>>1210108Well if it is from your van, your cheapest option is just get an inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter, that's more than enough to charge a laptop, at lest with the engine running. Or you could wire a more heavy duty one into the van directly. But still the van would have to be running.
To get some charging time with the van off, you could DIY in a secondary car battery that is charged off the alternator but separate from the vans operation. This may take some research or a friend with some electricians knowledge to do right (half way safely) and incorporate low voltage shut offs to extend the battery life.
And if you are supper thrifty, and very DIY, you maybe able to bum some old solar panels from somewhere, install them on the roof, hook them up to a car battery and small inverter... but $200 is an unrealistic budget for this.
