I was recently given the Halfords 8 Litre 12V In-Car Electric Coolbox for my birthday; an appliance I had been eyeing up as an addition to my van build for some time.

It’s a neat 12v electric cool box that cools its inside compartment to 18 degrees below the outside temperature and also has a heating function for keeping food warm.

Not only can it be charged by car, but it also has a USB charging socket too, and a mains adaptor can be purchased separately.

Why an electric cool box?

My plan was to fit one of these between my front seats, primarily for use while camping. I have previously used a standard cool box and based on what I normally need to keep cool, I was happy that an 8 litre capacity, although only small, would be suitable for my use.

It is also worth noting that the cool box won’t be kept in my van all the time. The space between my front seats is usually home to the nose of my 9’5″ surfboard, so my requirements for fitting the box would be to make it easily removable when not needed.

It is for these reasons that I choose not to get a larger cool box or even a fridge. Oh, and it only costs £35!

My first consideration, however, was whether it would fit…

Cool box dimensions

One of the most infuriating things about trying to decide on whether this electric cool box would fit between the front seats of my NV200 was that Halfords didn’t have the dimensions on their website, nor could I find them anywhere else online. I don’t live close to a Halfords and so couldn’t go into a store to have a look, so it was a bit of a guessing game, but luckily it paid off.

The Halfords 8L electric cool box fits very snuggly between the two front seats of a Nissan NV200. I have an Acenta model Nissan NV200, which is pretty bare between the seats, though other models might be different.

As it may be useful to others, the dimensions are as follows (approximate, in centimetres):

• External height = 30cm
• External width = 20cm
• External length = 44cm
• Internal height = 17cm
• Internal width = 14cm
• Internal length = 26cm

Cool box features

I’ve mentioned a few of the cool box’s features already, however it packs quite a lot in so I’ll go through them all:

1. 2 cups holders, not refrigerated, which are suitable for a couple of cans or coffee cups. These are each 7cm in diameter and a pretty handy addition to the unit.

2. Seat belt clips to hold to the cool box in place while travelling. These are found near the hinge, but there are also 2 other attachment areas at the front and back of the box.

3. A compartment for holding the 2.6m long 12v cable. This is built into the back of the lid and is a really useful feature.

4. A rubber O-ring around the perimeter of the lid to create a seal with the fridge compartment.

5. Front facing controls and fan. This makes it really easy to adjust or change setting and stops the fan from getting blocked when up against a seat etc.

6. It comes with a carry straps, and has a couple of points to attach to, making it portable though I wouldn’t have thought it was very comfortable for a long walk!

Building a platform

Between the front seats of the NV200 is a pretty uneven surface consisting of a variety of walled sections leading the the dashboard. No matter how I tried, the cool box wouldn’t sit flat and so I knew I needed to add a platform to the area to provide a flat surface on which the unit could sit.

Having measured the area to find out what space I had to work with, I cut a piece of scrap plywood to shape to use as my platform.

I utilised screw threads already in the van floor to add 2x 15cm M6 bolts at the back of the platform to hold it down, whilst dowelling in a couple of legs near the front to provide support and to bring it level with how it sat at the back.

Whilst the long bolt’s allow some movement, the platform is definitely not going anywhere.

The curve at the top is to allow easy access the 12v input.

Oh, and I added a couple of holes to hold mine and my partner’s water bottles whilst travelling.

Installing the electric cool box

With the platform built and installed, installing the cool box is just a simply a case of lowering it in place. I mentioned earlier that the cool box comes with a carry strap, and I’ve been able to use this and the built-in seat belt clips to hold the box in place whilst moving.

If you want to see more of my camper van build in action, please CLICK HERE.