There are three common ways to provide mains power in a vehicle

 Inverters

Convert a DC low voltage input to a 240V AC output. Powered from either the vehicle's battery or an auxiliary battery for high drain applications. Inverters are available with either a modified sine wave or full sine wave output. Modified sine wave inverters are cheaper per Watt but are not suitable for use with reactive loads such as fluorescent lights and certain  types of electric motors, they may also cause sensitive electronic equipment to malfunction. Pure sine wave inverters are suitable for most applications. Inverters are compact and virtually silent, ideal for applications where the noise and vibrations produced by a generator are inconvenient.   

Inverters are ideal for low to moderate power consumption up to about 1.5kW. For systems with greater power requirements generators may be a more practical and economical solution. However high power inverters are available for applications where generators are impractical.

Auxiliary batteries can provide much more capacity than a vehicle battery alone. Standard automotive batteries are designed to be constantly topped up and high drain applications can considerably shorten their life as well as running the risk of immobilising the vehicle by flattening the battery. We use deep cycle batteries as standard for our auxiliary battery systems. Split charge systems allow them to be charged from the alternator without putting any load on the vehicle battery.

For the most demanding applications we can also supply battery conditioning systems which actively monitor the charge state of the battery bank, balance the load across multiple batteries and provide controlled charging currents to extract the best possible life and performance from the system.

When specifying auxiliary battery systems several factors need to be considered including, average and peak loads, recharging times, initial costs and expected life of the system. In many cases specifying a system with spare capacity can significantly improve its reliability and life expectancy, reducing overall costs in the long term. By considering your likely power requirements and usage patterns we can recommend the most economical and reliable system for your intended application. 

 Generators 

Ideal for high power requirements in remote locations. Eliminates the need for recharging and tends to be more economical and practical where a lot of power is required over a long period and opportunities for recharging are limited.

Our generator installations include exhaust ducting, ventilation, thermal insulation and guards to allow them to be safely used inside a vehicle. We can also fit partitions and sound insulation to reduce noise levels.

It is very important that generators used in vehicles have an output which can be properly earthed and is compatible with RCD devices, not all generator types are safe for use in vehicles, for this reason we recommend consulting us before specifying a generator for your van. 

We can also install safe and secure fuel storage and design installations for safe containment and disposal of fuel spills. 

 External link-up 

If a nearby source of mains power is available this is usually the simplest and most effective solution. The vehicle is fitted with a weatherproof external socket which can be plugged into a 16A extension lead, powering electrical systems on the van via a consumer unit. An external power socket can also be a useful backup for generator or inverter systems. Multiple systems can be fitted in parallel for high power consumption applications. For long cable runs we can supply extra heavy duty link-up cables and extensions.