For many Aussie caravanners, the ability to head to your favourite remote campsite for days of off-grid camping is what caravanning is all about. But, to do this, a dependable power supply is essential. That’s where the great range of power solutions by Enerdrive | Dometic comes in handy.
Gone are the days when off-grid camping meant roughing it with minimal comforts. Today, thanks to advancements in mobile power solutions, adventurers can enjoy the great outdoors with all the conveniences of home. Full-size fridges, washing machines, coffee makers and air conditioners are now part of the off-grid experience, making those remote campsites more accessible and enjoyable.
Enerdrive | Dometic, based in Brisbane, Queensland, has been a pioneer in Australia’s RV and outdoor industry for more than two decades. Its innovative products ensure that adventurers stay powered up, no matter how far they venture off the beaten path. Known for their reliability and ease of use, Enerdrive | Dometic’s high-quality plug-and-play systems are designed and built in Australia to withstand tough conditions.
Specialising in battery solutions, chargers, inverters and solar systems, Enerdrive | Dometic offers products backed by an impressive five-year warranty and lifetime technical support, providing users with the confidence and support they need to keep their off-grid adventures running smoothly.
Enerdrive | Dometic power display
Building a reliable off-grid power setup
Creating a dependable off-grid power system involves more than just having a large battery; it’s about ensuring all components work together seamlessly. Enerdrive | Dometic offers a diverse range of products to meet various budgets and power needs.
“One of our standout innovations is the integration of multiple devices into a single unit,” says Paul Wilkie, head of marketing at Dometic ANZ. “For example, the combi inverter-charger. This clever solution reduces the footprint of traditional setups, saving valuable space in your caravan or vehicle while also simplifying installation.”
Enerdrive | Dometic products are designed to withstand Australia’s tough environments, including the challenges of offroad and off-grid adventures. Many of its products incorporate active fan cooling technology, which ensures reliable operation even in extreme heat. This feature is particularly beneficial where confined spaces can cause devices to overheat.
It’s important to understand your power usage
Here’s what Enerdrive | Dometic recommends for a dependable off-grid setup:
Lithium batteries
Your battery is the heart of your off-grid setup, supplying energy to everything from 12V fridges and LED lighting to power-hungry appliances like air conditioners and coffee machines. Enerdrive | Dometic’s B-TEC lithium batteries are a favourite among Australian travellers due to their durability, safety features and advanced technology. Built with prismatic A-grade LiFePO4 lithium cells, these batteries ensure longevity, reliability and safety.
A standout feature of the B-TEC range is Bluetooth monitoring. Using the B-TEC app for iOS and Android, owners can wirelessly monitor their battery’s charge status, allowing for better power usage management, especially when running multiple devices.
The Enerdrive | Dometic B-TEC app allows users to wirelessly monitor battery state of charge status
Inverter
To use household appliances such as kettles, toasters and induction cooktops, an inverter is necessary. This device converts DC power from the battery into 240V AC power, enabling all the conveniences of home appliances while away from mains power. Enerdrive | Dometic prioritises high performance and safety across all its products. Its inverters are designed to withstand the demanding conditions of off-grid and/or free camping adventures and come with built-in safety features like an RCD safety switch, similar to those found in home electrical systems. These switches add an extra layer of protection, making them safer and more reliable in remote locations.
Enerdrive | Dometic Voyager inverter/charger
DC-DC battery charger
A DC-DC charger is essential for keeping your house battery charged while driving. Drawing power from your vehicle and efficiently charging your house battery. Enerdrive | Dometic’s DC-DC chargers feature built-in active fan cooling technology, ensuring the charger remains cool and performs optimally, preventing overheating and ensuring your battery is fully charged upon arrival.
Another key feature is the built-in MPPT solar charger, which automatically switches between vehicle charging and solar charging once you stop driving.
AC battery charger
Solar power is an excellent energy source, but sometimes weather conditions make it unreliable. An AC battery charger is a great backup, allowing users to recharge their house battery when 240V mains power is available. Enerdrive | Dometic’s AC chargers are rugged and offer quick and efficient charging, with options ranging from 20Amp to 100Amp charge rates. These chargers feature intelligent algorithms that adjust power flow based on battery needs, ensuring fast charging while preserving battery life.
Solar system
For those who enjoy extended off-grid adventures, solar panels are an excellent addition. If the weather is in your favour, they can provide continuous source of power extending your stay as long as you choose.
Battery monitoring
Battery and system monitoring are also beneficial for tracking battery usage in real time. Monitoring power levels helps prevent battery depletion and allows for adjustments in energy usage to maximise your stay.
Built to grow with your needs
Enerdrive | Dometic prides itself on offering power systems that adapt to the growing demands and requirements of modern off-grid camping lifestyles.
“Our products are built to be adaptable, ensuring that as your needs change, your system can evolve with you. Whether you’re looking to upgrade to a larger inverter, add an AC or DC-DC charger or expand with solar panels, Enerdrive | Dometic systems offer the flexibility to keep up with your lifestyle,” said Paul.
User-friendly controls
Common off-grid power mistakes
Heading offroad and off-grid is becoming increasingly popular among caravanners, but it’s crucial to understand your power setup and usage before venturing too far from civilisation. When we asked the team at Enerdrive | Dometic about common off-grid power mistakes, here’s what they shared:
- Solar not meeting the demand: Solar input not keeping up with your power consumption is quite common. You will rarely hear anyone say they’ve put too much solar on their van, only that they wish they had another panel or two. Maximising roof solar and utilising portable panels is a great solution.
- Overloading the inverter: Running too many 240V appliances at once can cause the inverter to trip. Understanding your inverter’s power limits is essential.
- Using more power than can be replenished: High-power caravan appliances like the air conditioner require careful energy management. If your system can’t keep up, you may need to increase battery storage or improve your charging capabilities.
Inverters are necessary to use household appliances like kettles, coffee makers and toasters when away from a mains power source
Calculating your power needs
Understanding your power consumption is essential when setting up an off-grid system. If your energy use exceeds your battery and charging capacity, you could find yourself running out of power at the worst possible time. Here’s a simple way to calculate your power needs:
-
Identify the devices you plan to run: List all 12V and 240V appliances you intend to use.
-
Calculate the power consumption: Check the amp draw of each item to ensure your power system can meet your needs. You can use an online calculator or manually calculate it with this formula: amps = watts ÷ volts.
-
Determine daily usage: Multiply the amp draw by the estimated hours of use per day. For example, if a fridge draws 1A per hour in operation (1A x 24hr = 24Ah consumed), a 12V 100Ah lithium battery would keep it running continuously for at least three days (the amp usage will fluctuate, so this is a conservative estimate to be safe).
-
Add everything up: Sum the total amp-hours required per day to get a complete picture of your energy needs.
- Solar replenishment: Now that you know how much your system uses, let’s see what is required to replenish. Note: these are crude numbers. (Known load amps per day x 12V = watts per day) / (5hr average/day of solar [5hr during summer — 4hr for winter or lower states]) = solar required
Example 1: system usage 350A per day x 12V = 4200W ÷ 5hr = 840W of solar required
Example 2: system usage 350A per day x 12V = 4200W ÷ 4hr = 1050W of solar required
Note: This doesn’t take into account if you have had bad weather, shading issues or energy efficiency losses.
To ensure reliable power, it’s important to match your battery capacity and charging sources (solar, DC-DC, AC) to your energy consumption. If your system struggles to keep up, consider adding more solar panels, increasing battery capacity or upgrading your charging system.
Larger power systems
One of our favourite questions is about any changes in the market or trends they’ve noticed. Paul says the ever-evolving market trend is larger power systems as everyone’s power consumption while off-grid continues to increase. This increase is due to factors such as to technology improvements, working remotely, gasless vans and the improving comfort while staying in the bush, beach or the outback.
It’s becoming more popular to have larger power systems to use multiple appliances when off-grid camping
Future-proofing your setup
As off-grid travel and the trend of having plenty of creature comforts while on the road become more popular, investing in a reliable power system is essential. Expanding battery capacity, adding an inverter, solar panels, AC charger or DC-DC charger can be a great way to extend time away on your adventures, while also ensuring peace of mind that you won’t end up in the dark.
To find out more about Enerdrive | Dometic and its range of products, head here.
THE NEXT STEP
If you want to learn the latest caravan news, find the most innovative new caravans and camping gear or get inspired to plan your next adventure in the great outdoors,subscribe to our weekly newsletter. We promise to send you only the best content.
Related articles:
Need a new RV fridge? Try the Dometic NRX Series compressor-cooled fridges
Gear review: The new Dometic PSC Soft Cooler | 19L
Dometic | Enerdrive: The evolution of off-grid camping