You can charge the camping battery while driving or connect the van to an external power source. To do this, you must connect the supplied cable (20 metres long) from the plug on the driver's side of the camper to a power source. The vehicle will indicate that the battery is charging by turning on an indicator light on the caravan unit. The 230V sockets should now be working.
To charge the Camper Cabin (Ford Nugget) do the following:
- Open the cover of the plug of the Camper Cabin (located on the drivers side in the back).
- Open the cover of the connection cable 90 degrees and insert the coupling with the cover into the main plug until it clicks:
- To disconnect, push the blue lever on the left side of the plug down and pull out the plug at the same time:
There is a slight difference between the Camper Cabin models, so check which one you are driving and then, select the correct instructions from the drop down menus:
Activate the board computer by touching the screen.
The home screen displays a bar showing the level of your camping battery. Press the battery bar for more information:
The following menu will display more detailed information on the battery status:
You will know the camping battery is charging correctly, when you see a little plug icon next to the battery level bar.
Activate the board computer by pressing the ON/OFF button.
The home screen displays a bar showing the level of your camping battery. Press the battery symbol at the bottom for more information:
The following menu will display more detailed information on the battery status:
You will know the camping battery is charging correctly, when you see a little battery icon with a lighting bolt on it above the battery level bar.
Activate the board computer by pressing the black roundbutton.
The home screen displays a bar and voltage indicator showing how fully charged your camping battery is:
The bar moves up and down when the car is plugged and charging, the voltage number will also change while charging:
You will know the camping battery is charging correctly, when you see a little plug icon appearing on the screen.
Note:
- Do not forget to unplug the power cable before driving off! To do this, press down the blue lever to the left of the plug.
- With a fully charged battery, you will be self-sufficient without a power connection for about 2 days. Then you will need to drive again for some time to recharge the battery or plug your camper in to an external power source.
- Campers cannot be charged at the stations for electric vehicles.
Troubleshooting
(this option is not applicable for models with the drawer fridge)
Check that the main switch (big red button) and the RCD switch are both in the correct position. The main switch should be green on top and the RCD switch should be facing up.
They are located under the kitchen unit. For better access, fold down the rear seat into a bed position:
If you have trouble with your electricity, turn the main switch off, wait a moment and turn it on (green appears above the switch) again.
Please note the following:
- When stationary, do not charge any device in the driver's cab via USB. The starter battery will discharge and the engine may not start!
- 230V sockets: only work with an external power connection
- USB ports and 12V sockets: work without an external power connection, with a charged camping battery (always keep it above 50% or 12V).
- With a full battery, you can be self-sufficient for 1-2 days without a power connection, depending on usage. Then you need to drive for a while to recharge the battery or connect your camper to an external power source.
- 🚗 Slow driving & short distances → hardly any battery charge
- 🛣️ Long drives on motorways → better charge, but takes several hours
- 🔋 The starter battery is charged first, then the camping battery.
- ⚠️ Driving alone is often not enough to fully charge the camping battery.
- 🔌 Recommendation: charge externally every 48 hours to avoid energy shortages (especially at night 💤).
- Don't forget to unplug the power cable before driving off! For some models, you need to press the blue lever next to the plug downwards.
For deeply discharged camping batteries
As camping batteries are not lithium batteries, we advise you never to discharge them below 30%. This can damage the battery. If you suspect that the camping battery is deeply discharged, try the following:
- Connect shore power and run the engine.
- Try this for about 30 minutes. The extra amperage can bring a deeply discharged battery back up to speed.