Power Requirements

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One of the biggest headaches of being in a van is the need for power, however, it's easily solved if you give it some thought.

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240V

Our van has a 240V input for mains hook-up. This powers:

• 6 mains sockets

• Microwave

• 3 way fridge

• Split charging for the leisure battery

• We carry two hook-up cables, a 10 metre and a 25 metre. Plus converters for EU and UK plugs

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12V

Inside the van we have several 12v power outlets and several standard USB points. The 12v supply is fed from our 300Ah LiPo leisure battery.

 

Solar power

This is essential. On the roof we have 200W of solar panels which keep the leisure battery topped up at all times. When the leisure battery is full, any surplus charge goes to the vehicle battery. The system is set up to balance both batteries at all times.

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Aux power 

We carry a 2kW Jackery power unit. This is perfect for all our off-grid power requirements.  We always make sure we take advantage of the sun whenever possible (and there is lots of it), by connecting the Jackery to it's own 200W solar panel.​

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The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2

We spent a lot of time researching our power requirements and wanted to buy the best we could afford. Our budget was £1,000 and we found this to be our best option.

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① 2042Wh Capacity & 2200W Output: Powers Most of Devices, lasts 10 Years (4000 Life Cycles)

② Lightest and Smallest 2kWh LiFePO4 Power Station¹:  41% Smaller and 35.6% Lighter than Industry Standard, only weighs 38.6 lbs.
③ Multiple Charging Modes: AC/Solar/Car/AC+Solar/AC+Car; Full battery in just 1.33 hours with Emergency Super Charge

It came with it's own 200W solar panel to keep it topped up.

​ See the 200W solar panel here

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Scenarios for us:

On pitch up, we put the solar panel out and connect up for the day. It powers our entertainment system and charges all our gadgets. If the leisure battery needs topping up, we simply connect the Jackery to the van 240V input.

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Tips we have learned

We always charge as many gadgets as we can during the day and whilst travelling. This way, it's free electric and does not drain our resources. In case of an absolute emergency, we have several small power banks that can charge mobiles etc. As yet, we have never needed to use them.

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We actually use very little power. The main consumption being the fridge.