Anyone gone all electric?

John and Jo said:
It's always shining.
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Man Slapping Couch Laughing GIF
 
John and Jo said:
I'm interested in this. For me I like the idea if self sufficiancy. It's free, from the sun/solar. Since we changed vans our heating is diesel so use very little gas anyway and this has prompted me to think this way.
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It isn’t free, there is a considerable cost in the set up for going all electric. Of course it depends how and where people use their vans.
I will use induction hob, coffee machine, electric kettle etc in better harvesting days (probably 7 months of the year in U.K.) but revert to gas for cooking 5 months of the year in U.K.
 
John and Jo said:
Ok, after the initial setup costs and when the sun shines its free :giggle:
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"when" ... that is the operative word..

and when it's not shining you either drive, using up diesel (not free) or clock into an EHU site ..

I can understand that size of investment for a full timer, who doesn't use sites in the UK and who goes to Spain in winter.. but for the average person doing the serval trips a year abroad and w/e trips in the UK .. no

but in either case, I would still keep gas for cooking ..

I've looked into it and for us it's not worth the capital outlay, nor would there be any benefits

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With all these various setups, different battery sizes, what do people run their minimum battery % down to?
We are still getting used to our usage, and obviously winter will be a different ball game. We are finding that the battery capacity remaining when read from the BMS may actually be as much as 20% less when read from the Victron Shunt! It seems unless the battery is FULLY charged regularly then this is normal!
 
We are going for all electric hab with our next van which is on order. Heating and water will come via Truma combi diesel heater. 2 x 200ah lithiums on a 24v system. 3 x 160w solar panels but have asked whether bigger ones will fit up top..no answer yet. Onboard electric genny which is driven by the engine will help with matters though.
 
TheAleMan said:
We are going for all electric hab with our next van which is on order. Heating and water will come via Truma combi diesel heater. 2 x 200ah lithiums on a 24v system. 3 x 160w solar panels but have asked whether bigger ones will fit up top..no answer yet. Onboard electric genny which is driven by the engine will help with matters though.
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What vehicle are you ordering?
 
jwells said:
With all these various setups, different battery sizes, what do people run their minimum battery % down to?
We are still getting used to our usage, and obviously winter will be a different ball game. We are finding that the battery capacity remaining when read from the BMS may actually be as much as 20% less when read from the Victron Shunt! It seems unless the battery is FULLY charged regularly then this is normal!
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Lithium? 10% should be Ok, but I'm pretty sure my Victron inverter plays up long before the battery gets to 10%. It's a total PITA - I can only access the inverter status and control on a laptop, so I had to buy the USB dongle, and I have to disconnect the remote control so that I can plug the dongle in instead. Victron are big on making you buy extra bits.

Interesting about the BMS. I would trust that and throw away the shunt. My Victron shunt has reset itself overnight twice over the last year, showing 100% capacity when it should be 75 or 80%. That makes it pretty much useless.
 
Prop said:
Normally 2 trips to Europe of 6 weeks a year sept/oct and feb/march and the odd week in the uk.
We cook in the van with gas and gas bbq a lot and move on every couple of days.
Normally Aires with the odd campsite.

We have upgraded to 350 w solar and 200 ah lithium and never seem to make a demt in it.
Thats what is thinking of ditching the gas.
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So you won't be holidaying in the UK then with your Lithium. SOLAR and inverter set-up?
 
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TheAleMan said:
We are going for all electric hab with our next van which is on order. Heating and water will come via Truma combi diesel heater. 2 x 200ah lithiums on a 24v system. 3 x 160w solar panels but have asked whether bigger ones will fit up top..no answer yet. Onboard electric genny which is driven by the engine will help with matters though.
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So, have you got to run your , I presume, diesel cab engine to get the generator fired up?
 
Captain Yoghurtpot said:
So, have you got to run your , I presume, diesel cab engine to get the generator fired up?
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Yes, exactly that 👍 Just like the fact that everything will run from the one fuel source, ie, from the diesel tank.

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TheAleMan said:
Yes, exactly that 👍
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So using diesel to generate your electricity.
Much as I admire your thoughts on a single energy source, that system to me seems madness.
Similar to these new EV charging points being installed that can't connect to the grid, so are being powered by diesel generators to produce the electricity to charge the new EV vehicles.
Why are we all trying to re-invent the wheel?
 
Captain Yoghurtpot said:
So using diesel to generate your electricity.
Much as I admire your thoughts on a single energy source, that system to me seems madness.
Similar to these new EV charging points being installed that can't connect to the grid, so are being powered by diesel generators to produce the electricity to charge the new EV vehicles.
Why are we all trying to re-invent the wheel?
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Well if your going to carry a genny anyway, why have a different fuel source and big relativity heavy unit, that’s just faffing about. The onboard small electric genny lives under a seat in the hab area so very conveniently placed and saves having to go outside to start up a Honda for example. Also being inboard it won’t be heard, especially being electric as well.

For us it will all be about staying off grid for as long as possible. The genny will allow us to do that.
 
TheAleMan said:
Well if your going to carry a genny anyway, why have a different fuel source and big relativity heavy unit, that’s just faffing about. The onboard small electric genny lives under a seat in the hab area so very conveniently placed and saves having to go outside to start up a Honda for example. Also being inboard it won’t be heard, especially being electric as well.

For us it will all be about staying off grid for as long as possible. The genny will allow us to do that.
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Forgive me for being a bit slow on the uptake, but what EXACTLY is powering your genny, and What is it outputting.
I am rather confused.
Is it that the running vehicle diesel engine is producing a current to power the generator, which in turn is producing a higher output of charge to recharge your Lithium set up to store and use with Inverters, or alternatively just produce a direct power source to run your 240v appliances or set up.
 
TheAleMan said:
For us it will all be about staying off grid for as long as possible. The genny will allow us to do that.
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I thought from what I’d read that it was a 2nd alternator that was installed? Similar to what Advanced RV do in the States. Or is it a generator?
Really interested in this, sounds like a game changer.
 
Captain Yoghurtpot said:
Forgive me for being a bit slow on the uptake, but what EXACTLY is powering your genny, and What is it outputting.
I am rather confused.
Is it that the running vehicle diesel engine is producing a current to power the generator, which in turn is producing a higher output of charge to recharge your Lithium set up to store and use with Inverters, or alternatively just produce a direct power source to run your 240v appliances or set up.
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Start engine, press a button to fire up the electric genny, that in turn tops up the batteries as well as real time supply. Simples 😉
 
Nice looking van, I bet it wasn’t cheap.
 
TheAleMan said:
Start engine, press a button to fire up the electric genny, that in turn tops up the batteries as well as real time supply. Simples 😉
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OK, but why the need for the genny?
Surely just direct supply from the smart alternator ran for a short period would do the trick.
I take it from your description that once you have started the engine and pressed said button to start the genny, the engine still needs to run to power the genny????
Am I right in thinking that your genny is POWERED by Diesel, but produces ELECTRICITY, as per a normal external generator running off petrol etc.?

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Captain Yoghurtpot said:
OK, but why the need for the genny?
Surely just direct supply from the smart alternator ran for a short period would do the trick.
I take it from your description that once you have started the engine and pressed said button to start the genny, the engine still needs to run to power the genny????
Am I right in thinking that your genny is POWERED by Diesel, but produces ELECTRICITY, as per a normal external generator running off petrol etc.?
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Yes it is not clear.
 
EML said:
Interesting about the BMS. I would trust that and throw away the shunt. My Victron shunt has reset itself overnight twice over the last year, showing 100% capacity when it should be 75 or 80%. That makes it pretty much useless.
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Sounds like you have the sync setting wrong on the shunt. Victron shunts are normally far more accurate than a BMS.
 
Mzracer said:
Yes it is not clear.
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I think the OP is referring to a genny in the wrong context.
More like a secondary smart type alternator.
Either way, it still needs diesel to go.
And with the OP stating an " electric generator" that is very confusing.
Think they mean a " generator " capable of producing electricity.
Not sure what else a generator can produce.
Porridge perhaps?
Confused.com
 
Captain Yoghurtpot said:
I think the OP is referring to a genny in the wrong context.
More like a secondary smart type alternator.
Either way, it still needs diesel to go.
And with the OP stating an " electric generator" that is very confusing.
Think they mean a " generator " capable of producing electricity.
Not sure what else a generator can produce.
Porridge perhaps?
Confused.com
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And no way should you run a modern diesel stationary from cold, so a bit pointless.
 
Lenny HB said:
And no way should you run a modern diesel stationary from cold, so a bit pointless.
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At last!
A voice of reasoning. :LOL:
From what has been discussed previously on various threads about running diesel engines on idle and the problems to be encountered, I thought I was going mad trying to fathom this set up.

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