You can charge the camping battery while driving or connect the van to an external power source when stationary. 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.
Please note the following:
- Don't 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 are self-sufficient for about 2 days without a power connection. Then you will need to drive again for a while to recharge the battery or connect your camper to an external power source.
You can see whether external power is connected at the top left of the camper unit. You can also check the charge level of the camper battery here. Press the button at the top right, the one with the picture of the battery. The battery level lights up while you press it. Anything between 13.5V and 12.3V is considered a sufficient battery:
Click here to go directly to the explanatory video:
Troubleshooting
If you have problems with the power in the living area, please check
- Whether the camper unit is switched on. If not, switch on the unit by the sliding door. A green light indicates that it is switched on.
- Please note that the 230V sockets can only be used if they are connected to an external power supply! Without an external power supply, only 12V (USB and 12V sockets, lighting) can be used.
- Also check the battery level of the secondary battery (see picture above - first button on the right side).
- If there is no power at all in the camper, check whether the "battery disconnect switch" is set to "ON". You will find this under the mattress at the foot end, under a wooden cover:
- Check the main fuse of the camping battery. It is located next to your battery disconnect switch. All three (5, 20 and 40A) must be in working order:
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.
When connected to the external power supply
- The camper indicates that the battery is being charged via external power by a light illuminating at the top left of the van symbol on your camper unit (see picture above).
- If you are connected to the external power (230V) and have problems, check whether the RCD or another of the 230V fuses has jumped out. They must be flipped up for them to work. The small windows must light up red.
You will find them behind a flap on the side of the rear seat bench, in a white plastic box: - If everything is OK, check if the cable or socket at the other end (which is plugged in at the campsite) is faulty. Maybe a nice fellow camper will let you check with his cable and working socket?
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.