Advanced RV using battery system from Volta

[booster]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

They've certainly had their Etrek fiascos which it seems they have mostly, if belatedly, resolved. I notice, however that for some vocal critics, that long after the song has ended, the melody lingers on.

Of course that was a while ago, but all the lithium and voltstart stuff was very similar, and the parasitic problems may or may not be fixed yet. There is certainly a pattern over quite a long period. We are all hoping that they get their act together, as I don't think anyone disputes that the technology is cool, it is the implementation that has been rough.

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

They've certainly had their Etrek fiascos which it seems they have mostly, if belatedly, resolved. I notice, however that for some vocal critics, that long after the song has ended, the melody lingers on.

IMO, what distinguishes RT from mainstream B offerings is their technology. With the exception of custom builders, it's at this point in time, exclusive. No one else offers what they do. It's the reason I bought their product. By comparison, WGOs, PWs, et al still hang in there with conventional technology. But that said, I think it's only a matter of time before they embrace recent technical advances which will level the playing field and eliminate RT's competitive advantage.

The Etrek fiasco is far from resolved.

Horror stories are still surfacing every week.

[Davydd]

I'm headed to Advanced RV August 15. I hope to see the Volta system first hand. It is installed in their latest demo van dubbed Escape.

[wincrasher]

I'm not really keen on RT's strategy for the Ecotrek/Voltrek, but I get it.

Thought long and hard about it when I decided to buy the Aktiv - is not having continuous, detailed information a deal breaker? In my mind, no. If there is enough battery capacity to operate on normally, then no, I don't need to continuously monitor the SOC or any details of my individual electrical loads. It's worked fine with my DIY setup in the Travato - pretty much has been set and forget.

Another consideration is balance between price & features - Ecotrek was $5,000 adder and Voltrek $1,900. In the end, these are discounted along with the rest of the van. So not a huge investment. I could have deleted the Voltek, and thought about it. I may never use it, but thought since it's not terribly expensive, it might be nice to have down the road. Would my expectations increase if I was getting a much bigger package, with a $20k price tag? Well, most certainly it would! Their offering is not very compelling in the larger system on a much more expensive van like the CS. At that level, I'd be considering an ARV. But for the small, modest system, like in the Aktiv & Zion, I think there is good value there. It compares favorably to a DIY setup with the additional benefit of it being covered with a 6 year warranty.

[BBQ]

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There is nothing bad about lithium batteries. They have been around for a long time and are used in boats, etc.

The problem arises when the bright-eyed RV noobs want to run aircond all night or leave their pets in the RV when they go shopping and drinking. Well, the technology is there, but the implementation is not. It can be done, but I haven't seen it done reliably yet.

[booster]

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

There is nothing bad about lithium batteries. They have been around for a long time and are used in boats, etc.

The problem arises when the bright-eyed RV noobs want to run aircond all night or leave their pets in the RV when they go shopping and drinking. Well, the technology is there, but the implementation is not. It can be done, but I haven't seen it done reliably yet.

I would mostly agree, but the ARV systems are pretty close on getting it right, and the Volta setup may get them even closer.

Temp issues can be a problem, but IMO, the big deal is being able to replace all that power you use with the AC off the batteries. You could be looking at idling all day to refill a 1600ah setup like discussed on another thread, and how well will the Nations alternator hold up that kind of repeated use?

The Volta setup looks like it would address a lot of the issues, especially the high amps and heat, plus related reliability issue, with the alternators. At 3 times the charge rate, it will still take a while to recharge, but at least you wouldn't be needing all day drives to do it, and it likely would not do the "death spiral" at idle.

As we are not personally against using propane for high energy stuff, and don't need AC for us or pets, there is really no need for a huge setup, and extremely rarely a need for the 440ah we have.

I still think that all the current stuff is interim and there will be a breakthrough coming. Batteries, maybe, but more likely a vehicle fuel powered standalone "generator" which may be a fuel cell, or whatever. Silent, able to run continuously at whatever amps needed to cover a days use, on average, with enough batteries to cover surges. Kind of like having a big shore power charger, except you don't need the cord

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by booster

I would mostly agree, but the ARV systems are pretty close on getting it right, and the Volta setup may get them even closer.

Temp issues can be a problem, but IMO, the big deal is being able to replace all that power you use with the AC off the batteries. You could be looking at idling all day to refill a 1600ah setup like discussed on another thread, and how well will the Nations alternator hold up that kind of repeated use?

The Volta setup looks like it would address a lot of the issues, especially the high amps and heat, plus related reliability issue, with the alternators. At 3 times the charge rate, it will still take a while to recharge, but at least you wouldn't be needing all day drives to do it, and it likely would not do the "death spiral" at idle.

As we are not personally against using propane for high energy stuff, and don't need AC for us or pets, there is really no need for a huge setup, and extremely rarely a need for the 440ah we have.

I still think that all the current stuff is interim and there will be a breakthrough coming. Batteries, maybe, but more likely a vehicle fuel powered standalone "generator" which may be a fuel cell, or whatever. Silent, able to run continuously at whatever amps needed to cover a days use, on average, with enough batteries to cover surges. Kind of like having a big shore power charger, except you don't need the cord

Indeed, battery bank is just an energy buffer, not a source. We make system decision based on which recharging energy source is acceptable but most of discussion tends to be on the size of batteries. For some driving to recharge is OK, for some a generator noise is OK, we found either shore power or solar harvesting preferable and it is how we designed our van energy system. Water and space heating powered by diesel and for all other electrical needs our 300W PV panels are sufficient. We have to look for a campsite to either have shore or no shade but the reward is that we don’ have to move for days or weeks or annoyed neighbors with a generator noise.

When we will be able to charge batteries at home for a month-long trip for all energy needs the technology would become mature, it will take a while.

I am little surprised than not much development happen in the field of LPG powered generators, ONAN should priced high as an antique. Single cylinder portable generators can reach 5XdB, permanently mounted technology could be muffled event further down to 4XdB with good vibration separation.