Per the write up in the documentation of Electron Asset Tracker V2: "Say if you want to put the asset tracker inside a car, you can use the car’s battery as the main power source and use the LiPo battery as a backup when the car is turned off. "
However the specifications list supply input voltage with a max of +12V. My application is for a recreational vehicle (RV), where the 12V system has a fully charged resting voltage of 12.6 volts. When the RV is charging the house batteries, the 12V system is actually 14.4 volts. This is typical of all automobiles.
Will it be a problem to power the Electron Asset Tracker V2 directly from the RV 12V system when the voltage will be anywhere from 12.6 volts to 14.4 volts?
The charging chip is rated for 17v max input, Particle just derated it to 12v max because of potential heat build up when charging from higher voltage sources.
The bigger issue is that vehicle power rails can be very noisy with large voltage spikes on startup and during dump loads. This could fry the Electron.
You could also use a buck regulator to turn the 12v battery voltage into a steady regulated 5v which would also help filter out any vehicle voltage spikes also.
Consider a cigarette lighter USB car charger adapter to power the Electron from its USB port. Make sure it’s a 2 Amp or higher USB port for power the electron during its most power hungry moments.