{"id":33782,"date":"2026-08-17T09:46:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T07:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.victronenergy.com\/blog\/?p=33782"},"modified":"2026-08-17T09:46:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T07:46:51","slug":"exploring-turkey-by-motor-home-wherever-the-road-leads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.victronenergy.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/17\/exploring-turkey-by-motor-home-wherever-the-road-leads\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Turkey by Motor Home – wherever the road leads"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some motorhome owners like to travel light; others leave nothing behind.<\/p>\n

When the owner of this Dethleffs Globetrotter decided to explore more of Turkey’s 300,000 square miles of historic landscape, he was determined that his<\/em> life on the road would include the comforts of home.<\/p>\n

At the time of purchase it was clear that the van’s existing electrical installation wasn\u2019t going to be up to the job. For the new owner uninterrupted energy security was particularly important and visiting a campsite simply to get an electrical hook-up wasn’t part of the plan.

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With air conditioning, a washing machine, dishwasher, satellite TV and audio entertainment – plus the everyday electronics we all have – 24-hour power with plenty of reserve capacity in the morning was essential.<\/p>\n

After calculating the expected energy consumption from all the devices the installer, Tezcan Caravan<\/a> – in collaboration with Eltesan Mobil<\/a> who helped both design and commission the system – \u00a0proposed four Lithium NG<\/a> (Next Generation) \u00a012.8V\/300Ah batteries at its heart. Together the batteries store 15.4kWh of energy …a significant energy reserve for a motorhome.<\/p>\n

Sophisticated Lithium NG batteries offer a maximum charge and discharge rate of C1 – meaning they can deliver their full rated power in an hour …and be recharged as quickly. They have an integrated shunt which offers readout of voltage and temperature at cell level allowing you to see the battery status, deep down.

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Victron NG batteries are mandatorily managed by a proprietary BMS NG – in this case the VE.Bus BMS NG<\/a> which receives data direct from the integrated shunt and manages the battery charge and recharge; and provides automatic shutdowns to avoid a crisis in extreme conditions or in the event of a failure somewhere else in the installation.<\/p>\n

A large battery bank is useful, but energy storage is only half the story – eventually that energy must be replaced.<\/p>\n

Three solar panels on the roof are connected to a SmartSolar MPPT 250\/100-Tr VE.Can<\/a> solar charge controller. Whenever there is daylight the batteries will be recharged – great or small, according to the abundance of sunshine.

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With three seaboards Turkey bridges from Southeastern Europe to Western Asia. Between Turkey’s extremities lies an extraordinary and varied landscape. Inland the Anatolian Plateau becomes increasingly rugged toward the east. The Pontic Mountains rise in the north and the Taurus Mountains in the south. Eastern Anatolia reaches still higher, culminating at 5,137 metres on Mount Ararat, while Lake Van forms the country’s largest lake. That sort of geography explains why the motorhome has been fitted with BF Goodrich all terrain tyres.

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Between destinations, whilst the engine is running, an Orion XS 12\/12-50A DC-DC<\/a> battery charger takes energy from the vehicle’s alternator to recharge the house and starter battery banks.<\/p>\n

A Fischer Panda 12000x generator has been integrated to provide an independent source of AC power when required. It has its own 12V\/60Ah AGM Super Cycle<\/a> battery, keeping its operation independent of the main domestic battery bank to provide an absolute guarantee of redundancy. The owner doesn’t even have to check whether it’s time to start the generator as that decision, too, is taken automatically by an Ekrano GX<\/a> communication centre. The Ekrano provides data communication between all devices – allowing them to speak to each other – and allows the user to monitor status, change parameter settings, analyse history and update firmware.

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The generator’s auto-start\/stop parameters have been configured using the Ekrano GX. Auto-start can be triggered when the batteries cross a state-of-charge threshold; by low voltage; or by high demand – according to the owner’s choices. Automatic generator starting adds another layer of resilience, and allows a high degree of user-customization.<\/p>\n

A Quattro 12\/5000\/220-100\/100<\/a> Inverter\/Charger provides AC power to the appliances and can also accept AC grid, or generator power via its two AC inputs – switching automatically to the live source – in order to recharge the batteries, run appliances from an external source, or even add battery inverted AC power to the external AC source to supplement grid power when running heavy loads. This unique feature provides access to power resources well beyond the expectation of the user. It saves money, too, as it obviates the need to buy, install and carry a higher output inverter for situations which only arise occasionally.<\/p>\n

How does the Quattro know when the on board current-draw exceeds that which is available from the AC power source? Well, his system includes a Digital Multi Control<\/a> panel which allows him to dial-in the maximum current which can be drawn from the caravan site infrastructure ..and also for his generator. Not so incidentally, this saves stepping out into the rain to reset the fuse which would otherwise be tripped by exceeding the local current restriction.<\/p>\n

The Quattro also has two AC outlets – hence its name – the second of which will automatically shut down when there is no external AC source. This feature allows the second outlet to be connected to any non-essential devices which consume a large amount of energy – the air conditioning, for example. In the event of grid failure or unexpected generator shutdown, protection is provided for the onboard batteries instead of draining them quickly and unnecessarily.

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The result of this sophistication provides an experience which offers more energy security than that of most grid-connected houses. There is even a Blue Smart IP22 Charger 12\/20<\/a> connected via the Quattro’s AC2 output to maintain the vehicle’s starter battery. So there won’t be any surprises whenever he goes to start the engine.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div><\/a>Even when the owner is away from the vehicle he can keep an eye on the power system at any time through the internet based Victron Remote Management (VRM)<\/a> portal. VRM is an extension of the VictronConnect<\/a> app which allows monitoring, programming and digital switching of connected devices whether you’re nearby, or the other side of the world.<\/p>\n

The system comprises:<\/p>\n