GoRV - Digital Magazine Issue #95 | Page 36

RV FEATURE
EFFECTIVE BATTERY MANAGEMENT FOR LESS THAN $ 150
Let ’ s say your RV already has a battery system with all the chargers and inverters you need and you just want to install some battery management without the expense of replacing all your existing gear . It is possible and , best of all , it won ’ t cost you the earth and you can do the installation yourself .
The Victron SmartShunt is a brilliant bit of kit . It is , essentially , a 500A shunt with some clever electronics and a Bluetooth interface that connects to your smart device using Victron ’ s excellent VictronConnect app .
All monitoring is done via the app . It displays a very accurate SOC , battery voltage , current in / out in amps , power in / out in watts , amp hours consumed , and time remaining to charge / discharge .
It is highly customisable , allowing you to input a variety of battery information , including setting a discharge limit to suit your battery ’ s chemistry . It is suitable for any system up to a maximum of 500A , which should be sufficient for any modern RV .
The BMPRO Odyssey monitor displays battery and sensor data on one easy to understand screen .
It ’ s available from a huge number of retailers for around $ 130 but I would encourage you to shop around as prices can vary . There is also a slightly cheaper 300A version available but it is more difficult to source .
THE FUTURE
As has been the case over recent years , the future of power management for RVs , campers and 4WDs will largely be driven by advances in battery technology , affordability and customer demand .
Right now , manufacturers are moving towards the all-electric caravan . These require highcapacity battery banks , larger solar arrays and more sophisticated power management systems . Beyond that , the proliferation of electric cars will lead to RV manufacturers doing more with far less weight than they do today .
One thing is for certain : effective power management will be more important than ever .
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