform shapes, power ratings, the power requirements of the gear you plan to power, and the power delivery capacity of your connection (direct to the battery?) and power source (engine running when powered?), etc.

But, again, don't be intimidated by the preceding: If your power needs are simple and low current, just buy an inexpensive (less than $50) power inverter and plug it in when needed. If you want to make a hard install (I just store mine in the center console when not in use), I'm sure that you can come up with something creative and do a write up for everyone.