That's why I chose that handle here. It emphasizes what I have to offer. I'm not a First Responder, nor much of an outdoor type, but if it involves data and cheap electronics, I'm there!

I'll be trying different things to try to ameliorate those temperatures. They can't be good for the Clif Bars in my GHB, either!

I'll start a new thread when I have more to report.

I've had a couple of those little 12v coolers, they draw 2-3A continuous and a 1.8W battery tender / 12v is 150mA. If you bought over a dozen of those battery tenders and paralleled them and had perfect sunlight and a small cooler it would work.

I used it when my wife had to take insulin shots. I bought the second battery tray for the diesel model of my truck and put in a second battery and isolator and had the cooler running off the second battery.

The manufacturer website says the cooler draws 48 watts. The solar charger puts out 1.8 watts. You'd need 27 of them to run it. How big's your back window?

Would something like this work?
http://www.earthtechproducts.com/p2534.html

If you installed it in the roof of a car, it would look like a beanie with a propeller on top, but maybe in a trailer or something?

I think solar panels have pretty low amperage output (I'm not a solar expert) but maybe we could use this while driving around, using the suggested power supply, then switch it to solar power when the car is sitting with the engine off?
Maybe a panel would be enough to maintain a slightly lower temperature while we're at work?

http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/peltier/ck500.pdf

Make sure you read the whole article.
This seems to be right up our alley.

But there is no information on how long the project shown takes to cool down the air mass in the cooler.

Kind of funny though how the Aussies' used almost exactly the same size 'Esky/Cooler" as Compugeek!

A lower tech approach would be to put a cover over the car so the greenhouse effect doesn't happen.

Mylar emergency blankets for vehicles.

Hey, 'Geek! A new experiment coming up!

When I go to the local fair or something similar, I have a large fabric remnant I put over that huge back window. I tuck it in at the edges as I close the hatch. It's just too much work to do on a daily basis . . . though I may be changing my mind about that.

The back window had tinted film on it when we* bought it. But there is no right-side mirror, and we had to remove the film (CA law - no tinted rear window if no RH Mirror). The temp differences were quite noticeable.

"Get a passenger-side mirror and re-tint the back window" is now MUCH higher on my "Someday" list.


*Late DW and I

I once worked for a manufacturer of thermoelectric modules.

The very laws of nature cause them to be horribly inefficient power hogs. A good thermoelectric module requires a material that has a high thermoelectric constant, a low thermal conductivity and a high electrical conductivity.

God made it so that most good electrical conductors are also good heat conductors and vice versa.

They are good for “uh, compared to what?” types of applications where you need a little cooling over a small temperature difference.

On the plus side, the surface of the ceramic substrates makes a wonderful extra-fine knife sharpening stone.

Everyone seen those reflective things you can buy for the windshields, they look like bubble wrap between foil? You can buy rolls of that stuff at lowes/home depot. What you can do it buy a roll of that and line your whole trunk with it, espically the top/lid. I fif it in a truck, you cut panels to fit between all the structural steel then use aluminum duct tape to hold it in place, works very well to reflect the heat outward in the summer or inward in the winter. I did the whole cab of my truck and would not turn the heater on sometimes in winter as it would reflect enough of my body heat to keep me warm. I was going to cut panels out to cover the windows and tape the edges for use if I ever needed to shelter in the truck.