Companion Rover Lithium 40Ah Power Station

G'day Tim,

You can get the cords separately, we have the Companion Rover Lithium Anderson Plug to Mini Lead to connect your solar and for most other cords you can get generic versions of them.

You could contact Companion directly if you were after the original cords. Phone: 61 73193 1110 and Email: online@companionoutdoor.com. 

G'day Carolina,

You shouldn't have any issues running your Brass Monkey 15L fridge from the Rover 40 - the power cable required will be supplied, it will have the 12v cigarette connection and will plug straight into the battery.
If you want to run your fridge as a freezer, or for more than a a weekend, you'll need to consider grabbing some solar panels to keep the battery topped up.

G'day Shane,

Depending on the brand, a 120W panel may produce around 4-6Amp max.  Whilst that may be enough in ideal solar conditions, it may not be able to produce enough in winter months or cloudy days to replenish the for running the fridge overnight, etc.
Ofcourse there are a lot of variables to consider, but I'd recommend investing in a 200W to make sure you're covered.

G'day Rod,

Yes, you can connect a solar panel to this and it will charge the Rover at the same time as running your fridge!

G'day Justin,

Companion do have a Safe Materials section on their website you can find here. Their direction is to follow state and territory regulations.

G'day Steven,

I wouldn't recommend connecting this to your starter battery as the Companion Rover 40Ah doesn't have the right connections to attach via wiring cable and is only recommended to charge with the cables included. You can connect it to your car's 12V socket, just not the battery directly.

G'day Brian,
The USB Type C Output provides a 3A supply. This will work it just wouldn't be as fast as it would be plugged into a wall socket.

G'day Hermie,

Thats like asking how long a piece of string is, sorry!
Depends how many times you open your fridge, the ambient temperature, whether or not you're pre-cooled the fridge with 240v, etc

Dometic state the power consumption as roughly 1Ah at 4C in 32C weather, you've got 32Ah on the Rover 40 before needing to be charged, so you're probably looking at around a day and a half as a rough guide.
Obviously, if you've got some solar panels as well it will keep your fridge going indefinitely. 

G'day Angela,

That depends on the individual power requirements of the devices you've mentioned.
You need to check their power consumptions, which should be on a sticker on the devices themselves, and make sure they do not exceed 150W.

G'day Barry,

It's not something you can do, sorry.  Both units have different capacities and different battery chemistry. I believe connecting powerstations in series may be possible in some cases, but they need to be the same unit.

G'day Jack,

The Rover only has an 80% capacity which means if your battery says 20% its flat.  Generally between 20-25% the output voltage will be dropping rapidly so its sounds to me like the output of the battery here isnt enough to meet the minimum voltage input requirements of your fridge.  Thats 100% to be expected in this situation, it's normal and not a fault.  Simply, there's just not enough juice left to power your fridge.
Keeping your battery connected to solar is the best option for battery health, otherwise get it on charge ASAP when it reaches that 20-30% mark.

G'day Steven,

No, you won't be able to use this inverter, as the maximum 12V DC output on the Rover Lithium 40Ah is 140W.  

G'day Rod,

You'd need to double-check the specifications of your specific unit, however, most of the Resmed units I looked at on their website run from 240V, so will not work with this power unit. You may be able to run it through an inverter, however, the limitation will be the wattage of your CPAP machine, most models seem to be around 300-400W, which is much higher than this, or most battery and inverter units will be able to handle. We'd recommend speaking to the team at Resmed for some portable off-grid options for your machine.

G'day Grant,

We haven't done a dB test on these units, but no.  They are essentially silent, or at the least, I've not noticed any noise from them in the past.

G'day Robin,

The 12v output on the Rover 40 has a maximum 10A capacity.  If you are able to find a 12v kettle that draws no more than 120W, you should be ok, but I've had a quick google and not been able to find one lower than 150W.
The rest of your questions really depend on the kind of kettle you can find, and unfortunately we don't sell anything that is compatible with 12v power.

In my opinion, the best way to make a cuppa on the road is with a thermos of pre-boiled water, or alternatively pick up a compact and economical hiking stove such as the Furno Stove (or the stove and mini pot set) and a small gas cannister.  
This would be a suitable option for anywhere with a relatively flat surface, will boil a litre of water in around 3mins, and you'd get around 20ltrs of boiled water per small gas cannister.

Hope that gives you some good info to consider.

G'day Jarrad,

The Dometic CFX 12/24v fridge freezers don't require regulated power, so I'm not 100% sure what you're meaning here sorry.  The Rover 40 can power these fridges no worries.

G'day Nadine,

This unit provides 12v so wont be able to power the majority of household appliances & lights, etc.  The only option for domestic usage is for charging mobile phones, etc through a 12v cigarette plug like you use in your car, 12v led style camping lights, and potentially a 12v fridge if you already have one for camping.
In terms of how long it will take to charge, the 120W panel has a max output of 6.6A, so on a good day you'll get around 5A per hour.

G'day Heidi,

As long as you make sure the Rover is as close to full charged as possible before you leave, and it is turned off and isolated (as in, nothing plugged into it), you should be fine.  Generally when stored, LiFePO4 batteries can get away with a charge every 6months.

G'day Greg,

Yep, absolutely.  There are Anderson and 12v cig charging cables that come with the Rover 40, so as long as your 120Ah lithium battery has either of those terminals as outputs, you should be fine.

G'day Jay,

No, as with most portable power packs, you can only have one charge input at any given time.

G'day Jarod,

There aren't any cables/adapters we carry that will do this, although you may be able to pick something up at Jaycar, or a similar 12V shop. The other option would be to get yourself a cig to double cig adapter.

G'day Toni,

Yes, the unit is supplied with a 240V charge cable, and should be fully charged before you head off on your trip.

G'day Jarod,

This will really depend on what you're wanting to run, and how much power is needed to do so.

The 40Ah Rover Lithium has a much smaller capacity than a 100Ah battery in a battery box. 

You'll generally be able to deplete about 80% of a lithium battery, or around 50% of an AGM battery, so even given this, the AGM battery will give you more power to work with.

It's not really a case of what is better when you're comparing different sizes.

Overall a Lithium battery will be a better option if you're looking at the exact same capacity.

G'day Jim,

I can't see any reason why that would be a problem in a fully functioning system.  The 12v outlet is more than capable of providing the required current for your pump.
The only things that I can think of are to check the inline fuse, which would be within the cigarette plug terminal itself, and make sure that isn't blown.
Otherwise, the issue with the pump not kicking on again would be an issue with the pump itself, not the power supply. 
You'd be wanting to check the relay & the voltage range, and also check the pressure trigger switch.

Hope that helps.

G'day Alex,

If you have a new model car it sounds like you'd have a smart alternator, in which case you will need a DC to DC charger in order to charge any power pack or portable battery whilst driving.

G'day again Alex,

That depends on the DC to Dc charge you have, or will use, and whether or not it has a built-in isolator.
As deep cycle batteries and crank batteries have different voltage requirements, features to prevent your car battery from being flattened are actually part of the cars wiring system, and not a question of a portable power pack/battery.

G'day Ben,

The Rover 40Ah does not have the capability to jump start.
You'll need to find a portable power pack that has a specifically stated Jump Start port, or grab something like the Portable Jump Starter.

G'day Lin Liu,

If you are wanting to use the light port instead of the 12v cig port you'll need a male-to-male adaptor, but Hard Korr don't have one available.
The only place I can think of is to try Jaycar, or possibly even online through eBay, etc.

G'day Mal,

We don't sell Kings, so we cant guarantee compatibility I'm sorry.
The Rover has a built-in MPPT charge controller, so you cant use a second PWM controller aswell.
6.75A is a little higher than the Solar Input requirements, but as this is the max amperage, it's unlikely you'll be getting this out of your panels consistently, so will be fine.
If you can find a way to connect the panels straight to the Rover, you should be ok.

G'day Chester.

The Solar Input cable for the Rover 40Ah is Anderson to Mini Anderson.
I'm not sure if you'll be able to find a Mini Anderson to MC4 cable, most likely you'll need Anderson to MC4 and use that plus the provided cable.
Please make sure your Solar Panels specifications are inline with the solar input requirements of the Rover.

G'day Catherine,

That sounds about right, as you've stated the Brass monkey has current draws 1.87-3.75A per hour max.

The time period of running the fridge that you have mentioned in your original question is 16 hours.  Ultimately the fridge has the potential to use 60A in that time which would run your battery flat.
The fact that your fridge has only drawn 24A (60% of battery) in 16hrs, means that it's averaged 1.5A per hour, which is lower than the advertised power consumption.

Even if the battery is down to 40%, you still have another 20% left (8A) in that life cycle, so the fridge will run for another 6 or so hours before the Rover needs charging - going by the consumption you have stated.
If you have solar panels this is absolutely acceptable as the solar will be providing input charge of some capacity whenever the sun is shining, and you won't run out of power.

As a point of reference, just going off specifications of the fridge alone, the Rover 40Ah theoretically can only run the 25Lt Brass Monkey fridge for anywhere between 8-17hrs before requiring re-charge.

G'day Robert,

No, it's not.  The Rover 40Ah has an inbuilt MPPT charge controller, so is only compatible with "raw" panels.
You'll need to completely bypass the solar charge regulator that comes with your existing panels.
Alot of panels come with an Anderson connection, so you can plug the supplier Anderson solar cable straight into your panels.
If they don't have an ando connection, you may have to head to JayCar for a compatible cable.

Bear in mind that the Rovers max solar panels requirements are 18-20V 5A, or 100W.  You may be able to get away with 120W panels, but 150W is likely to be too much, and could fry the internal MPPT charger.
If you choose to continue with the 150W panels, you'll need to keep an eye on the output and manually manage the charge by disconnecting the panels when the output exceeds 5A.

G'day Bill,

The short answer is yes, it will. We recommend only charging this unit whilst driving as long as you have a fixed alternator (14.4V).
Ensure your 12v output port in that car will switch off when your vehicle does, or unplug it.

G'day Brendan,

The MPPT in the Rover requires 14-20v input range, its highly unlikely that your other lithium battery will put out enough voltage to effectively charge the Rover.  Whilst we havent tried it in real life, all signs point to you ending up with 2 half full batteries with balanced voltage, or the Rovers MPPT may suck your other battery dry trying to charge up.

G'day Chester,

You can find the Solar Input specifications on the product page online, which are "Solar Input: 18-20V 5A"
As you have a 50W 18V panel, your absolute maximum output is 2.2A. (W = V x A)
It will definitely charge your rover, albeit slowly even in the most ideal solar conditions.
See how you go, and if you need a bigger panel, you wouldn't want more than 100W.
Hope that helps!

G'day John,

You should be fine, you just obviously won't get a huge amount of power trickling through, but that shouldn't be an issue given the low draw of your lights and phone.

G'day John,

Absolutely! Even without Solar input you'd get a good 4-5 days off charging your phone and running lights a few hours a night.
That gives you wiggle room in case you have terrible weather or overcast days where your solar doesn't contribute much.
To get the best out of the power pack, I'd fully charge from 240v before you go, then rely on the solar to keep it topped up.
Hoep that helps!

G'day Marcus,

The 2 x pin outputs come with DC5521 adaptors which is a generic fitting and will allow the use of most LED strip lighting directly
from these DC jack outlets.
The majority of the strip lighting on the market uses this connection.

G'day Marcus,

The Dometic 120W Solar Panel has a built in charge controller, you may possibly be able to bypass it if you know what you're doing, but its not recommended if you don't have the knowledge/skills to do so.
You'll need to use a 'raw' solar panel that meets the input requirements of the Rover 40Ah Power Station, or something like the Companion 120w Solar Charger that has a removable/easily bypassed charge controller.
Hope that helps.

G'day Adam,

I've checked it with Companion on this one, and they've provided the following info.
"As the chemistry in the Rover is a LiFePo4 (Lithium Ferrophosphate) it will hold a constant nominal voltage of 12.8v till an extremally low state of charge, at which point the voltage will drop straight of the cliff."
Based on this info I'd be confident that you'll be using majority of the battery capacity before requiring further charge input.
Ideally you'll have solar set up, in which case you'll have constant charge and a consistent voltage.

G'day Brian,

Yes, the Rover Lithium 40Ah is large enough to run the Bushman 35/52 Portable Fridge. You'll just need a way to recharge the Rover while you're away, to keep it topped up during the day, so your fridge will continue running overnight. If you travel with other devices like lights etc, you might find the 70Ah version will give you a little more power to play with.

G'day Rex,

Technically yes, but the amount of power you would be getting through your inverter is minuscule.
There are going to be far better options for you based on the small amount of info I've drawn from this. 
Please feel free to shoot through an email with more information on what you're wanting to achieve and we can do our best to give you more info!

G'day Tony,

The specifications on the Rover Lithium 40Ah Power Station state the ideal operating temperature is between -10°C and 40°C, so you should be fine in most Australian camping situations!

G'day Graham,

Yes, as long as your DC to DC charger is the same nominal voltage as the battery you want to charge, in this case 12v, then you'll have no problems.

G'day Mavis,

Yes, the Rover Lithium 40Ah can be charged at the same time as running a fridge from it. This will increase your overall charge time for the unit, but it can be done without a worry.

G'day Derek,

Companion hasn't explicitly indicated whether the internal battery is replaceable at this stage, however it could possibly be replaced in the future by a qualified technician.

G'day Fred,

Yes, the Rover LIthium 40Ah Power Station can be charged and discharged simultaneously.

G'day Kylie,

No, the Rover Lithium 40Ah Power Station will not discharge to 0%, it has a built-in battery management system with a low voltage cut out which will prevent damage to you battery in the case of 'human error'.
This should be around 9.5v which is the common cut off for battery management systems.

G'day Kylie

Companion specifies that you should only charge, use and store the unit within an ambient temperature of 0 to 40 degrees celcius.

G'day Amy,

Yes, theoretically this will work, it's not something that we've tried as we've not had any Travel Buddy stock since the Rover came out, but it should work, as it sits right on the maximum output. In terms of run time, yes the maths looks correct for your theoretical maximum run time, however, we'd suggest budgeting on about 3 hours of usage.

G'day Amy,

The maximum DC output on the Rover Lithium is 40Ah, so the Epak Inverter could give you some options for 240V appliances between 100W and 140W, but you'd be running the risk of damaging the Power Station if you plugged anything greater than this into the Epak Inverter.

G'day Aldo,

There isn't a hard and fast rule here, but generally speaking, a Lithium Battery can be run down to about 20% of its capacity before it will stop working, so your theoretical maximum output is 32Ah, divide that by your 2.5AH draw, and you should get around 12-13 hours of run time from the Rover Lithium. We'd always recommend ensuring you've got a way to continually recharge your battery, as a 75L fridge is quite a large unit to run from a battery of this capacity.

G'day Aldo,

You should be able to run your ARB fridge without too many worries. The fridge should have a 12V cable with a cigarette style plug which can be plugged directly into the Rover Power Station. We wouldn't recommend leaving the Power Station exposed to the elements, as water and dust may cause irreversible damage to the unit.

G'day Alex,

This isn't really something these Power Stations have been designed to do, and based on the output I don't think it would be possible to use one to recharge another. I'm not sure of any scenarios you'd need to do this either, as if you had two and one went flat you could just unplug it, and plug in the charged unit? The best option would be to ensure you've got a way to keep the Power Station charging while travelling via the 12V DC cable in your vehicle, or solar panels.

G'day Diane,

You won't be able to charge the Rover Power Station if it has two regulators in the line, so you'll need to bypass your solar panels MPPT regulator if you're wanting to charge this battery. If the MPPT unit normally connects in line, then with this unit just connect the Anderson directly to the Power Station rather than through the MPPT unit.

G'day Rebecca,

Some fridges on the market come with a 2-pin 12V plug option which is a little more secure for transit than a 12v cigarette socket plug.

Sure can, Chris, you can connect any charging source to the unit inputs at the same time you are powering a device from any of the outputs. It will obviously take longer to charge doing this, but it is certainly doable.

It has a built-in MPPT so you don't need a solar controller, Chris. The specs say that the solar input has a rating of 18-20V at 5A which equates to 100-120W. Given the panel is connected directly to the unit, the 13.89A from your panel will be too much, unfortunately.

G'day Riaan,

We've got some new information here so coming back with updates and a bit more info for you, sorry if our previous advice has confused you.

You can use any solar panel, 120W - 200W is a good option, but the built-in MPPT will only allow charge at 5A even if your solar panel delivers more than this. A larger wattage panel will ensure the maximum of 5A is delivered for longer as it will generate more power under low light.

As for the battery, if you have a decent solar panel attached and providing charge for the full day, you'll just need to make sure you have enough power to get through the night before the sun comes up again. The CFX75 draws about 3A per hour on average, so you'd be charging the battery at 2A during the day. But then you'd have about 14 hours without sun, so you will need about 40Ah of battery power to get through the night, but the fridge won't use as much power during the night so it would be less than this.

Long story short, I'd suggest at minimum a 40Ah Lithium Ion battery, or a 100Ah flooded car type battery, the more power the better thoguh. You've probably got a load more questions, have a look at this article, it may help - https://www.snowys.com.au/blog/solar-formula-for-your-4wd-setup/. 

G'day Rebecca, 

Yes, you could use a very small inverter with the Rover Lithium. However the 12V outputs are limited to a combined 140W, so you'd be looking at a small inverter like the Engel Canverter, with limited 240V options that could be plugged in.

G'day Al,

We've had conflicting advice from the supplier here. It seems though, that you need to stick to a max solar input of 18-20V, 5A, which equates to 100-120W solar panels.

Makes it hard if you are using the panels to charge other batteries as 200W is your best bet in that case, so you may just need to charge the Rover from a 12V outlet instead.

G'day John,

The Rover Lithium 40Ah will have no troubles running an Engel 40L fridge, just be sure to have a plan to keep your battery topped up either while driving or via solar. Companion hasn't explicitly indicated whether the internal battery is replaceable at this stage, however it could possibly be replaced in the future by a qualified technician.