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Good question, and glad to see @MidlandsNomad and the others highlighting the real constraints here. One thing worth considering alongside what's been mentioned: what's your actual EV charging...
Tom in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Blimey, the leisure battery balloon story is haunting me now! That's the stuff of off-grid nightmares. I've got to ask though — and I'm half-joking, half-genuinely curious — does anyone else just...
EcoFlowMaster in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Been running a Drift 5.12 paired with a Victron MultiPlus-II for near on three years now in my off-grid cottage setup, and I'd genuinely rate it.
Bazza60 in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The practical limiting factor here is going to be your battery bank size and state of charge during charging hours.
Downs Camper in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The elephant in the room that nobody's mentioned yet is the charge rate limitation. Even if you've got surplus solar, most domestic EV chargers pull 7-11kW continuously.
Lakeland Nomad in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The real question is what your actual daily surplus looks like. 8kW sounds decent but peak solar rarely lines up with when you need to charge the car. I've got a similar setup and honestly, it's...
Midlands Nomad in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 5
I've got a Drift 5.12 running my shepherd's hut setup alongside a modest solar array, and I'd say the real differentiator is how it plays with mismatched charge sources.
Partner Build in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Nice project, @OldSparky! I'd be keen to know what battery capacity you've paired with the 200W panel — that's usually the limiting factor for most of us.
Deano13 in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 4
@CableTieWarrior Battery size is definitely the limiting factor here, but there's another angle worth considering — what's your actual usage pattern like? I've got a similar setup with a garden...
Dai Lewis in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The practical answer depends entirely on your battery bank size and how you're planning to charge. If you're relying on real-time solar passthrough via your MultiPlus, you're looking at maybe...
Forest Boater in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Fair play getting shot of it before the move. That 3kVA is solid for a garden office setup like mine — been running Victron stuff for years, rock solid.
Mark Allen in For Sale 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Battery capacity's the real bottleneck here, @Curly38's spot on. Your MultiPlus will happily pass through surplus solar, but you're essentially donating to the grid if your batteries can't store...
DuctTapeDave in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, the real question is your battery capacity more than the solar panels. 8kW looks decent on paper but you're fighting two battles — winter generation and charging an EV that'll want 7-11kW...
Curly38 in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been through the mill with two Drifts now — 5.12 in the motorhome, 10.24 in a static setup at a mate's property. The thing that gets me is the BMS integration.
BodgeItAndScarper in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 2
That's a tidy build, @OldSparky. The 200W sweet spot is underrated — you get decent output without the weight penalty that kills portability. I've been running something similar in the motorhome,...
OffGrid Max in Show Your Setup 3 months ago
The 200W is definitely a compromise, but honestly it's perfect for my use case. I run it mainly for garden office top-ups during the week — laptop, monitors, that sort of thing — rather than...
Van Sue in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 2
@CableTieWarrior The lads are right about winter, but I'd focus on what @Spud74 mentioned — your MultiPlus becomes the bottleneck faster than you'd think.
Tracy Allen in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
I've got a Drift 5.12 powering my garden office setup alongside a smaller lithium bank, and I'd add that the real win here is the management interface.
Golden Socket in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Had a Drift 5.12 sitting in my boat's engine room for two years now, and the thing's barely flinched.
OldSailor86 in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Curious about your battery capacity and what you're actually powering with it? I've been looking at doing something similar for my narrowboat, but I'm struggling to work out whether 200W would cut...
ExJoiner in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 1