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I'm considering going camping but I only have a car, not an RV. The campground has a 50 amp socket for RVs.

In order to have power insider the car for air conditioning, charging phones and laptops, I am considering disconnecting the battery, and connecting the terminals to a 12V adapter, such as a car battery charger, which would be connected to a 110V plug connected to the campground's 50A/30A outlet.

Are there any dangers in this? Can this somehow damage the car or create an electrical hazard? The idea is to leave the AC running all night without draining or harming the battery.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ How many Watts is the car AC? You'll find some are 50 to 100 Amps or more at 12V. You will need a pretty beefy 12V supply. \$\endgroup\$
    – Passerby
    Sep 8 at 0:13

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I believe that automotive air conditioner compressors are normally driven by the engine, so using a battery charger won't help with that.

For charging phones and laptops, and running other 12 Volt DC loads, I would leave the battery connected, and use a normal battery charger to keep it charged. Many battery charger won't work as power supplies - they depend on a battery for proper operation.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I'm glad you said many. But nevertheless having the battery connected all time and use a charger when stationary is the normal thing to do. \$\endgroup\$
    – MiNiMe
    Sep 8 at 5:25
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If your power supply is say 13.8 VDC then you don’t need to remove the lead acid car battery it will float fine and not gas. If your power supply has a current rating greater than your proposed appliances then the battery will not go flat. Almost all petrol cars have the AC belt driven of the motor so your 12 V proposal will not keep you cool. Electric cars have the AC driven of the main high voltage lithium battery so if you charge your EV off camp power you will be fine and do not need a 12 VDC supply.

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What kind of AC? Are you in an electric car? You would have to be careful not to overload your fuse protected circuit(s) in doing this. Your charger would have to provide a constant current. You might be better off hooking your charger to a deep draw marine battery that's hooked to your cars cables (if your car will accept that type of battery) even then current draw may be more than the battery and charger can keep up with. With all of the electronic stuff in modern day cars that can blow out. I would just sweat and go without the phone and computers. Enjoy nature. Cut the cord.

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