I’ve also made the leap to electric van.
I seem to think you talked about a scr in the van but that the wiring was complicated so you left it.
Does that mean it is doable then?
What was making it so complicated?
Thanks in advance
My problem was that I understand how split charge relays work in an ancient van. Alternator voltage goes above a particular level and the £12 relay pushes current to the leisure battery.
I also know how it works in a more modern van. Alternator pumps out some voltage at some point and a £200 Victron box does some kind of shenanigans that charge the leisure battery, possibly using magic.
A van with no alternator is completely new to me. I couldn't see any way a split charge relay could do the job. The idea of trying to sort out stepping down 450v to 12v in a way that I could cope with is beyond me. The idea of tapping into 450v dc to actually do it horrified me. I traipsed round forum after forum looking for expertise in case a Victron might help and gave up as nobody seems to know.
We'd had very good results with the Sterling Li-ion (LFP) batteries so it seemed a far simpler solution. I work with my son in a 2 man van, four days a week and it only loses half its charge (which doesn't damage Li-ion). The only embuggerance is having to bench charge it once a week but it's not a toughie.
As an alternative, I believe Soupy just ran off the 12v van battery without problems. It's in there to handle all the non-motive electricity requirements (lights, wipers, etc). He had no problems, as far as I know but the thing that stopped me was just a mild uncertainty about whether the van battery could handle two of us with an electric reel.
Hope that explains.
Vin