As a flexible way of catering service, mobile food trucks are becoming increasingly popular in modern urban life. They can provide customers with delicious food anytime, anywhere. There are over 7,000 street food vans serving markets, festivals, and stadiums in the UK alone. [1]
However, ensuring continuous power supply while in motion has become a critical consideration. Traditional fixed power sources are clearly unable to meet the needs of mobile food carts. So, if you are planning to open your mobile food cart, it's essential to find a portable and reliable power source.
Suitcase generators are optimal in this regard. They are portable, budget-friendly, and provide stable power to keep all the essential food cart equipment running, from stove to oven. However, when selecting a suitcase generator, a detailed analysis of the requirements is required. This article will further discuss suitcase generators, their benefits, and much more. Let’s dig in!
Electricity Demand for Mobile Food Carts
As a mobile catering service, the power demand of mobile food carts covers multiple aspects, from cooking to payment. The following is a detailed analysis of basic electrical appliances:
1. Cooking Equipment
It doesn't matter whether you have opened a pizza food cart or sold some tacos. You need to power cooking equipment, including:
- Electric Stove: An electric stove relies on electricity for cooking and frying.
- Induction Cooker:Induction cookers are more energy efficient than electric stoves. They provide controlled and precise heating that allows you to cook delicious sauces or just keep food warm for serving.
- Barbecue Grill:If you don't want the mess that gas grills cause, electric barbecue grills are ideal. These grills have ceramic or metal heating elements that use electricity to heat the grill's main surface. You can then place meat and veggies on it and enjoy the same flavour without the need for gas or charcoal that may cause pollution.
2. Refrigeration Equipment
If you are staying at the food cart from morning till evening, you need proper equipment to prevent food from spoilage. Here's a list of refrigeration devices that you need to power:
- Dipping Cabinets: Another refrigeration equipment you may need on your food cart is dipping cabinets. These cabinets maintain a low temperature inside, have a glass top, and are designed to hold ice cream, cupcakes, and other chilled desserts.
- Mini Freezers: No matter if you’re serving fast food or traditional British dishes, you’ll definitely need a freezer. A freezer can store various items, from cold drinks to frozen items, ensuring you have a consistent supply of ingredients all day long.
3. Coffee Machines and Other Beverage Preparation Equipment
Recent studies show that the UK now enjoys 98 million cups of coffee every single day. [2] So, if you want to utilise this huge market, it's a good idea to start a coffee cart or a beverage cart. Some appliances that you'll need to run on a 110V suitcase generator for this setup include:
- Coffee Machines: Coffee machines are small portable devices that are used to brew coffee by forcing pressurised water through ground coffee beans. They come in different types, such as espresso machines and single-serve pod machines. You should check the power requirements and prices to purchase the one that suits your needs.
- Juicers: Juice extractors, also known as juicers, are devices that extract juice from fruits and leafy greens by crushing, grinding, and squeezing them. You can provide different types of juices in your cart, such as apple juice and mango juice.
4. Lighting and Entertainment System
The right lighting and a sprinkle of entertainment may increase your sales. People love the nice ambience, and coupled with tasty food, it can transform your first-time visitors into returning customers. Some lighting and entertainment systems that you'll need to run using a suitcase generator include:
- LED Lights: These lights are energy efficient and provide consistent illumination to your food cart. They create a bright environment for your food cart while consuming minimum power from the suitcase generator.
- Fairy Lights: If you want to enhance the nice ambience, then hang fairy lights at the top and sides of the food cart. They make the cart look cosy, attracting potential customers.
- Portable Speaker:You also need a portable speaker to play music to stand out among other food carts. It also helps you make announcements. For instance, if you are offering a discount, you can let people know by saying it aloud using the speaker.
5. Payment Terminal
Moreover, your food cart requires a payment or point of sale (POS) terminal to streamline the whole food-selling process.
By integrating payment terminals in your food cart, you can bid farewell to traditional cash registers and manual data entry. This way, most of your time is spent on cooking mouth-watering meals and enhancing the overall atmosphere of the cart.
Energy Supply Requirements for Mobile Food Carts
In order to power all the above-mentioned appliances and devices, it's essential to invest in an energy supply that has the following characteristics:
- Uninterrupted Power Supply
Your mobile food cart requires a consistent power supply to ensure smooth operations. Therefore, the suitcase generator you choose must generate electricity stably.
Solar generators are recommended options as they capture solar power and convert it into electrical energy. As long as the sun's up, your food cart will have enough power to run small electronics to heavy machines due to the UK’s abundant solar power.
Moreover, even when the sun goes down, the battery connected to the generator stores ample energy to keep your cart powered up all night.
- Easy to Carry and Store
Another thing to look for in the suitcase generator is its portability. Make sure the generator you are investing in is lightweight and easy to move, allowing you to transport it effortlessly with your food cart.
In addition, it should be compact for quick storage when you are closing your cart for the day without taking up too much space. It helps to improve the utilisation of space and also facilitates the maintenance and management of equipment.
- Low Noise Level
Your food cart should have a calm atmosphere to attract customers. However, this might not be possible with traditional diesel or gas generators that have moving parts and make loud noises during operation, disturbing the tranquillity of the surroundings.
To avoid this, you need to invest in high-capacity and durable silent generators for sale. For example, solar generators don't have moving parts and make almost no noise, so your customers can enjoy their meals in peace.
- Multiple Output Ports
As we mentioned earlier, your food cart will have various appliances and electronics, from coffee machines and electric grills to lighting and entertainment systems.
So, look for power supply options with multiple ports, such as AC and USB ports. This provides enhanced convenience and ensures that all your essential equipment runs simultaneously.
- Safety and Environmental Protection
The energy supply system must ensure electrical safety and avoid dangerous electric shocks and short circuits. Therefore, when choosing a suitcase generator, attention should be paid to its safety protection design and whether it has obtained quality certification.
Moreover, with the continuous improvement of environmental awareness, using energy supply systems that are clean and emission-free is better. For example, solar energy or other low-emission, low-noise power generation equipment can be chosen as the main source of energy.
- Scalability
You may start your small food cart with only a few appliances, but you will need more devices as your customer base expands.
You will need to power a vast range of machines to provide different food options, which means you'll also outgrow your current power setup. Thus, it’s recommended to choose a generator that suits your energy needs.
For instance, you can purchase generators with expandable capacity by adding more battery packs. This eliminates the need to invest in a new power solution, as your existing one can easily adapt to your growing needs, saving you money in the long run.
Which Suitcase Generator is the Most Suitable for Mobile Food Carts?
When choosing a suitcase generator suitable for mobile food carts, multiple factors need to be considered comprehensively, including uninterruptible power supply, ease of carry and storage, low noise level, multiple output ports, safety and environmental protection, and scalability. Here are four common types of suitcase generators:
- Diesel Generator
Diesel generators, as the name suggests, produce electrical energy using diesel fuel. They have high power and long operating times, but they are often bulky and heavy, making them difficult to carry and store.
In addition, diesel generators may generate noise during operation, which may affect the dining environment. Therefore, diesel generators may not be the best choice for mobile food carts.
- Gasoline Generator
Gasoline generators rely on internal combustion engines and produce power using gasoline. These generators are more affordable and portable than diesel generators.
However, they also require frequent maintenance and replacements. Plus, gasoline generators also generate certain noise during operation, and the exhaust emissions can impact the environment.
- Propane Generator
Propane generators use propane as the primary fuel and utilise combustion methods to produce electricity. You can store propane for a long time and supply it to the generator without worrying about degradation. In addition, it's among some of the cleanest burning fuels, generating 50% less carbon monoxide than traditional gasoline generators.
However, it requires regular replacement or replenishment of fuel tanks, which may increase operating costs and inconvenience.
- Solar Generator
Solar-powered generators use solar energy to generate electricity, which has the advantages of environmental protection, noise reduction, and renewability. It does not require fuel and only needs sunlight to provide continuous power, making it very suitable for outdoor use.
They also operate silently, maintaining the peaceful ambience of the food cart, making them the best silent suitcase generator option.
In addition, solar generators are typically designed to be easy to carry and store. With the continuous development of solar energy technology, its power generation efficiency and stability are also constantly improving.
Overall, considering the special needs and environmental protection of mobile food carts, solar generators may be the most suitable choice. It can not only meet the power demand of mobile food carts but also provide customers with a more comfortable and environmentally friendly dining environment.
Jackery Solar Generator Suitable for Different Cart Sizes
Here are two popular Jackery solar-powered generators that are sure to meet your different food cart energy demands:
- Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Plus
The first option on our list is the Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Plus. It provides a maximum output of 2000W, which is 20% more than common 1kWh LFP power stations.
It's a suitable option for your food cart as it can be expanded from 1.26 kWh to 5 kWh by adding three battery packs. Despite the large capacity, this suitcase generator 2000W can be fully charged in two hours via four Jackery SolarSaga 200W solar panels or in 100 minutes via a wall outlet.
It features a long-lasting LiFePO4 battery and a user-friendly design that makes setting it up a breeze. The smart app compatibility allows you to monitor generator charging levels in real-time.
- Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus
Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus is also second to none when it comes to powering your food cart in the UK. This suitcase generator offers a 2 kWh capacity and can also be expanded up to 12 kWh by adding 5 battery packs.
With a 3000W power output, it can run almost all your equipment smoothly, from coffee machines to electric grills. It operates at 30 dB, which means you don't have to worry about noise pollution disturbing your guests.
Moreover, this suitcase generator comes with portable solar panels and boosts a solar conversion efficiency of up to 25%, allowing you to charge the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus in just 2 hours with six Jackery SolarSaga 200W solar panels. Its LiFePO4 battery is durable enough that it lasts up to 10 years, even during frequent use.
Conclusion
Opening your food cart in the UK is an incredible means of earning. In order to ensure your new venture becomes an ultimate success, pay attention to investing in suitcase generators.
Jackery offers the best solutions in this regard! You can try our Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Plus and Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus to streamline your food cart operations with continuous access to electricity. Visit our website to get one for paving the way for a successful food cart startup!
References
[1] Why is Street Food so Popular in the UK? Available at: https://www.gloveman.co.uk/Blog/Why-is-Street-Food-so-Popular-in-the-UK (Accessed: 18 September 2024)
[2] Coffee Consumption Statistics UK 2024 (Researchers Handbook). Available at: https://balancecoffee.co.uk/blogs/blog/coffee-consumption-statistics-uk# (Accessed: 18 September 2024)
