Power installation on a VW Grand California 680
It is now becoming very clear to VW Grand California owners, that if you want to go off grid for more than 18 hours, it is not possible without a power upgrade.
The 95ah lead battery installed by VW will run the fridge for 24 hours, if you are lucky, and nothing else. So if you are not plugged into a mains supply, your systems will start failing before you have been off grid for 24 hours.
The system below is a nice solution to extend your time off grid, if you are just running the 12v functions of the van, you will get 9 days without any solar input, if you have a decent solar system, this would almost be infinite. The system installed into this Grand California 680 will also provide 1800w of mains power, as this vehicle is fitted with an aircon, you could run the aircon for 3 hours a day and still be off grid for 2.5 days with no solar input.
In this VW Grand California we installed a Victron 2KVA multiplus, a Fogstar 560AH battery and a Votronic 90 Amp split charge upgrade. The system was controlled and monitored by a Victron Cerbo GX system.
The Victron Cerbo GX system allows for remote access, so repairs or updates and can be carried out remotely. Most the issues we see with these systems is either user error, or software problems, both these issues can be rectified remotely providing the system is connected to the internet. Another great feature of this system is grid assist,this allows you to supplement the power supplied from the grid if you draw more than it is able to provide. So instead of blowing the trip on the campsite when you are running multiple appliances at the same time, the system will automatically provide the additional power required.
The Fogstar 560ah battery is great value for money, and has 10 year warranty. It is possible to re-purpose the rear cupboard in the van to accept the Victron Multiplus and the battery. The split charge is installed in the cupboard where the fuses are currently installed.
