Best setup for lithium batteries (580Amp), charging while driving, and shoreline. No Solar.

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esam asked Mar 4, '21

Best setup for lithium batteries (580Amp), charging while driving, and shoreline. No Solar.

Hi everyone,

My first posting and wonderful to have such community and help! I am new to van life, and I am working on getting a Sprinter van battery house (Chinese lithium batteries: 8 cells @ 3.6V 280Amp) which will give me 560Amp 12V house bank. I would like to be able to charge my house batteries while driving (using the Sprinter alternator battery), and also while parked in my garage or campgrounds using AC plug. I don't plan on using solar. I like what i have read so far about Victron products, and I would like to know what will be the best package to order and install (there seem to be many products and options doing the same thing: i.e. the Multiplus vs EasyPlus, etc. I plan to have a small induction stove (1200W), small portable 120V air conditioner (6 Amp), and the Bosch electrical water heater (120V, so these would be my three 120V AC load. Any advise is greatly apprecaited.

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Answer 1 · 2021-03-04T07:12:14Z

seb71 answered · Mar 04, 2021 at 07:12 AM

Your "small loads" are not exactly small.

It would be better to go for a 24V system and charge only from AC.

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esam commented · Mar 05, 2021 at 03:18 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I looked into this idea of 24v house battery bank but it seems 12v is easier to implement as a whole system: getting 12v appliances vs 24V is much easier. Also doing the battery to battery is more straightforward with 12v to 12v...

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Answer 2 · 2021-03-05T04:43:42Z

Kevin Windrem answered · Mar 05, 2021 at 04:43 AM

You need to step back and do some calculations on actual energy consumption. Factor in the loads AND how long each will be active. Also consider in which loads need to operate at the same time to give you the size of your inverter.

Batteries will be rated by their amp-hour capability and the current (amps) they can provide. Both need to be factored into the design. You didn't say which in our original post. If it's Amp-hours, that gives you about 6,500 Watt-hour, or about 5 hours of run time of ONE of your 1,200 watt appliances.

Also make sure you have a battery management system that will keep your batteries balanced and protect against over/under voltage, over current and over/under temperature (LFPs can't charge below about 0 degrees C).

I don't think EasyPlus comes in a 120 volt version. So you'll need a Multi and external breaker panel.

Using something like the Orion TR to bridge the alternator/house system is the best way to go. At that point, a 24 volt house battery system might be worth considering especially if you intend to run multiple 1200 watt appliances simultaneously. You should also consider an alternator upgrade or a second alternator if you intend to put a day's charge on your house batteries driving between campgrounds.

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