Glossary
All glossary on VanLife Beacon — curated, sourced and field-tested.
AGM
Absorbent Glass Mat lead-acid battery used in leisure and starter applications.
Read → glossaryABRP
EV charging route planner.
Read → glossaryAire
Designated motorhome stopover area in France with services (water, dump, sometimes electricity).
Read → glossaryAlkoven
Coachbuilt motorhome with overcab bed pod above the driver cabin.
Read → glossaryApproved Workshop Scheme (AWS)
UK accreditation scheme for motorhome and caravan habitation-check workshops, run jointly by the NCC, The Caravan and Motorhome Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club.
Read → glossaryAwning
Deployable lateral or rear canopy fitted to a motorhome or converted van for shade and weather protection.
Read → glossaryB2B Charger
A DC-to-DC charger that takes power from the vehicle's alternator circuit and delivers it to the leisure battery at a regulated voltage, replacing the split-charge relay on vehicles with smart alternators.
Read → glossaryBattery 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.
Read → glossaryCarthago
A German motorhome manufacturer building coachbuilt vehicles across fully-integrated and semi-integrated ranges rather than panel-van conversions.
Read → glossaryCassette Toilet
Removable waste-water container for chemical toilet (Thetford, Dometic).
Read → glossaryCCS
European DC fast-charging connector standard for EVs.
Read → glossaryCEE 16A
Industrial 16A blue plug (IEC 60309) used for motorhome shore-power hookup at EU campsites.
Read → glossaryCrafter
Volkswagen's full-size panel van; positioned above Transporter.
Read → glossaryCrit'Air
French air-quality vignette (sticker) required to enter ZFEs.
Read → glossaryDamp Meter (Protimeter)
Handheld moisture-reading tool used during a habitation check to test body panels and floor for water ingress. A reading up to roughly 15% is the trade's normal range, not a regulatory limit.
Read → glossaryDC-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.
Read → glossaryDelamination
Separation of the layers of a van or motorhome's sandwich body panel (outer skin, insulation core, inner skin) — usually the end result of long-unresolved water ingress.
Read → glossaryDiesel Heater
A diesel-fuelled forced-air heater that draws from the vehicle's own fuel tank, burns it in a sealed combustion chamber, and blows warmed air into the living space through ducting.
Read → glossaryDual 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.
Read → glossaryDucato
Most-converted European vanlife base vehicle (~70% of RVs on the road based on Ducato Motorhome Base, Stellantis).
Read → glossaryEICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report)
A formal report on the condition of a motorhome's 12V and 230V habitation electrics — recommended by the NCC every 3 years for NCC-badged UK vehicles, and one of the least-known parts of van maintenance.
Read → glossaryElectric 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.
Read → glossaryTransit
Ford's full-size cargo van and the dominant Sprinter-class conversion base in the United States and Canada.
Read → glossaryFresh Water
Tank holding clean potable water for vanlife use (drinking, washing, cooking).
Read → glossaryGrey Water
Tank holding waste water from sinks/shower (NOT toilet).
Read → glossaryGVW / MAM
Maximum total weight a vehicle is legally allowed to carry, including chassis, fuel, water, passengers, and cargo.
Read → glossaryHabitation Check
Annual inspection of a motorhome or campervan's living quarters — damp, gas, 12V/230V electrics, water, ventilation and fire safety — distinct from the vehicle's roadworthiness test.
Read → glossaryITV
Spanish technical vehicle inspection (equivalent to TÜV/MOT).
Read → glossaryKastenwagen
German class of motorhome built inside a panel-van shell (e.g. Sprinter, Crafter, Ducato).
Read → glossaryLeisure 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.
Read → glossaryLevelling
Adjusting a parked motorhome to be horizontal using ramps, jacks, or air-suspension.
Read → glossaryLiFePO4 Battery
Lithium iron phosphate — the lithium chemistry used in modern leisure batteries, prized for long cycle life, full usable capacity and thermal safety.
Read → glossaryM1 Motorhome
EU vehicle category: passenger cars and motorhomes carrying ≤8 passengers + driver.
Read → glossaryMPPT Charge Controller
A solar charge controller that tracks the panel's maximum power point to extract more usable energy than a basic PWM controller, the gain is largest when panel voltage sits well above battery voltage.
Read → glossaryN1 LCV
EU vehicle category: goods vehicles with a maximum authorised mass of 3.5 tonnes or less.
Read → glossaryNEMA TT-30 / 50A Shore Power
The North American campground pedestal plugs — 30A/120V TT-30 and 50A/240V 14-50 — and the household 15/20A outlets used when neither is available.
Read → glossaryOBC
Built-in EV charger unit accepting AC from Type 2 socket and converting to DC for the traction battery.
Read → glossaryPernocta
Spanish legal distinction: 'pernocta' (overnight sleeping in vehicle, generally tolerated) vs 'acampada' (deploying chairs/awnings/levellers, illegal outside campsites).
Read → glossaryPortable 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.
Read → glossaryPure 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.
Read → glossaryProMaster
Ram's front-wheel-drive full-size cargo van, built on the Fiat Ducato platform and sold in North America since 2014.
Read → glossarySprinter
Widely used vanlife base vehicle in the EU.
Read → glossarySchuko
European 230V household plug standard.
Read → glossaryStarlink Roam
Low-power Starlink satellite internet kit aimed at mobile users (RVs, vans, boats).
Read → glossaryStellplatz
German designated motorhome parking area, typically with hookups and services.
Read → glossaryHiAce
Toyota's cab-over light van and the dominant Sprinter-class conversion base across Australia, Japan and Asia — not sold new in the United States or Canada.
Read → glossaryTeilintegriert
German motorhome class with integrated living area on a chassis but using the original cab.
Read → glossaryTÜV
German road-safety inspection authority.
Read → glossaryType 2
European AC charging connector (IEC 62196-2).
Read → glossaryV2L
Vehicle-to-Load: an EV's ability to power external 230V devices from its traction battery via a built-in inverter (e.g. Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6).
Read → glossaryVollintegriert
Premium motorhome built on a stripped chassis with a custom-designed cab integrated into the living area.
Read → glossaryWallbox
Wall-mounted EV AC charging unit for home/destination use.
Read → glossaryWater Ingress (Damp)
Moisture that has entered a van or motorhome's body panels or floor through a failed seal or seam — the main cause of long-term structural damage and delamination.
Read → glossaryWohnmobil
German term for any motorhome (recreational vehicle with living quarters).
Read → glossaryZFE
French Low-Emission Zone requiring Crit'Air sticker.
Read → glossaryZTL
Italian limited-traffic zone in historic city centres.
Read →