Volta Power Systems

[Kiwi3]

Okay, I'll have to dream but maybe one of you rich guys/gals can pull this off.
Volta Power Systems has a 48V system for RV retrofits that supposedly allows you to ditch the generator and solar (if you want to charge from the engine for 4 hours... nah), and they claim that you can run rooftop air conditioning on it.

I'm gonna bet this cost about half what I paid for my Bird, but some folks are already DIY this tech so here it is in a package for those of us that don't want to be electrical engineers.

http://voltapowersystems.com/

Volta Power Systems offers complete and configurable engineered solutions to meet all of your application needs. Energy storage solutions can be designed with your application in mind taking all of the guesswork out of figuring out what is needed.

Yes the initial investment is higher than a traditional lead acid AGM battery solution Volta enables capabilities and opportunities previous not possible with lead acid systems. The total cost of ownership and annual costs are significantly reduced with Volta Power Systems.

The Volta Power Systems uses the same technology found in hybrid and electric cars like the Tesla, and other OEM hybrids, that are currently not available for the Yacht and Coach markets. With Volta Power Energy Storage Systems you get the benefit of over $200M of research and development for the automotive industry for your energy storage system.
Completely American made: The major components of the Volta Power System are all produced in the United States.

From their case study:

During all of our stops the Volta Power System was able to provide continuous power
for more than 8000W of accessories for 6 straight hours before charging.

Charging the system took only 4 hours

[LarryKehler]

Attended a tech session on this system at the FMCA rally last year. I came away thinking these guys need about 5 more years to get their act together. They could not answer half of the questions from the group . The concept was great but the execution is lacking. They talked about recalling many early systems.

[Kiwi3]

Yeah, I'm wondering what they have myself. There is no price, which is always a red flag. Then they have their 'case study' but no other information. I'm hopeful, but doubt the system can do all the fantastic things they claim.

[mahansm]

Just remember, there's liars, ****** liars, and battery engineers.

In theory, their system can probably do what they say but the devil is in the details.

48 VDC was seriously proposed to replace 12V in automotive applications several years ago. There's an enormous amount of copper wiring in a car (miles). Upping the voltage and using bussed power along with smart switches at each device would save a lot of copper, energy, and weight.

The showstopper was that nobody could make a switch that was cheap enough, reliable enough, and with enough lifespan for the automotive market that could handle interrupting 48 Volts of direct current. Switching AC is an entirely different animal; a 110 Volt AC switch is quite easy in comparison. Details on why if anyone is really that interested...

[RobLambert]

sure would be nice....busy reading every similar post here. thank you all

edit.....i did some more research and it isn't ready for prime time.....yet.

[badandy]

Yeah it sounds crazy to me!

[Dave&Beth]

They say it will last the lifetime of the vehicle. Doubt they will sell to a Wanderlodge owner, don't see it lasting 40 plus years.

[rshrimp]

Originally Posted by mahansm

Just remember, there's liars, ****** liars, and battery engineers.

In theory, their system can probably do what they say but the devil is in the details.

48 VDC was seriously proposed to replace 12V in automotive applications several years ago. There's an enormous amount of copper wiring in a car (miles). Upping the voltage and using bussed power along with smart switches at each device would save a lot of copper, energy, and weight.

The showstopper was that nobody could make a switch that was cheap enough, reliable enough, and with enough lifespan for the automotive market that could handle interrupting 48 Volts of direct current. Switching AC is an entirely different animal; a 110 Volt AC switch is quite easy in comparison. Details on why if anyone is really that interested...

Good stuff, I had not thought about the switches. Never really considered 48v for the small stuff, but it makes a lot of sense for storage and conversion to 110AC. The way most of the new stuff it done right now is a 12v system, a 48v house system and an inverter. Nothing sees the high DC voltage except the inverter and a 12v output converter. Add a 48v alternator and Solar charge controller and you would have quite a system. You could loose a lot of copper if done this way.

They do make a 48v DC rooftop AC now! It's expensive but likely that is only due to low production numbers:

Here is one example: I saw another one on Amazon last year for $2800
https://www.solairworld.com/battery-...er-for-camping

[badandy]

I converted mine to 48v inverter/battery for the coach. I'm not currently using any alternator for charging it, but I might eventually do something. One big problem for cars was that they wouldn't get rid of the 12v side completely. Now they have very efficient bidirectional 12/48 DC-DC converters so they can charge or power either side from the other, so I think we're going to see more 48v stuff at some point. The only real copper savings in a vehicle from 48v would be for high loads like headlights and stereo. Everything else is already 20 or 22ga txl wire, and anything smaller would have longevity issues.