[Truck2]

So I have one of those things that plugs into a cigarette lighter and has a electrical outlet on the other end on the square plastic shaped box part of it. Plus it has a few usb charge ports on it. how is that really different from a 400 W inverter

 

[Wire4money]

It’s built in and probably more powerful than the plug in. 400w 120v = 4000w 12v

 

[Truck2]

It’s built in and probably more powerful than the plug in. 400w 120v = 4000w 12v

OK thank you, I guess we can tell I never took an electrical class

 

[StevenD]

a 10 amp–fused 12-volt lighter socket will safely power about 1 amp of 120-volt AC (or about 120 watts). (See formula below.) A 15-amp socket will power 1.5 amps of 120-volt AC (about 150 to 180 watts), and a 20-amp will power about 2 amps (about 200 to 225 watts). If your inverter's battery has a 90 hour rating, you should be able to run a continuous load of 400 watt for 2 hours.//taxmycar.online/

 

[cavalierrs]

The 400 W inverter that Ford offers does what your inverter does, except it's built in, so you have a household outlet to plug into without needing an inverter.

 

[DavidS]

The 400 W inverter that Ford offers does what your inverter does, except it's built in, so you have a household outlet to plug into without needing an inverter.

And it does it better. 400 watts instead of 180 watts or so.

 

[branden]

It’s built in and probably more powerful than the plug in. 400w 120v = 4000w 12v

This is not correct. V * A = W
400W 120V is the same as 400W 12V - on 12V that's 33A, on 120V that's 3.3A