Here's the competition breakdown:
The contenders: A GoSun Chill vs. a car fridge. Both carry 40 liters.
The scenario: For a control they were both placed outside on a 75°F sunny day. Both were cranked down to 40°F. They were tested side-by-side to remove all variables such as wind speed, outdoor air temperature, nearby shade, and other factors.
The result: The Chill used half the energy of the car fridge.
Here's a more detailed breakdown. The Chill used half the energy. Using an IR scanner, infrared camera, and a Kill a Watt Meter (energy consumption tracker) you can see below how the Chill is using .03 kilowatt hours (kWh) vs. .06 of the car cooler. The total difference in electricity usage over the course of the day was roughly .70 kWh.The two coolers were outside for approximately seven hours.
The amount of electricity that the GoSun Chill used was only half the capacity of the electric cooler's power bank (a 150 watt-hour lithium battery pack powers the GoSun Chill).
There are many implications for this. First, if you are running on the powerbank on a really hot summer day (90-100 degree) summer day, the GoSun Chill would keep you cool the entire day while a typical 12V portable fridge cooler would run out of juice after 4-5 hours.
Second, when the compressor runs less often the cooler will last longer before something fails; in other words, it would take as much as two times the battery capacity to get the job done.
Third, when the GoSun Chill is paired with the GoSun 30w solar module or 60w solar table, then it can stay cool indefinitely.
This post is part of our larger information resource on solar coolers. Click here to read our post Solar Fridge Guide: Stay Cool Off The Grid