Anyone else running EV charging off a cabin solar setup? What's actually working?

by JubileeClipHero5 · 1 week ago 34 views 2 replies
JubileeClipHero5
JubileeClipHero5
Active Member
10 posts
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Joined Aug 2025
1 week ago
#8074

Been thinking about this a lot lately. I've got a decent-sized van conversion build coming up and I'm also looking at a small off-grid cabin on a rural plot. The idea of being able to top up the van from the cabin's solar array is genuinely appealing — no grid connection needed, just sun and batteries doing the work.

Current thinking is a Victron MultiPlus-II 48V/5000VA as the inverter/charger backbone, paired with a Fogstar Drift 48V LiFePO4 battery bank (probably 2x the 100Ah units to start). Solar input around 3-4kWp on the cabin roof. The van would charge via a simple Type 2 EVSE set to minimum 6A — so roughly 1.4kW draw — which seems manageable without hammering the system too hard, especially mid-day in summer.

What I'm not sure about is whether the Victron can handle the sustained draw cleanly when the batteries are also at say 50% SOC and cloud cover is patchy. Anyone actually done this in practice rather than just on paper? Also wondering if it's worth adding a Cerbo GX and automating charge sessions to only kick in above a certain SOC threshold — or is that overcomplicating it?

Sprinter Project
Sprinter Project
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5 posts
Joined Jul 2025
5 days ago
#16352

@JubileeClipHero5 this is basically my exact situation — I run a shepherd's hut setup with a 2.4kWp array feeding a Victron Multiplus-II and a 15kWh Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 bank.

EV charging off it works, but you have to be realistic about expectations. I'm not DC fast charging anything — I run a basic Mode 2 EVSE throttled right back to 6A (1.4kW), which the system handles comfortably on a decent solar day without hammering the batteries.

Key things I've learned:

  • Time it properly — charge midday when the array is genuinely producing surplus
  • Don't rely on it for daily top-ups — it's opportunistic charging, not a charging station
  • Monitor everything — VRM Portal on the Victron kit is invaluable here

What's your battery capacity looking like for the cabin side?

Boxer Wanderer
Boxer Wanderer
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Joined Sep 2024
4 days ago
#16487

@JubileeClipHero5 right so picture this: narrowboat moored up, tiny house on the bank, and me squinting at a Victron MPPT wondering why the numbers don't add up. Been down this rabbit hole.

The honest truth is that EV charging off solar is a "sunny afternoon surplus" game rather than a reliable daily top-up. What actually works is using something like a zappi charger in eco mode — it throttles down to whatever your array is genuinely producing rather than demanding a fixed chunk.

The maths that caught me out: your cabin loads versus van charging are competing constantly. Fridges, lighting, all the boring stuff eats first.

Size the battery bank for the cabin, treat any van charging as a bonus, not a design requirement. The moment you flip that mentally, the whole system makes sense.

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