Choosing the full monty, or opting for gas after all?
It took me a serious amount of time to make a definitive choice between gas and electricity for cooking in our truck. Electricity felt like the direction I ought to take. The choice wouldn’t be too difficult to make for a normal camper that would benefit from shore power available on campsites in order to charge its batteries. But an overlander’s vehicle is meant for being autonomous as much as possible. The amount of battery power one would need for electric cooking seemed insurmountable at first sight. At a glance, it seemed impossible to cook on induction in a compact vehicle that would almost never rely on a stop at an official campsite.
And then I read Energy Unlimited by Reinout Vader, the founder of Victron Energy. This booklet convinced me that a powerful onboard electrical system was quite possible. Then I had to take the next hurdle: convince myself to invest in a fully operational, reliable and self-supporting but very expensive electrical system for my truck. I have yet to regret my choice so far.
As long as there is a substantial amount of sunshine, partly cloudy skies, or even an overcast sky that lets through enough light, there is no problem in charging the batteries and staying in one spot for several days. And of course, there is no lack of electricity in any weather conditions as long as one drives a certain distance each day. Which is often the case. So, onboard cooking on induction? Yes, hurray!
Advantages:
- Clean energy
- No heating up of the interior whilst cooking because there is no gas burning
- As powerful as a gas pit
- No gas bottles means: not losing time searching for a new bottle or a refilling ability, no problems with gas fittings, no danger of leaks, no regular legal control of the gas system, extra space inside the truck, etc.
- Only one battery needed
- LiFePO4 battery weighs under 3 times less than a conventional one for the same amount of available energy
- Cooktop is easy to clean
- No maintenance required, except for software updates
Disadvantages:
- Only one: the price of the installation
In search of the correct position for the electrical components and accessories. The LiFePO4 battery – weighing 54kg – is located approximately in the middle of the chassis.
- LiFePO4 battery 12,8V/300Ah
- Multiplus charger/inverter 12/3000/120-16
- Digital Multicontrol
- Battery Management System (BMS)
- 2 solar panels 290Wp full black (total: 580Wp)
- Blue Solar MPPT 100/50 charger
- 2 VE direct Bluetooth smart dongle
- Buck boost DC/DC converter 50A
- Battery monitor BMV702
- Power protection
- 2 battery protectors
Final location of the on-board electrical components
All electrical components securely placed within the steel frame that anchors the seatbelts to the chassis.
Slide 1: Easy access via the right hinged door. The battery is hidden behind the white panel on the right.
Slide 2: Access through the floor panels of the storage space under the seat. More storage space behind the electrical system.
Slide 3: Control panels above the entrance door. There’s still some space left to add more.
In case of conventional batteries, we would have needed three 200Ah batteries, weighing no less than 180k and requiring a serious amount of space. Not to mention the possible problem of outbalancing the center of gravity of the truck, a very important factor for an offroad camper.
Moreover, conventional batteries almost immediately lose their original full potential. They are unforgivable in the event of a one-off over-discharge, resulting in underperformance for the rest of their often very restricted lifetime. Charging is much slower than with LiFePO4 batteries. We know this all too well from our own experience. Even constantly running a compressor fridge in warm weather conditions can be deadly for conventional batteries. Now, only one 300Ah battery of 54k is enough to run all electricity onboard, including a whole bunch of electronic devices like phones, cameras, laptops and more gear. Moreover, LiFePO4 batteries have a much longer expected life cycle.