Thor Forums

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Cosmo

I am converting a van right now and don't plan on having propane. 300 amp hour lithium, 400 watts solar and most importantly dual alternators. Don't plan on camping in really cold weather. That said, I can add propane heat and hot water later if it becomes necessary.

If building a van I’d do the same. No way would I add propane for a van I was building for my own use. Mostly because I don’t plan on camping in cold weather, but even if so, I’d dress very warm and power a small electric heater from batteries for the few nights I’d overnight in winter without shore power.

The man I’m helping a little that’s working on classic motorhome purchased Ford car batteries, and has modified them for 52 Volts. Capacity is 250 Amp-hour, so equivalent to over 1,000 Ah at 12 Volts. If compared to lead batteries at 50% discharge, that’s equivalent to having close to 2,000 Ah at 12 Volts. It’s a bunch. Still needs a lot of work on BMS, enclosure, and freeze protection.

Because of chemistry the batteries will be mounted outside the motorhome in a steel enclosure, which is expensive and a pain. However, car batteries are cheap if willing to reconfigure to lower voltage (which is extremely dangerous). From factory they are wired in series at over 300 Volts and enough current to kill a person quickly.

Anyway, with a smaller van, better insulation, and smaller dual-pane windows, I could make it work with about half the batteries he has. I’ve already told him I’ll buy them if he changes his mind and or abandons the project.