This is an old revision of the document!
Electric coffee makers are possible, but are best used when connected to shore power. They use a surprising amount of power, particularly for boondockers:
Small drip | pod | |
avg watts | 740 | 1200 |
inverter ineff. | 74 | 120 |
total watts | 814 | 1320 |
Amps (W/13) | 62.6 | 101.5 |
Ah per 5min use | 5.2 | 8.5 |
To compound the problem, coffee is usually brewed in the early morning when batteries are most deeply discharged. This early morning load is bad enough for an MPPT-charged system but it hamstrings a PWM-charged system (for reasons explained here).
Cold-brewed coffee brews overnight in the cooler or on the counter. It is reported to be smoother and less acidic, but may require more grounds to achieve the same amount of flavor.
Space and other constraints might work against otherwise-acceptable coffeemakers.