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Your 8kW looks impressive until you realise you're trying to charge a car in February with what amounts to a decent desk lamp.
Battery Paula in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 5
I've been down this rabbit hole with the motorhome setup, and the honest answer is it depends on your tolerance for complexity. The real issue nobody mentions: you're not actually charging an EV...
DontPanic25 in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The 8kW peak generation you've mentioned is somewhat misleading for EV charging, particularly in the UK where our solar output is genuinely seasonal.
Trigger in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2
The timing issue @Stacey's hinting at is exactly what catches people out. You've got 8kW generation, but that's peak output for maybe 4-5 hours in winter, less in reality once you account for...
Marine Dawn in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2
The battery sizing is the real killer here. I'm running 15kWh usable across LiFePO₄, and even that feels tight when I try to charge the car on cloudy days.
Chalky12 in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Great thread, @RayWatson81. I've been following Fogstar's development pretty closely, and I reckon they've genuinely stepped up their game compared to where they were a few years...
Nige Scott in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Been living with a Drift 5.12 in my static caravan setup for just over two years now, so I can speak to the longevity bit @BevJackson64 raised.
Sparky Sparky in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Curious about real-world longevity here — how are you all finding the BMS on these units after extended use?
Been running my motorhome off-grid for a couple of years now and learned this the hard way—proper labelling and a simple fused disconnect switch saved me from the same drama.
Harry in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The reverse polarity thing is genuinely critical, but worth unpacking further since it catches so many people out on boats and vans. What @WrongFuse96 mentions about the SmartSolar is spot...
Devon Dweller in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Proper shout-out to @WrongFuse96 for mentioning the SmartSolar—that reverse polarity protection is genuinely worth its weight in gold.
Pennine Nomad in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Good thread, @RayWatson81. I've been impressed watching Fogstar's trajectory over the past few years — they've clearly invested in proper engineering rather than just slapping their branding on...
Victron_Pro in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Cheers for bringing this up, @RayWatson81. I've been following the Drift's evolution myself, and it's clear they've put proper thought into the engineering rather than just slapping a fancy case...
Solar Owen in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, that's exactly why I got a Victron SmartSolar with built-in reverse polarity protection on my garden office setup.
WrongFuse96 in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 2
The Drift's really grown on me over the past couple of years. I've got a 5.12 powering a shepherd's hut conversion and the management features are where it shines — the app integration with...
ExPostie in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Balloon batteries are grim, but the real lesson here is that reverse polarity should be impossible to achieve if you're using proper connectors.
OffGrid Max in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Right, so the balloon story is genuinely terrifying. Had something similar happen with a mate's Renogy setup last year—didn't catch it in time and the battery casing started warping. Quick...
Trevor Roberts in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The battery bank thing's crucial, yeah, but I'd add something from actually living with this in the motorhome — timing is everything.
Stacey in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The weight-to-output ratio on 200W is spot on for portability. What's your battery setup though? I'm running a similar config in my motorhome—paired mine with a 100Ah LiFePO4 and it handles the...
Andy Robinson in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The real gotcha nobody's mentioned is grid interaction. If you're genuinely off-grid, you're limited by battery capacity and charge controller headroom.
Quiet Trekker in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 3