Camper Van Budget Electrical System
Capabilities
200Ah lead-acid battery
1000W Inverter
up to 440W Solar Input
30A Alternator Charging
This is the system I designed and built for my Ford Transit camper van back in 2019. I’m now calling it the “budget” system because it feels that way compared to all the high power systems you see on the internet today. Regardless of that, it is still very capable for powering all your basic needs in a camper van. It has plenty of power to be able to run roof vents, lighting, a 12V fridge and charge your gadgets. The 1000W inverter provides 110V AC power to things like laptop chargers or small AC appliances.
Upgrade recommendation! Nowadays, LiFePO4 batteries are a much better choice than lead-acid. I would recommend replacing the 200Ah lead-acid batterie with a 100-200Ah of LiFePO4 batteries.
Video Walkthrough
Parts List
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Note: the prices listed below were recorded in September of 2022 and current prices may have fluctuated. Nonetheless, I thought it would be helpful to give the price along with the parts list to serve as an estimated material cost for the system.
| Item | Link | Quantity | Unit Price | Total Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storage | ||||
| Batteries | 1 | $439.99 | $439.99 | |
| Monitor | 1 | $206.55 | $206.55 | |
| Cutoff switch | 1 | $26.46 | $26.46 | |
| Terminal Fuse Holder | 1 | $21.37 | $21.37 | |
| 1 | $16.47 | $16.47 | ||
| Smart Hub | 1 | $116.99 | $116.99 | |
| 1 | $6.24 | $6.24 | ||
| 3 | $9.34 | $28.02 | ||
| Solar | ||||
| Solar Panels | 3 | $109.99 | $329.97 | |
| Entry Gland | 1 | $15.99 | $15.99 | |
| Solar Charge Controller | 1 | $224.46 | $224.46 | |
| Fuse Holder | 1 | $32.28 | $32.28 | |
| 1 | $7.26 | $7.26 | ||
| 1 | $13.97 | $13.97 | ||
| Alternator | ||||
| Alternator Charger | 1 | $272 | $272 | |
| Fuse Holder | 1 | $32.28 | $32.28 | |
| 1 | $9.34 | $9.34 | ||
| 1 | $13.97 | $13.97 | ||
| Shore Charger | ||||
| AC Charger | 1 | $123.99 | $123.99 | |
| AC Loads | ||||
| Inverter | 1 | $178.7 | $178.7 | |
| 1 | $12.99 | $12.99 | ||
| Distribution | ||||
| Fuse Block | 1 | $35.19 | $35.19 | |
| DC Fuses | 1 | $8.09 | $8.09 | |
| Cabling | ||||
| 1 | $58.96 | $58.96 | ||
| 1 | $85.94 | $85.94 | ||
| 1 | $37.41 | $37.41 | ||
| 1 | $30.71 | $30.71 | ||
| 1 | $36.49 | $36.49 | ||
| $ | $0 | |||
| $ | $0 | |||
| Total Price | $2422.08 |
