Why I Don’t Worry About Solar Anymore! The CHARGING HACK Every Vanlifer Should Know!

I'm waiting to pick up an EV next year with v2L. Never have to worry about power. Full access to the main battery.

A very handy item indeed.

I am on the road for HIKING, PHOTOGRAPHY so when I arrive in the chosen area I disconnect my battery. Resting voltage is always around 12.7. No need to mess with the battery until I drive away😂.

(I hike everywhere I want to go too. No need for 4WD either).

Nomad life is NOT ABOUT STUFF. It is about exploration, projects and getting healthier every year.

I have had a small 1500 Watts Bluetti for over 4 years. Works like new.
Pluggjng a pannel while I hike 12 miles is no issue😂.

BTW I would not use the vehicle engine as a "commodity"
I NEVER IDDLE the engine unless stuck in a very rare traffic jam.

Your vehicle will have a 60-90A alternator whatever the car needs to run the electronics and charge the battery. Lights, radio/nav, steering boost, brake boost, computers, ignition, water pump, fuel pump, cooling fans, window defrost, interior fan, heated seats/mirrors, window motors, mirror motors, seat motors, door locks, etc, more more items in car are going electric and less mechanical/vacuum boosts. You may use over 1/2 your alternator power to run all the electrical in car, the 15A is left over for the battery bank charge. Running too much will only drain your battery and sulfate the 12v lead acid in the car faster. The charger may have a limiter to stop the alternator over heating. Battery bank charger is 39A + pull. It could pull down your main battery charge as top voltage 13.8-14.5 is limited by the bank lower voltage loading. Charger is not a 12V charger but steps up voltage to its internal battery voltage 55.9V. Hope it has current limiting.

Im a solar technician so I am biased. I tend to disagree with the premise in this video. We should be encouraging more solar on everything and it works while the vehicle is parked. This video is essentially encouraging people to drive their vehicles more to keep their batteries up. It’s best to have both solar and a dc to dc charger and use whichever is best for the circumstances or use both. Also anyone still using lead acid batteries will find that adding solar increases the life of the batteries. They get topped up whenever the vehicle is parked or broken down. My engine was broken down for a week out in a campsite. The solar worked though and I enjoyed leisurely fixing the engine while also having lights, charging, water pump, cooking, fridge, heater, etc. Always have at least two charging sources. We had solar, generator, and alternator. We plan on having four charging sources. Dual alternators is far worse than solar IMHO. It’s expensive, clogs the engine bay, wears out, uses fossil fuels, generates heat and greenhouse gases. I always add more solar and run a Honda generator to do the bulk charge if needed then finish with solar. It can be a very efficient combination. Ok, I see at the end of the video he says to combine solar and dc to dc charging :)

A 350 cu. in. gasoline powered generator.

I just purchased one of these but I was wondering if it would be better for me to get Lifpro lithium ion battery to hook up to it and then run my Jackery and Eco flow off of that. I have a Renogy 200W but I’m debating whether to put it on my roof or not. I also have a Jackery foldable 200w portable solar panel. Just wondering how I should do that. I have an Alpicool 36 qt fridge/freezer and my CPAP machine. Thanks for all your great tips. I’ve been watching your channel and a few others for the past 5 or so years.

I never load up my house in my truck to charge it. The wind and sun do just fine

Pretty cool how many things are out there to allow you to charge a device. Just remember you should always have a backup method.

Nonsense. The alternator is working at all times when the motor is running, and it is working neither harder nor softer when charging batteries. Or do you have some sort of belt-drive-disconnect-robot-something mechanism to disconnect the alternator physically when the battery is full? I don't. That means I am charging at all times. Actually I'd venture to guess that it is better to draw the excess power into a second/third… battery, else the electric power will end up converted into a heat.

Really good tip. The desert dust inside the vehicle is what i had feared it would be !

Great idea if you want to drain your battery, ruin your alternator and destroy your head gasket! You don't need solar…until his next video, when he's selling solar kits…Walmart is still hiring greeters!

Thank you Mr Bob.

I’ve been running the Bluetti charger1 with my ac 180 for over six months now. It works great, charges at 500w. The only issue I’ve had is with the dc power connection to the power station. While driving the power station bounces around and this cause a lot of play with the power cord. All of this jostling around is not good for the cable or the charging port and my units dc power port became damaged. So advise to those looking to use this while driving is to make sure your power station is secure, not bouncing around on the backseat with tension on the cable. The power station should be strapped down to the rig and the cable should have evnough slack so that there is not tugging while going over bumps in the road. Bob has the elite v2 so his connection is better but for anyone running with the barrel type dc connection beware that this can be a problem.