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. Please note that campers cannot be charged at the stations for electric vehicles.
The vehicle indicates that the battery is charging by turning on an indicator light on the board display (top left or centre, depending on the model):
The 230V sockets and the air conditioning should now be working.
You can check the charge level in the on-board unit:
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.
Watch the video to see how it's done:
Troubleshooting
If the camper battery does not charge or there is no current on the 230V sockets despite an external power source, please check on the driver's side in the luggage compartment:
- Whether the RCD switches are pointing upwards:
Whether the main battery switch is switched on. You can find it by removing the wooden cover on the driver's side of the boot:
Here you can also check the large, red fuses that you see directly next to the main battery switch.
Before any fuse is pulled, following safety measures is required:
- Turn off the engine and remove the key from the contact.
- Unplug the car from any external power supply.
- Pull carefully on the fuse by pulling from the sides.
- A damaged fuse can be burnt or have the connector broken (see picture). If so, please replace it. You can find them at petrol stations and hardware stores.
- Whether the charge booster is switched on. The small button at the bottom right must be pressed in and light up green when connected to the external power source, otherwise the camping battery will not charge:
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.