We did a lithium battery installation in a Volkswagen Crafter for Dave Bertholini. Dave’s camper is a very well equipped self build which makes excellent use of the available space. We were impressed by how much Dave has packed into his campervan leaving him ready for the variety of adventure sports without the van feeling cluttered.
Unleash the Potential
The campervan was already fitted with some great electronics but the battery was a big let down. Despite Dave having 2 HUGE 260 Amp Hour AGM batteries weighing in at an eye-watering 70KG each!
The installation already consisted of;
2 x 175 watt Solar Panels
30A Victron Orian TR Smart DC-DC charger
30A Victron Smart Solar MPPT Solar Controller
Victron Mains Charger
Victron Battery Monitor
Victron Smart Shunt
All this great equipment wasn’t reaching any where near it’s potential due to the AGM batteries it was all connected to.
More Power, Less Weight
Once we fitted our 320 Amp Hour LiFePO4 Lithium battery the campervan actually had over 100 Amp Hours extra usable power.
Whilst Dave was on site we weighed his old batteries and our new lithium battery. The old batteries weighed over 70KG each meaning a total weight of 140KG for around 200 Amp Hours useable power. When we weighed our 320 Amp Hour battery it totalled just 27KG and gives Dave over 300 Useable Amp Hours.
The final installation was quick and easy freeing up more weight and space in the Garage of the Volkswagen Crafter campervan’s garage.
Check out the video which Dave published on his Youtube channel – One Man and His Whippet https://www.youtube.com/c/OneManandHisWhippetDaveBertholini
