Hey guys,
I’ve restored an old van, EV swapped it, and added a 500w array. The solar is for interior accessories on a 12v battery. (stove, heater, lights, lava lamp, weekend camping stuff) 5x 100w panels. Working great so far.
The HV battery that propels this van is 115v when fully charged. It’s a Lifepo4 280ah 33s2p ~60kwh pack that is normally charged like any other EV. My solar panels only charge the 12v system, which sits at full constantly, so I'm looking for a charge controller to give the big pack some juice, even if it’s +1mile/day. Definitely no Apterra, but why not.
Anyone have experience stepping voltage up from a smaller array? (500w panels → 115VDC pack) I’ve seen some of the solar racer guys do some custom voltage step-up wizardry. I can’t quite get my search keywords right to find this info - Basically an MPPT that outputs around 115VDC that isn’t a sketchy aliexpress find.
Alternatively I could upgrade my small 12v system, buy a bigger mppt to charge the 12v, and buy a 12vdc to 115vdc converter. (500w panels → 12VDC → 115VDC pack) This seems like a lot of extra steps, and a lot of extra weight just to get the HV pack some juice.
Was wondering if anyone has seen/done anything similar, or could share links and MPPT advice.
Thanks for any advice or questions. Lots of knowledge and interest crossover with this forum and www.diyelectriccar.com
I’ve restored an old van, EV swapped it, and added a 500w array. The solar is for interior accessories on a 12v battery. (stove, heater, lights, lava lamp, weekend camping stuff) 5x 100w panels. Working great so far.
The HV battery that propels this van is 115v when fully charged. It’s a Lifepo4 280ah 33s2p ~60kwh pack that is normally charged like any other EV. My solar panels only charge the 12v system, which sits at full constantly, so I'm looking for a charge controller to give the big pack some juice, even if it’s +1mile/day. Definitely no Apterra, but why not.
Anyone have experience stepping voltage up from a smaller array? (500w panels → 115VDC pack) I’ve seen some of the solar racer guys do some custom voltage step-up wizardry. I can’t quite get my search keywords right to find this info - Basically an MPPT that outputs around 115VDC that isn’t a sketchy aliexpress find.
Alternatively I could upgrade my small 12v system, buy a bigger mppt to charge the 12v, and buy a 12vdc to 115vdc converter. (500w panels → 12VDC → 115VDC pack) This seems like a lot of extra steps, and a lot of extra weight just to get the HV pack some juice.
Was wondering if anyone has seen/done anything similar, or could share links and MPPT advice.
Thanks for any advice or questions. Lots of knowledge and interest crossover with this forum and www.diyelectriccar.com