Dave from Ebike VanLife showed a converted box truck running its 12,000-BTU mini-split in California and Arizona desert heat above 100°F, without shore power or daytime generator use. The system had 1,950 watts of rooftop solar and about 10 kWh of batteries.
The truck is a converted 2003 Chevy Kodiak C4500, with a 3,000-watt Sungold inverter/charger. Dave said the mini-split cost about $500 on Facebook Marketplace; the rig also has sleeping space, a kitchen, a bathroom and 75 gallons of fresh water.
Dave said he wanted the system to support cooking, refrigeration, work and device charging as well as cooling. He explained that the inverter mini-split can adjust its output to match demand, unlike a typical rooftop RV air conditioner that repeatedly switches fully on and off. That flexibility matters because the same solar and battery capacity must serve the truck’s other daily needs.
