Camper Van Battery Guide
Converting a camper van comes along with many decisions. What layout should you do? Do you need a shower? Do you want a convertible bed or fixed bed? And, so many more. Today we are going to address all the questions that come with selecting the right batteries for your camper van. Arguably, one of the more important decisions you will make for comfort in your camper van!
** Disclaimer: This blog post contains various affiliate links that provide a small kickback to us, at no additional cost to you. We truly appreciate your support if you choose to purchase through these! **
Sizing Your Camper Van Batteries
Before we get into the weeds of battery types and brands, let’s first determine how much battery capacity you need. What is battery capacity? Battery capacity is the amount of power you can store. You need power to do anything with electricity in your camper van. This includes everything from lights, to charging your phone, and cooking. Determining your battery capacity begins with gathering a realistic picture of what your power needs are per day as a van lifer. From there, we recommend having at least 2 full days of battery capacity on board for rainy, or winter days. There will be days where you aren’t able to drive to charge, or there is no solar energy. Don’t worry, a detailed calculation is coming.
DC vs AC loads
There are two types of loads you will use in your camper van when pulling electricity: DC and AC.
DC power is anything hardwired into your system. Most camper van electrical systems DC power is 12V, or 24V. DC power is the most efficient power as it does not need to be converted prior to use, therefore, you should utilize this wherever possible! AC power is simply anything that plugs into an outlet. This is slightly less efficient power because it must be converted through an inverter to a higher voltage prior to use.
To learn more about Camper Van Electrical specifics, visit out Complete Guide to Camper Van Electrical.
How to Perform a Power Audit
We said a more detailed calculation was coming, so here it is! Below are the steps for determining your daily power needs in a camper van.
- Determine all electrical appliances that you will use daily (include both DC and AC loads)
- For each point of use, figure out the power draw, and then determine how many hours a day your will use that appliance. For example, I use a 12V USB port to charge my phone for 6 hours a day. This pull an average of 12 Watts.
- Utilize the calculations below to determine how much battery capacity you need for that one point of use:
- For DC appliances: Wattage * Hours of Usage / 12 V
- Divide by 24V if using a 24V system
- For AC appliances: Wattage * Hours of Usage / (12 V / .85)
- Dividing by .85 accounts for power loss when converting 12V to 120V.
- For DC appliances: Wattage * Hours of Usage / 12 V
- Finally, sum up the total power needs for all your appliances / points of use.
- From there, we recommend multiplying this final number by at least 2 so you have enough power to last you more than a day.
AGM vs Lithium Batteries for Camper Vans: Which Is better?
There are two main types of batteries in camper van systems: Lithium-ion and AGM. The decision of which one you should use is often brought down to a combination of budget, weight, and battery life.
AGM batteries are:
- cheaper
- heavier
- and can only be discharged to half capacity before sustaining damage
Lithium-ion batteries are:
- more expensive
- lighter
- and can be discharged nearly fully
Let’s say your power audit from above suggested 200ah of battery capacity. For this, you would only need 200ah of Lithium batteries; however, if you choose AGM batteries, you need 400ah of batteries to achieve the 200ah of usable capacity.
Internal vs. External BMS
All lithium batteries require careful monitoring and management for safety and longevity. For this, your electrical system should have a BMS, or Battery Management System. For some brands, like Battle Born Batteries, the batteries come with an internal BMS. While other brands, like Victron Energy, require an external BMS. Below we outline some pros/cons of internal vs. external BMS so that you can make the right decision for your camper van electrical system:
Internal BMS
Pros
- Easy – drop in ready
- No purchase, or install, of external unit
Cons
- Black box – can’t see what BMS is doing
- More BMS than needed if you have more than one battery
- Multiple BMS units (one per battery) take up more space and have to be replaced when the batteries are replaced
- Multiple batteries cannot “talk” to each other, so charge and discharge rate is limited
External BMS
Pros
- Fewer points of failure. One main BMS rather than several smaller ones per battery
- Space savings – as much as DOUBLE in terms of volume
- “Sees the whole battery bank” – Monitors individual cells between multiple batteries
- Increased charge and discharge rates
Cons
- Installation and cost of separate hardware
- More complex install
Our Camper Van Battery Recommendations
Now that you know how much battery capacity you need, what type of battery, and if you want an internal, or external, BMS, you just need to find a battery that meets all of your requirements. As the years of van life go on, more and more options arise. You can find some pretty cheap options; however, batteries are one portion of your van build that we recommend investing in fully. A reputable battery brand will last longer, be more efficient space wise, and if something does go wrong, the brand will stand behind you.
Victron Energy Batteries - Best with External BMS
Victron Batteries are by far one of the best choices for camper van batteries in terms of efficiency, quality, and configurability. Of course, this comes at a slightly higher price point. Additionally, Victron Batteries all require an external BMS.
Price Points:
12V 100ah = $1,000
12V 200ah = $1,300
12V 330ah = $1,950
24V 100ah = $2,200
24V 200ah = $2,800
Battle Born Batteries - Best with Internal BMS
Battle Born Batteries is a very common option if you would like to go the internal BMS route. We really like their different shapes, like the GC3 pictured, that make fitting more capacity into small spaces easier.
Battle Born Batteries also has heated battery options.
Price Points:
12V 100ah = $925
12V 270ah GC3 = $2,500
24V 50ah = $900
Battle Born Batteries
All of Battle Born Batteries have an Internal BMS.
DISCOUNT: $50 off with code “engineers”
AGM Battery Recommendations
Budget friendly AGM batteries are more easier to come by. Two brands that we recommend are Universal Power Group and Renogy. However, if you find another one you like and the reviews make you confident, there are lots of good options here.
Victron 330ah vs Battleborn 270ah
We often see camper van electrical systems stacked with an array of 3+ 100ah batteries. However, from our experience, once you pass the 200ah mark, it is much more space efficient to purchase larger batteries. The two best options are the Victron 330ah battery and the Battle Born GC3 270ah battery. We compare them below.
Do you need heated batteries for van life?
When it is below freezing (0C / 32F), charging lithium-ion batteries is not recommended. In fact, some BMS will stop them from charging when the temperature is too low. This is the case with Battle Born Batteries.
As powder chasing van lifers who prefer to be in sub zero temperatures most of the winter, we have not yet needed heated batteries. The reality of full time van life is that the interior of your camper van is heated, so your batteries should never be exposed to sub zero temps.
However, if you are a part time van lifer, or your batteries are isolated in your camper van in a way that doesn’t allow heat to reach them, heated batteries might be a good idea.
Related: Complete Guide to Winter Van Life
Learn More About Camper Van Electrical Systems
Choosing the right size battery for your camper van electrical system is just a small piece of the puzzle. However, it is one of the most important! Now that you have your decision made, head on over to our additional guides:
- Sizing All Components of Your Electrical System
- Complete Guide All Things Camper Van Electrical
- How to Build DIY Battery Cables
- Starter Guide to Camper Van Electrical
Thanks for being here! Happy building!
Eric + Colby
✉️ Join our mailing list for more content!
🙏🏽 If you are looking for more 1:1 van build help, we are here to help via Consulting or Travel Van Building.
[Start Here] Beginner Guides:
Comments 2
I have a van I want to build a house inside the Van do , do this service ?
Author
We do not do full buildouts at this time but we do offer consulting services!