Victron Orion XS 50A vs the older Orion-Tr Smart — worth the upgrade for EV top-ups at the cabin?

Finally getting round to sorting proper DC-DC charging at the cabin. Currently running an Orion-Tr Smart 30A isolated, which does the job moving power from the van's alternator into a 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4, but it's a bit slow when I've been hammering the EV on a long run and need a decent top-up before the next leg.

The new Orion XS 50A is tempting — nearly double the output and apparently the efficiency figures are noticeably better. But it's also nearly double the money, and I'm struggling to find anyone who's actually run one hard in a real setup rather than just unboxing it on YouTube.

Specific concern: my van's a 2021 Transit with a 185A alternator. The old Orion-Tr has a really solid adaptive algorithm that plays nicely with it — never had a single fault. Anyone know if the XS handles alternator health/temp the same way, or has Victron actually improved that side of things? The marketing copy is vague.

Also worth noting — I'm on a split-charge relay as backup, not relying on DC-DC alone. So the 50A would be running in parallel sometimes. Anyone done that without issues?

RhysGrant | 847 posts | Welsh Borders

@PeakExplorer the XS 50A is a proper step up, particularly if you're planning any EV top-ups. The key difference beyond the extra amps is the variable input voltage handling — it's much happier with modern smart alternators that wobble all over the place.

Worth noting it's non-isolated though, so double-check your setup suits that before committing. If your van and cabin share a common ground already you'll be fine, but it's caught a few people out.

The VictronConnect integration on the XS is noticeably slicker too.

One practical thing — what's your cable run length between the van and cabin? At 50A you'll want to size your wiring properly or you'll lose the benefit of the extra current. Might be worth factoring that cost in before deciding if the upgrade makes sense for your specific situation.

Wardy | tiny house enthusiast

One thing worth flagging that nobody's mentioned — the XS 50A pulls significantly more from your alternator when conditions are right. If your van's running a standard 120A alternator, you'll want to check you're not hammering it alongside other loads (fridge, inverter, etc.).

Also worth noting the XS has proper adaptive input current limiting via VictronConnect, so you can dial it back if needed — far more granular than the old Tr Smart.

For EV top-ups specifically though, the extra amps make a genuine difference to how quickly you replenish after a charge session. I'd just pair it with a temperature sensor on the alternator if you're doing long charging runs.

What's the alternator rating on your van? That'd help narrow down whether 50A is sensible or overkill for your specific setup.

Curly38 | 412 posts | somewhere damp

Done exactly this swap at my cabin setup. The XS is noticeably quicker filling a depleted bank before I plug the EV in — that 50A makes a real difference when you're working against the clock before dark.

One thing nobody's flagged yet: the XS does adaptive charging profiles properly via VictronConnect rather than just the basic absorption/float the old Tr Smart offered. Meant I could dial it in properly for my Fogstar cells without guessing.

The catch? Cable sizing. Most folks already running the 30A are underspeced for 50A continuous and wonder why it throttles back. Check your wire run lengths against Victron's tables before assuming it's plug-and-play.

Worth it though. Old unit's gathering dust in a box, which is basically my highest recommendation.