Expedition Truck

After arrived in Whitehaven on the 16th November, first part of the project took place and was completed on the 4th December. She will go away for more fitting out and is due to return in the New Year to have the second phase of the work carried out. Follow the story below. Scroll though the pictures to find out more and see the installation as it progresses.

WEEK 3

Into The Shed

Thanks to a slot inside Whitehaven Marina Boatshed the truck was taken indoors for a couple of days out of the weather to have the solar panels bonded onto the roof.

Whitehaven Boatshed

Whitehaven Boatshed is a fantastic facility, probably the best in the Northwest. Here we can work away from the elements making winter projects possible.

Solar Panels

First the roof is cleaned, not a pleasant job thanks to the local Seagulls. Then the first panels are test fitted. Finally, the panels are bonded into place using 3M 4200 polyurethane adhesive. The solar panels consist of three strings of two panels. Each string has different size panels, chosen to cover as much of the roof space as possible. Each string has its own MPPT controller.
Whilst bonding the panels direct to the roof will make maintenance if needed difficult, the panels needed to be as low profile as possible with no way that tree branches or wind could get underneath.

Water ??

Not exactly electrical, but we have manage to source a water inlet in stainless steel that matches the Victron Power inlet.

Foreign Power

One of the requirements of the system is that it can operate anywhere in the world. To achieve this, we use a Victron Centaur charger. This charger can accept a wide range of voltages and frequencies. So, in the USA the 110-volt 60Hz supply is converted to 24 Volts DC. This keeps the batteries topped up, and the power can be used directly by the Multiplus. The Multiplus converts 24 Volts DC to 240 Volts AC at 50Hz. This means that wherever the wanderers travel they can enjoy quality power on board. The only downside is that the maximum consumption would be limited to 5Kw as the power assist feature op the Multiplus cannot be used. This system can be used anywhere where the local power supply is suspect.

Solar Panels

The solar panels are all fitted ready fro phase two. When she returns a few tidying up jobs to do once the cables are finally in the pod.

Phase 1 Finished

Phase 1 of the project is completed. She will now go back to Atkinson Vos for more work before having the carpentry work carried out. She will return in the New Year to have the rest of the fit out completed.

Phase 1 Circuit

The circuit so far. The circuits are updated every day as work progresses. Viewers should be aware that this is not the finished diagram, just the Phase 1 drawing. Details of the rest of the system will be published next year when the project is completed.

WEEK 2

Packing it in.

No matter how large a space you have to work with it is never enough. This project has a lot of equipment to pack in.

The Brain

The Victron Cerbo is the brain of the system. It will allow remote control and monitoring as well as monitoring and control on a touch screen to be fitted in phase II. One of the requirements is to be able to remotely dump the fresh water as well as to automatically dump the grey water. On /Off and automatic can be selected both locally and remotely. The GPS link will let the location of the vehicle be seen as well as alarms from the power system.

Batteries Connected

The batteries are finally connected. The cables are Oceanflex 50mm2. There are two cables per terminal giving an overall cross-sectional area of 100mm2. Two cables were chosen to make the short runs more manageable. The Multiplus has two positive and two negative connections.

Space is at a premium.

The DC-DC charger and the two Smart Battery Protects can be seen here. We still have to fit another two MPPT controllers and the Buck Boost Regulator. The 12 volt buffer battery will fit under these units.

First Sign of Life

Its always a pivotal moment when the power is first applied. This is only the DC distribution unit, but it is life. When the system has started you can see where the missing fuses are by the red indicator lights. This makes fault finding simple.

Multiplus Power Up

Straight out of the box will function as an inverter charger but often we need to change settings. The truck is fitted with Victron Energy Lithium Batteries and we need to modify some of the settings and add a small piece of software known as an “assistant”. As the system is no where near completed the assistant stops the multiplus from working, it thinks the battery is low. When everything is wired up it will all start working again.

Getting There

At the end of the second week the majority of the equipment is installed and working. The Lithium Batteries are now fully charged, and all the cells balanced. There is still some minor wiring to do then the connection to the engine and programming the Buck Boost regulator. The last major part of this phase of the project will be the installation of the solar panels on the roof and MPPT controllers.

Blue Tooth

Just look at the Victron Connect App for the truck. All these components can be viewed inside the truck, the software updated, adjustments made, and information viewed all on a mobile device.

See the Power

When completed the navigator will be able to view the power system om the vehicles Toughbook. This is the marine app, but can be viewed on any web browser linked to the LAN network on board.

WEEK 1

Arrival

Expedition truck arrives at Whitehaven for the installation of the Victron Energy system. The habitation pod was built and fitted to the MAN truck at Atkinson Vos in Bentham and was delivered to us on the 16th November. She will be fitted with the very latest Victron Energy Lithium power system. Along with remote monitoring. Everything must be built to exceptional standards, as like many of our projects she will be working in an extreme environment.

Whats it all about?

Much of our work is about coming up with innovative designs which will withstand the harshest of environments. This video will give you an insight into some of the conditions this truck will encounter. The heat, sand and vibration will make this a challenging installation. So extra attention will be paid to every aspect of the work.

Concept Drawing

This is not a circuit diagram, but an initial concept of how the system will be put together. Inevitably there will be changes, but this illustrates how a project gets underway. This drawing was produced during the spring lockdown of 2020 and resulted in the current project.

Blank Canvas

It’s not often we have a blank canvas to work with. Here under what will be the kitchen is the area allocated for the Victron Equipment. An 18mm plywood base will be fitted to the bottom of the frame which will allow the two 300AH Lithium batteries to fit neatly within the framework. The Multiplus Inverter Charger will also fit on this solid base.

Lynx Distributor

The Lynx Distributor system is pre-assembled and tested in our workshop. The Lynx distributor is a neat solution to managing high power DC systems. On the left is the power in where the batteries connect. Each string of Lithium batteries must have their own fuse. In the centre is the Shunt, this communicates with the system using VE CAN. On the right is the Lynx Distributor here the high-power devices connect, each with their own fuse. Indicator lights show if a fuse has blown.

Fuse

The Lynx Shunt holds the master fuse. This 325 Amp fuse is in addition to the battery fuses in the left-hand distributor. As in all battery systems correct fusing is essential to safe operation.

Special Treatment

To cope with extreme conditions the back of the distributor has just enough adhesive added to prevent vibration, but allow easy removal if needed.

Lynx

The Lynx Distributor is mounted in place. The trunking for the cables can be seen loosely fitted below. Once the base is in place the glands will b fitted ready to accept the Ocean flex cable.

Shore Power USA

The larger 32-amp shore power inlet is mounted on the driver’s side. This inlet is for use in the USA. To keep the AC system on board at 240 Volts 50Hz wherever she plugs in, this inlet will accept a wide range of power. The power is converted to DC by a Victron charger and then back into AC by the Multiplus.

Joinery Time

Todays efforts are focussed on installing the batteries. First a strong base of 18mm plywood is fitted. Between the water tank and base we have installed layers of foam to absorb any shocks and flexing of the base under extreme conditions.

Batteries In Place

The Lithium batteries are installed, and the battery box is built around them. Sheets of foam surround the batteries to insulate them and provide additional protection.

Test Fitting

The Multiplus (this is a dummy unit as the real one is still on its way from Holland) is positioned s we can judge the best layout for the rest of the equipment.

Pre Charge the Lithium Batteries

Lithium batteries when delivered are only partly charged. As this is a 24-volt system we need to very gently bring both batteries up to full charge. To do this we connect them, in parallel and charge them at a very low rate. In this case just 2 amps per battery. This process will take several days in the case of these large batteries. As we are now away for the next 4 days this is an ideal time to bring them up to full charge.