VanLife Beacon

DC-DC Charger

Also known as: B2B charger, battery-to-battery charger, split charge 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.

Official source: Sterling Power — BB1230 12V 30A battery-to-battery charger (Euro 5/6, 4-stage, 9 chemistries) →

A DC-DC charger (also called a battery-to-battery or B2B charger) sits between the starter battery and the leisure battery. It steps the voltage to the proper multi-stage charge profile for your leisure battery's chemistry — essential for LiFePO4, which a raw alternator feed charges badly.

On modern Euro 5/6 vans the alternator is 'smart': it varies its output voltage and often drops it under load, so an old voltage-sensitive split charge relay barely charges at all. A DC-DC charger ignores that and pulls a steady current — Sterling Power's BB1230, for example, is a 12V 30A unit explicitly built for Euro 5/6 smart alternators and regenerative braking. Sizes are rated in amps (typically 18–50A); bigger charges faster but draws more from the alternator.

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Sources 2 sources on record · Automated review 3 angles · Tracked since 2026-06-27

Sources

What this page is based on — every source is verified and links out so you can check it yourself.

  1. Sterling Power — BB1230 12V 30A battery-to-battery charger (Euro 5/6, 4-stage, 9 chemistries)verified · 2026-06
  2. Victron Energy — Orion XS 12/12-50A DC-DC charger (700W, 50A, 98.5% efficient)verified · 2026-06