 | Home > P400e Area (L663) > Solar charging |
 
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| o-ren-ishii Member Since: 25 Jul 2023 Location: The Hague Posts: 12  
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Hi all,
I have the P400e and currently using a seperate battery/converter solution (bluetti) with solarpanels. Settings them up every day (overlanding) becomes a PITA, so I'm looking for a more permanent solution. The roofrack has no space left (cargo+tent) so pretty much the only option I think is left is to hookup a solarpanel to the bonnet. Like this:  Click image to enlarge https://www.lensunsolar.com/Products/Hood-...uct_id=552 But.. how to combine this with the hybrid system? Would it be possible to just hook it up to the battery clamps under the hood? Or is this asking for trouble? So far in the maintenance manual I could find out nothing about the electronic system. If found one very small 12v battery under the loadfloor, next to the huge Highvoltage battery. But other than that ... nothing. Any of you guys/girls got experience with solar charging and the hybrid P400e system? |
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27th Jul 2024 5:21pm |
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| Cheshire110 Member Since: 26 Jul 2013 Location: Cheshire/London Posts: 2743 
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Are you trying to charge the PHEV high voltage batteries to gain extra range? Or just the 12v battery to power auxiliaries?
Not sure the former would be possible without going through some sort of intermediate step - you could in theory get a solar panel that can charge a battery pack and then run a plug into the car but even a huge solar array would only give you maybe ~0.3kW at best so hardly worth it…. FYI I believe that the high voltage batteries charge the 12v batteries so as long as you have some range left you shouldn’t really have to worry about flattening your 12v battery A bonnet / standalone solar panel would in theory save you from (very) slowly draining your HV batteries if running a fridge or something though; the Cascadia bonnet ones do indeed seem neat and come with a charger/controller that you can wire up to the terminals under the bonnet. That’s what I’m going to do with my V8 for overlanding Cheers, David Land Rovers of all shapes S3 onwards… Daily is a 110 V8. |
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28th Jul 2024 8:16am |
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| Moo Member Since: 01 Oct 2021 Location: UK Posts: 1303 
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I have the solar panel kit from Lensun and hope to fit it today.
The plan is wire it into the main under bonnet terminals. This will initially keep the starter battery topped up when camping, but I will be fitting a second battery either under the bonnet or in the tray under the boot floor, but I think this is where your hybrid battery is. Saltek do a kit for a compressor bracket for the engine bay, which I bought with the aim of adapting for a battery. Eiger Grey MY23 D250 SE with bits. Known as Noddy. |
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28th Jul 2024 9:35am |
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| cyberhusky Member Since: 09 Feb 2021 Location: Luxembourg Posts: 274 
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I want to setup the bonnet solar panel on my Defender too, to charge the 12V batterie of the car plus a second one either LiFePO3 or AGM in th engine bay. Will be a Xmas project.
On my trip to France/Italian alps this summer my car battery was low after just 2 days of camping. Opening any door several times a day just starts all the electric gimmicks in the Defender, just to power down after 10 minutes. (Powerful Uk has a great video showing this) The sucks the batterie a lot. I could start the engine but it showed 12,8 V. My fridge is connected to a Bluetti which either gets its charge via the 12V cigarette charger when driving, when not driving either from 220V from the camping site or external solar panel. I want to use the second battery for al the extra lamps and fridge. https://shop.expedition-parts.de/en/detail...Optima-YEL Expedition parts in Germany do sell a second battery, the bonnet solar panel and a metal plate to fix the other battery in the engine bay. 22MY Defender 110 (actual) | 10MY Freelander 2 (history) | 15MY Discovery Sport HSE (history) |
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15th Oct 2024 5:46pm |
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| o-ren-ishii Member Since: 25 Jul 2023 Location: The Hague Posts: 12
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You have the P400e (hybrid) also?
I had some battery charging issues non related to here, but I think/suspect I would also work on the hybrid models as I could charge the starting battery just fine with jumpercables connected under the bonnet. When I'm back from my travels I will order a set as well. |
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15th Oct 2024 6:05pm |
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| cyberhusky Member Since: 09 Feb 2021 Location: Luxembourg Posts: 274
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No I do have the 200HP 3 Liter Diesel engine.
After 3 years I made 108000 km. I like driving it. I had no issues with the motor so far. (except for one valve stuck, which was replaced). The electricity issue was just this summer in France after we opened the tail and side doors many times that day. The Defender displayed voltage low. But it did start. I think that's all the new cars today, a lot of electronics which starts up as soon as a door is opened. They should have an option to switch all that off if not needed. Unfortunately the alarm will also not be available then. This too annoys me a lot. I often forget that the car has an alarm. My wife or me do open one door and the alarm goes one. Especially at night and everybody is awake! 22MY Defender 110 (actual) | 10MY Freelander 2 (history) | 15MY Discovery Sport HSE (history) |
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15th Oct 2024 9:22pm |
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