Free Camper Van Electrical Diagrams
Please scroll down to see our example power systems and other resources. But first, we have some advice on how to get started…
What kind of solar/electrical system do you need in your rig? We recommend a 3-part evaluation.
Step 1: Figure out your needs with a load calculation. We have a detailed blog post including sample load calculations you can use for this step. This exercise will really help you with the next two steps!
Step 2: Make a foundational decision on the type of system you'll be building. We've narrowed this down for you to three basic approaches - all of which use lithium type batteries and each one has a detailed blog post, free example wiring diagram, and a discounted Victron Energy product bundle that you can configure to your specific needs. You'll save a bundle with our bundles! You can think of this as the primary components.
Step 3: Add on the "accessories" that you need for your particular system with our discounted accessories bundle that includes everything from shore power inlets to circuit protection and wiring. These are the products that will tie everything together into a fully functional power system!
If wiring up your own electrical system is intimidating or you don’t have the time, you might also want to check out our pre-wired, drop-in power system: the Valley Hi Voyager!
Finally, we have tons of other resources on our blog about power systems.
Option 1: Internal BMS Battery System
The most affordable and easiest to install for a basic camper van electrical system that charges with solar, when driving through DC-DC chargers and also through an inverter/charger when you have shore power.
Option 2: External BMS Battery System
If you need a fairly large power system, and therefore large batteries with high amp hour capacity, you start to benefit from batteries that use an external BMS which allows you to fit more battery storage in the same footprint.
Option 3: Dedicated Secondary Alternator
If you need the best off-grid capability with large “loads” like air conditioners, this is the most reliable and powerful way to keep your battery bank charged up. There are three parts to this series. An introductory post on this system as well as a deep dive on how to use Lithionics batteries and one on how to use Victron Smart lithium batteries.