Tacoma bed outlet/inverter questions

Sitting here in my Taco waiting for a power outage to pass, using an extension cord ran through the back windows to charge my laptop. I got two questions. Any answers or recourses?

I see people add another plug in the cab, that would be awesome, but what's the most OEM looking way to do that?

Also, is there a way to boost or upgrade the inverter? Because all I can use it for is charge my phone/laptop or power a '94 boombox. Most of the time it's more annoying than useful because I assume I can use it for something, but it's so puny for anything more than what feels like USB power.

 

I’ve seen it on the backside of the console. In your case facing the jump seats. I think the converter is actually located there under the floor of the console. It has more power with the engine running but yeah, even 400w is kinda low. To me it’s rather gimmicky since many things that it could run would be more efficient off the 12v system or a DC-DC converter, including your laptop.

 

Sitting there with a 30A draw and the engine off doesn’t strike me as an optimal way to use your battery either. Engine running is different but that sets up some different arguments. Some will find it useful enough, some will find it unable to do the one thing they wanted. If you need that kind of back up supply a deep cycle battery or two might be in order.

 

Pretty sure it’s 100w normal, 400w with button depressed engine running
Not sure what conditions have to be met for 100w to be active

there’s a 400w anytime harness

I also wonder if the inverter can be upgraded
And what will fit in the stock spot

supposedly too big will not work as alternator upgrade would be required

another way is having a separate second battery.
I used to have that. EcoFlow River 2 Pro, solar, fridge, etc - it could charge a laptop.

I had EcoFlow locked in backseat area
It had ports
and bed outlet had the option of running extension cord from there into back window (camper shell)

those power stations have many intended uses not just overlanding
Some people get them in whatever size they prefer as electrical backup for things like this ie blackout

 

https://guildoutfitters.com/product...terior-outlet-upgrade-kit-by-guild-outfitters

 

I haven't really found anything useful for the outlet. IMO it's a marketing gimic more than anything, and is a "convenience" feature, not for "survival situations".

 

I highly recommend both the interior outlet and the 100w/400w wiring change. The 400w output is when the truck is running in neutral - drops to 100w when in drive. The cutback is to accommodate the absolute worst electrical load situation the engineers could imagine with every possible DC device running. Just use your head and it won't be a problem. I personally don't think that making the inverter energize with the engine stopped is a good idea. Use a mod wiring harness kit or do-it yourself - there are several threads on here with various photos and advisories.

The interior outlet feature is easy to add - seems to fit best on the back of the console. I liked the interior outlet in my old F-150 and hunted down a replacement part number to get the same OEM look. Use a meter and get your neutral correct.

Best use I've had is a Harbor Freight trouble light / extension cord with an LED rough service bulb. The 400w will power several of the LED bulbs and we used them to light my friend's new garage while we wired it. The low watt requirements of the LED bulbs makes the 400w service go a long way.

 

I have done the 400w anytime mod and added a plug inside my center console... I think I have used the center console outlet 2x and bed outlet 2x in the 10 yrs I have had the truck. Realistically its just hard to provide lots of watts due to the amps needed from a 12v system.

Thats actually a pretty reasonable price for plug n play

 

Fo awhile I looked at swapping the inverter for something higher and pure sine wave as the OEM inverter puts out pretty crappy voltage. Jumps all over the place. I couldn't find anything I thought would fit in the limited area under the console. Then I suppose any usable output inverter (650w+) would also entail rewiring the harness to a larger gauge and at that point it seems better to bypass the OEM system all together.

I did the 400w anytime mod and currently use it to charge up an EcoFlow River Pro that I mainly run a refrigerator off of. I have a 100w solar panel hooked up to the EcoFlow for when the engine isn't running.

I also added an outlet in the cab and for my install it's about a 5' extension cord and does not look factory.

 

The in cab outlet is a game changer for charging up devices that can't be charged by 12V. It also works great in conjunction with a power bank that is used to keep a fridge powered up. My fridge draws 23W and the power bank charges at 80W (approx 4:1) the recycle time is short when the truck runs and best of all no risks to the house battery. The 400W anytime mod should be a given and running an inverter off the truck battery when it's off is asking for trouble. Sure you can implement systems to cut the power at a certain voltage but you're just adding complexity to what should be a simple system. IMO a decent power bank is a modular solution and solves 90% of offline power needs plus it's portable to run where ever it's needed and can be charged with solar panels if a source isn't available.

If someone needs their truck to provide substantial power during an outage a tacoma isn't it. The ford hybrid trucks do that very well.

 

I'll reiterate what everyone said about doing the 400W anytime mod and adding an outlet that mounts flush on the back of the center console facing the rear seats. I used this one from Amazon that has USB and USB-C too, wire it up pretty much just like an outlet in a house but to your inverter.

$18 ELEGRP USB Outlet Receptacle, 20W Fast Charge & Power Delivery USB C Wall Outlet, 15 Amp Wall Outlet with USB Ports, Tamper Resistant, UL Listed, Wall Plate Included, 1 Pack, Matte Black

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B4W5HKLQ?ie=UTF8&th=1

As far as I could tell from research its not worth trying to put a bigger inverter in its place and you'd have to upsize the wiring too so you might as well just install a new one separately at that point. Curious why people don't use theirs that often or haven't been able to run much off of it? I've used mine quite a few times the past year, dremel, extension cord with spotlight, laptops/cameras etc, even an angle grinder from the bed as long as im not super aggressive. I pretty much always run it at 400W but turn the truck on if its going to be more than something quick.

 

I've tried to run a hair dryer, a vacuum, air compressor, a friends gaming laptop and other things. All of those clipped the power and shut off the power.

I've only been able to charge small electronics or power small devices. Taco power can do as much as a $30 portable charger with an outlet it seems

 

The Guild Outfitter Kit has been working well for me. Definitely take your time filing out the hole location. I was impatient and almost broke the plastic frame when pushing it in. Was able to save it.

 

Here’s another plug-and-play option:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/in-cab-ac-outlet-plug-and-play.829246/page-2#post-29844272

This is a plug and play harness I’ve been working on, adds 2 AC outlets, a USB C, and 2 USB A outlets

hope this helps!

 

I did the guild outfitter mod. Was very very easy.

If you want to use a vehicle as a power source again I would just get a 1,000w pure sine wave inverter from Amazon. Make sure the power cables are good and have at it. the one built into the truck is an odd duck. Not sure what its really for. x-mas lights maybe?

 

I HAVENT had my truck too long (2015 with bed outlet) but i plan on using it to top off a jackery if it needs it on a trip

 

Try it out ahead of time, I've heard that some power stations don't like the modified sine wave from stock inverter cuz I was planning on doing the same thing

 

thanks. that can be damaging to electronic devices correct? (thinking of my harman stove battery backup, powerloss research)

 

I don't know enough about electronics tbh, just remember reading something about it. I think it just didn't work, not damaging but can't remember.

 

I have this. Works great. Install was easy.