For us, traveling in a campervan meant absolute freedom. You can go wherever you want, provided it's allowed; you can stay as long as you like; and you always have everything you need to remain spontaneous. For us, this is the best way to travel, and that's why we designed everything to be as independent as possible for several days at a time. Water/wastewater, gas, storage space for food, but above all, electricity play a crucial role. In this article, you can read all about our power supply in the van.
But what exactly does that mean, and what's the optimal solution for our style of travel? To understand this, you need to know that we work "on the road" and are passionate photographers. This means we constantly need our laptops, tablets, drones, cameras, and smartphones, and they need to be plugged in almost daily. Flashlights and Bluetooth speakers also need charging, because in addition to good visibility at night on lonely roads, a good road trip playlist is simply essential. And all of this requires power.
We therefore built our Mercedes Sprinter to be as self-sufficient as we needed. Initially, we had two old 75 Ah AGM batteries installed, but since you can only use half the actual capacity of AGM batteries, that wasn't enough for us. AGMs are also incredibly heavy. So we reconsidered and opted for a lithium upgrade with ECTIVE . It's not just about packing in as many Ah as possible, but about achieving a good balance between energy consumption and the technology used. This way, we save weight and money, and also get more power. Using ECTIVE's power consumption calculator , we determined our needs and combined this with the average amount of time we spend off-grid. Based on this, we chose two 80 Ah lithium batteries – two, because one might fail and this way we always have a backup. It was also important to us that they could charge below 0 degrees Celsius, because we love traveling in winter. But storage without charging is of course not very useful either, so we have the option of charging while driving via the alternator with a charging booster or with our permanently installed 120-watt solar panel. The solar suitcase can be charged on the roof and with an additional portable 160-watt solar panel . The big advantage of the solar suitcase is that it can be placed in direct sunlight with a long cable while the camper remains in the cool shade – especially important in hot regions and during the summer. The new components also integrate seamlessly with the existing AGM-equipped system (charger, MMP, 230V inverter, etc.), and the battery capacity can now be precisely monitored via Bluetooth – my new favorite hobby.
With this setup, we now travel, live, and work in Canada, and everything works perfectly. The batteries rarely drop below 80%, even though the refrigerator runs 24/7 and the laptop, camera batteries, and smartphones are constantly being charged. So far, we've been fortunate enough to have a lot of good weather and sunshine, but even after several consecutive rainy days, the battery life is sufficient.
Stay tuned and follow us on our social media channels. You can find the products used below this article. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us directly or check the ECTIVE website.
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In short:
1. Determine electricity demand
Realistically compile a list of what you charge, how often, and what constantly draws power (e.g., the refrigerator). Then factor in a factor for days when you're off-grid, and you're done. Power consumption calculator
2. This is our setup
Two 80 Ah lithium batteries, a charging booster, solar panels (built-in and as a solar suitcase), MMP, 230V inverter, charger for shore power.
3. The installation
Have the installation done by a professional if you are unsure about electrical work. Replacing the batteries is something anyone can easily do themselves.
