The Freedom XC Pro features a built-in battery charging and communication enabling the truck to send commands directly to the inverter.
Xantrex produced its first Freedom Inverter 25 years ago for recreational vehicles, but quickly found a market for heavy-duty trucks with sleepers.
Inverters, which convert DC power into AC power to power creature comforts in the truck cab, have always been a magnet for controversy. An expert at one inverter company offers his tips for what to think about when spec'ing an inverter.
More than 250 model year 2014-2015 Freightliner Cascadia models trucks that came factory-equipped with certain Thermo King power inverters are part of a larger voluntary recall that also affects aftermarket-installed inverters.
In Joe Egan’s office, a framed picture shows a long-haul tractor, or more precisely, its charred remains. “It’s not one of our trucks, but it illustrates what can happen when an electrical fire is caused by a bad inverter installation,” he says. “It gives a visual reminder to any driver who comes into my office what can happen if an inverter isn’t installed correctly.”
Power inverters – the devices that convert standard battery (DC) power to AC household power – are becoming more commonplace in the trucking industry. Depending upon whom you ask, that’s to the delight, or chagrin of fleet and maintenance managers, who often have a love/hate relationship with inverters.
So you want to install an inverter, but with all the features and complexity of today’s more sophisticated units, you’re hesitant to take the plunge? Or, perhaps you’ve had some problems with your inverter, and you’re not sure if it’s a faulty unit … or a simple installation problem?