Solar-powered campervan at a remote bivouac

⚡ The electric vanlife hub

VanLife Beacon

Curated, sourced and field-tested — the electrical core of a modern van build, from leisure batteries to solar and charging. No content farm: every page is verified.

Guides

How to size and wire a campervan electrical system

Battery, alternator charging, solar, inverter, hook-up — the five blocks of a 12V van system, sized from your real daily watt-hours, not a parts list copied off a forum.

How I run a van on 100% electric — no diesel

Two years, zero diesel, zero Webasto. Here is the stack that heats, cools and cooks — and why simpler turned out cheaper.

Comparisons

Which lithium leisure battery for a UK campervan?

Fogstar Drift, Roamer SMART and Renogy Core Mini 12V LiFePO4 leisure batteries compared on usable capacity, discharge, weight and verified UK price.

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Which power station runs a van without diesel?

EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra, Anker SOLIX F3800 and Bluetti AC200L benchmarked for a real all-electric van — AC, fridge and induction over 24h, with verified UK prices.

Directory

Van electrical suppliers (UK)

The verified suppliers behind a modern all-electric van build in the UK — batteries, solar, charging and power stations. Each entry links to the manufacturer; status reflects when we last checked the source.

Glossary

Battery Monitor (Shunt)

A meter that measures every amp flowing in and out of the leisure battery through a shunt, giving an accurate state-of-charge reading — the van's fuel gauge.

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Dual Battery System

A second, isolated leisure battery dedicated to running a van's living systems (fridge, lights, devices) without draining the engine's starter battery.

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Electric Hook-Up (EHU)

A campsite mains connection: a 230V supply you plug into via a dedicated lead, letting the van run mains appliances and recharge its leisure battery.

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DC-DC Charger

A battery-to-battery (B2B) charger that takes power from the van's alternator while driving and charges the leisure battery at a controlled, correct voltage.

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Leisure Battery

The deep-cycle battery that powers a campervan's living systems — designed to be discharged and recharged daily, unlike the engine's starter battery.

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MPPT Charge Controller

A solar charge controller that tracks the panel's maximum power point to extract more usable energy than a basic PWM controller, especially in low light.

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LiFePO4 Battery

Lithium iron phosphate — the lithium chemistry used in modern leisure batteries, prized for long cycle life, full usable capacity and thermal safety.

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Portable Power Station

An all-in-one box combining a lithium battery, inverter and chargers, giving 230V sockets and USB without a hard-wired electrical install.

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Pure Sine Wave Inverter

A device that converts the van's 12V DC battery power into clean 230V AC mains electricity, safe for sensitive electronics and appliances.