Electric and Battery-Powered Food Trucks: What the Batteries Have to Carry

This guide covers kitchen power, not electric drivetrains. The arithmetic uses makers' spec sheets: Victron for the inverter and battery, the appliance makers for the kitchen. For a generator instead, see our generator sizing guide.

Checked on 29 September 2026.

Two numbers: kilowatts and kilowatt-hours

The US Energy Information Administration puts the difference simply. Watts measure power at a specific moment. Watthours measure how much electricity is used over a period of time, and one kWh is one kilowatt for one hour.

On a battery truck those two figures size two different parts:

• Power (W or kW) sizes the inverter. It has to carry everything that runs at once, plus the largest start-up surge of any motor.
• Energy (kWh) sizes the battery bank. It is power multiplied by the hours each item runs.

Take both from the rating plate or the maker's spec sheet, as Generac advises for generators. If a sheet gives amps, multiply by volts to get watts.

Step 1: the energy the batteries have to hold

Example only. These are the makers' published figures for three items on a 120 V US coffee trailer. It is not a recommendation of these models or of a battery size.

Assume a six-hour service.

Treat 15.66 kWh as a ceiling, not a forecast. A plate rating is a maximum: La Marzocco's manual, for example, speaks of "the maximum power consumption indicated on the espresso machine". None of the maker pages we read publish an average hourly use. Ask each maker for a measured figure, and use your own hours for each item.

Two loads are easy to forget. La Marzocco says the Linea PB steam boiler takes about 25 minutes to reach operating pressure. At the 2-group machine's 4,600 W, that is up to 1.9 kWh before the first coffee. The inverter also draws power just by being on: Victron lists 15 W at zero load for the MultiPlus-II 48/5000 120 V model. Over 24 hours that is 0.36 kWh.

Step 2: from kilowatt-hours to a battery bank

Victron's lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) datasheet gives its 25.6 V, 200 Ah Smart battery these figures:

• nominal energy 5,120 Wh at 25 °C
• capacity 160 Ah at 0 °C and 100 Ah at -20 °C
• 2,500 cycles at 80% depth of discharge, 5,000 cycles at 50%
• round-trip efficiency 92%
• weight 39 kg

The manual adds that depth of discharge has "a decisive influence" on service life. Drain the bank deeper each day and it lasts fewer cycles.

Continuing the example. The 15.66 kWh ceiling has to pass through the inverter. At the MultiPlus-II 48/5000's best printed efficiency of 96%, the battery supplies about 16.3 kWh. That is a maximum efficiency, so the real draw can only be the same or higher. If you plan to use 80% of the bank each day, you need about 20.4 kWh of nominal capacity. Four of those batteries give 20.48 kWh and weigh 156 kg. For 48 V, Victron suggests building the bank from pairs of 24 V batteries in series.

Now repeat that on a cold morning. At 0 °C the same four batteries hold 16.4 kWh nominal, and 80% of that is 13.1 kWh. That falls short of the 16.3 kWh the example needs. Our reading: if the truck trades or parks in winter, size the bank at the cold figure.

The bank and inverter also count against the vehicle's rating. In the UK that rating is the maximum authorised mass. In the US it is the GVWR specified by the manufacturer. Our sizes and layout guide covers payload.

Step 3: the inverter, continuous versus peak

An inverter datasheet gives several power figures. From Victron's MultiPlus-II 120 V sheet:

Victron's 230 V Phoenix 24/5000 follows the same pattern, from 4,000 W at 25 °C to 3,700 W at 40 °C, with 10,000 W peak.

Compare your loads with the watt row, not the VA row. And note that continuous output drops as the air around the inverter warms. Our reading: an inverter mounted in a compartment near the cooking line should be chosen on its 40 °C figure. Ask the builder where it will sit and how that space is ventilated.

Back to the example. The 2,610 W running load is more than the 2,400 W of the 3000 models, so on this 48 V bank it needs the 48/5000. Our generator guide estimated the grinder's start at 1,740 W, using Generac's rule of thumb because Mahlkönig's page gives no starting figure. That gives a 4,350 W peak, well under the 9,000 W listed. The sheet gives a peak duration for only one model (6 kW for 2 seconds on the 12/4k), so ask Victron how long the others hold theirs.

Step 4: charging from shore power

Shore power is a cable from a pedestal or building supply. Cummins gives the limits for RV cords: a 30 A, 120 V cord carries at most 3,600 W, and a 50 A, 240 V cord 12,000 W.

The MultiPlus-II 48/5000/70-95 (120 V) charges at up to 70 A with an absorption voltage of 57.6 V, rated up to 25 °C ambient. That is about 4,000 W into the battery at most. Refilling 80% of the example bank, about 16.4 kWh, takes at least four hours. Treat that as a floor: charger losses and the charge profile are not in it.

That 4,000 W is also more than a 30 A, 120 V supply can carry. Victron's PowerControl function lets you set a maximum input current, so the charger uses only what the other loads leave spare. PowerAssist works the other way, topping up weak shore power from the battery during short peaks. A second output is live only while shore or generator power is connected, for loads such as a water heater that should not drain the battery.

Temperature limits apply to charging too. Victron's battery charges between 5 °C and 50 °C. OSHA warns that charging lithium-ion cells below freezing can damage them. At UK events, HSE's guidance lists power supplies for catering equipment among the points to consider when planning, so ask the organiser what supply you will get.

What an all-electric menu rules out

Wood, charcoal and gas are out by definition. Everything else lands on the battery, and the heat loads are the big ones. Example, 230 V: a Lincat DF39 fryer (9,000 W), a GS6/T griddle (4,000 W) and a BM6W bain marie (2,000 W) add up to 15,000 W. The largest MultiPlus-II on Victron's 230 V sheet, the 48/15000, gives 12,000 W at 25 °C and 10,000 W at 40 °C. One hour of all three at full rating is 15 kWh, almost three of the 5.12 kWh batteries above, fully discharged.

Other single heat loads we have read are close to the fryer's size: the Bakers Pride P44S deck oven at 7,200 W and the Potis E3 electric doner broiler at 9 kW.

Our reading: a battery bank suits menus with small plate ratings and short heating hours. Heavy frying, deck-oven baking or electric broilers either need shore power, a much larger bank with inverters in parallel, or a move to gas. Moving an item to gas can take it off the battery: Lincat's GS4/P propane griddle sheet prints no electrical rating. Our custom food trucks use gas or electric cooking equipment and a power system with generator, shore power or batteries, all specified for your menu.

Lithium battery safety

OSHA's bulletin on lithium batteries is written for small and wearable devices, but its hazards are general. Lithium batteries "may cause injury if they have design defects", are assembled incorrectly, used or recharged improperly, or damaged. Dropping, crushing and puncturing damage them, and so do temperatures above 130°F. A failing cell can heat its neighbours in a chain reaction called thermal runaway, and the gases released can include carbon monoxide and hydrogen. OSHA's prevention list asks for batteries and chargers tested to an appropriate standard, use and charging as the maker instructs, and checks for bulging, hissing, leaking or rising temperature.

HSE's battery leaflet covers rechargeable batteries in general, from lead-acid to lithium-ion, and HSE calls it good practice rather than a legal requirement. It warns that a short circuit, even from an uninsulated spanner, can release the stored energy very quickly. It also says never to charge faster than the battery maker's maximum rate.

Victron's manual for its lithium batteries is specific:

• only qualified personnel should work on the battery
• use it only with a Victron-approved battery management system; an external safety relay is mandatory
• mount securely, because in a vehicle accident a battery "can become a projectile"
• indoor, dry location, with 20 mm of space on all four sides for ventilation
• fuse every connection to the battery
• in a fire, use a type D foam or CO2 extinguisher

These are one maker's instructions for its own batteries. Our reading: ask your builder where the bank sits relative to the fryer or oven, how it is restrained, fused and ventilated, and what shuts off charging. We found no food-truck-specific battery rule we could read, so check with your local fire authority and electrical inspector.

What to tell the builder

• Every electrical item, with model, voltage, phase and the plate figure. For refrigeration, ask for the defrost figure too.
• Hours of service per day, and how long the espresso machine or oven heats up before service.
• Where and how you will charge: the shore supply in volts and amps, and the time between services.
• The coldest and hottest conditions the truck will work or charge in.
• Which items could move to gas.
• The destination country. Ozan Food Truck engineers each export build to the electrical and gas standards of the destination country.

Frequently asked questions

How do you power a food truck?

With a generator, shore power or a battery system, or a mix. A battery system needs an inverter sized on your running load plus the largest motor start, and a bank sized in kWh on your hours of use.

Can a food truck run on batteries alone?

It depends on the menu. In the example above, a small coffee setup needed about 20 kWh of nominal battery. A fryer, griddle and bain marie totalling 15,000 W exceeded the largest single MultiPlus-II on Victron's 230 V sheet.

How long does it take to charge a food truck battery from shore power?

Divide the energy to refill by the charger's output. In the example, about 16.4 kWh at about 4,000 W takes at least four hours, and longer on a 30 A pedestal.

Send your equipment list, service hours and charging plan through the quote form. We reply with questions first, then drawings and a quote. You can see the range of food trucks and food trailers we build.

Related guides

• Food Truck Equipment: What a Kitchen on Wheels Needs (and the Hygiene Rules Behind It)
• Stainless Steel in Food Truck Kitchens: What Grade and Finish to Ask For
• Powering a Food Truck: How to Size a Generator from Your Equipment List
• New vs Used Food Truck: What to Check Before You Buy

Sources

• U.S. Energy Information Administration, Measuring electricity
• Victron Energy, MultiPlus-II 120 V datasheet
• Victron Energy, MultiPlus-II 230 V datasheet
• Victron Energy, Phoenix Inverter 1200–5000 VA datasheet
• Victron Energy, Lithium Battery Smart datasheet
• Victron Energy, Lithium Smart Battery manual
• OSHA, Preventing Fire and/or Explosion Injury from Small and Wearable Lithium Battery Powered Devices (SHIB 06-20-2019)
• HSE, Using electric storage batteries safely (INDG139)
• HSE, Event safety: Electrical safety
• Generac, What Size Generator Do I Need?
• Cummins, RV Generator Power Basics
• Rancilio, Classe 5 S specifications
• Mahlkönig, E65S specifications
• True Manufacturing, TUC-27-HC spec sheet
• La Marzocco, Linea PB operating manual
• Lincat, Silverlink 600 DF39 fryer
• Lincat, Silverlink 600 GS6/T griddle
• Lincat, Silverlink 600 BM6W bain marie
• Lincat, Silverlink 600 GS4/P propane griddle
• Bakers Pride, P44S / P44-BL spec sheet
• Omcan, Potis E3 electric doner kebab machine