Inverter insight from Bruce Purkey

Inverter insight from Bruce Purkey

Inverters are a popular way to deal with driver comfort, but there is a consequence. “When I first started in this business, I hated [inverters] because they have a negative impact on batteries,” says Bruce Purkey, chief creative officer of Purkeys. “As I watched the market place—fleets use this to entice drivers. You can use invertors to cook your own meals, watch television, etc. My thought was that if we can’t beat them, join them.”

To appease both the driver’s desire for sleeper power and the truck’s need to start in the morning, Purkeys started installing control modules to provide timers or a low-voltage disconnect (LVD) to limit how much time the inverter can be used.

“If you don’t limit that time, all that comes off the battery,” Purkey explains. “What people forget is—if you put 2,000-watt inverter onboard, divide that by 10 and that means that it’s pulling 200 amps out of your batteries. You only have 400-ampere hours. For example, one fleet I work with allows their drivers to use the inverter two hours out of every eight. We want them to have those creature comforts, but we also want those vehicles to start.”

Purkeys provides a special programmable module to whatever specifications the fleet desires. Purkey explained that one large fleet he’s worked with determined that their inverters would be usable for two hours every eight hours. When eight hours is up, the timer resets.

“Let’s say you run all day and then you stop, and you’ll be down for eight hours. If you want to watch TV or use the micro-range for the first hour, that’s cool—just shut it off when you’re done. That way, when you wake up and you want to make coffee, you have an hour left,” he says. “If you go to sleep with the television on, the inverter is going to shut off after two hours. When you wake up six hours later, you won’t have power to use until the inverter resets.”

For more inverter insight, be sure to watch the video below, and then head over to Purkeys.

You May Also Like

Goodyear unveils two RangeMax tires deisgned for regional work

Goodyear says the new tire models balance traction, range and mileage for work vehicles running on electricity, gas or diesel.

Goodyear-rangemax tires-group-logo

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. introduced two additions to its portfolio of RangeMax tires: the RangeMax RSA ULT and the RangeMax RTD ULT. Goodyear says its latest RangeMax tires are a steer-drive combo engineered for electric, gas- or diesel-powered regional work vehicles.

Goodyear says the all-position RangeMax RSA ULT and RangeMax RTD ULT tires help deliver range efficiency through low rolling resistance and long miles to removal. 

Vipar Heavy Duty’s Supplier Advisory Council reviews performance, strategy

The council is expecting a stable aftermarket with moderate growth, a reliable supply chain and continued expansion of VIPAR Heavy Duty in 2024.

vipar-heavy-duty-supplier-advisory-council
Davco introduces Fuel Pro 499 for Class 8 trucks

The company says its latest diesel fuel/water separator was designed to increase filtration capacity and reduce fleet downtime.

DAVCO-fuel-pro-499-water-separator-filter-TMC-Clarience-Technologies
PACCAR Parts presents Dealer of the Year awards at Kenworth Dealer Meeting

Dealer of the Year awards were given out for both TRP and Kenworth parts and service dealers.

PACCAR-Parts-dealer-of-the-year-Kenworth-Northeast-group
Double Coin FR610, other tires to be displayed at MATS

The FR610 is the latest SmartWay Verified long haul steer tire in Double Coin’s lineup.

Double-coin-logo-truck-tire-generic

Other Posts

Dorman announces new light- and heavy-duty aftermarket parts

The company says it released more than 200 light-and heavy-duty aftermarket parts in February, developed for technicians and DIY customers.

Dorman-new-parts
Hendrickson launches Roadmaax Z with ‘Zero Maintenance Damping’

Hendrickson says this is the first drive axle suspension system its released with integrated ZMD technology.

HENDRICKSON-ROADMAAX-Z-SUSPENSION
Lincoln Electric launches Ranger Air 260 MPX multi-function engine drive

Lincoln Electric recently introduced the new Ranger Air 260MPX multifunction engine drive.

Clean Energy’s RNG digester at Tri-Cross Dairy begins production

RNG from the $34M project will be sent to Clean Energy’s network of fueling stations across the U.S.

Clean-Energy-RNG-Facility-Tri-Cross-Dairy