The iTech120 is the perfect auxiliary battery

The RV industry is evolving and increasingly embracing new technologies to make RVing safer, more tech-savvy and enjoyable. Innovation is the key, as existing players re-engineer the way they have always operated to adapt to changes in the market, and new companies spring up to close the gaps as consumers demand more sophistication in their RV experience.

Undoubtedly, technology is the mainstay of innovation in the industry. The digitisation of so many products, the adoption of solar and the development of more rugged suspension systems have changed the way RV owners travel, how they use their RVs and where they can take them.

Power supply and regulation has become a hotly competitive market, and also the centre of much of the innovation the RV industry is now experiencing. Solar panels, once the stuff of Star Trek films, are now de rigeur on motorhomes and caravans, enabling longer off-grid adventures and cheap power supplies for the multitude of must have appliances and accessories travellers now take on the road. 

Sophisticated battery types and battery management systems dominate the spec sheets of new RV models, while the safety element of power supply can no longer be dismissed with a wave of the hand and a casual ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it’ attitude.

The perspectives of consumers, dealers and manufacturers are slowly changing and with that comes a new guard of companies ready to supply products consumers don’t even know they need yet.

Ian Ferguson of iTechWorld with the iTech1000P

So how well is the Australian RV sector performing in this vein? The Wanderer writer and experienced RV reviewer Malcolm Street says the RV industry gets a mixed scorecard when it comes to innovation. On the downside, vans are getting heavier and there has been a noted reluctance to move away from traditional construction methods towards composite body structures. But on the upside, we are doing pretty well in the power stakes.

“In the 12V battery, charger, lighting solar panel and inverter sector, the Australian RV market has taken it all on and in some ways, done better than the domestic/industrial market,” he says. “It’s a big win for the RV traveller.”

So just what are some of the biggest developments over the last five to 10 years, and what do industry leaders see as the products and trends of the future?

Here we chat with representatives from two companies making serious inroads, and gaining both attention and consumer trust with their innovative ideas.

AMPFIBIAN

The simplest idea can sometimes spawn an innovative business. David Betterridge was working for an electrical wholesaler when the genesis of his company, Ampfibian, was formed. A refrigeration mechanic by trade, he stumbled across a literal gap in the RV market — an adaptor which allows an RV’s 15A circuitry to be connected safely to a 10A power source (usually in the home). The 15A power inlet does not fit into domestic 10A powerpoints, so people had been illegally modifying leads as a work-around, with inherent risks of fire and voided insurance.

“We would get people coming in asking for a product that didn’t exist,” he says. “It started with one product hand-built and over the years turned into multiple products produced in the factory.”

Betterridge created an adaptor using off-the-shelf parts and  literally sold it retailer to retailer, finding a niche demand for it. A year later, industrial designer Oliver Kratzer came on board and, fast forward a few years, the team now have a dedicated factory in Ballina, NSW and a suite of products including adaptors and power surge protectors.

The trend in the RV industry toward more bells and whistles is having a big effect on the power market, and Kratzer says this will become increasingly pertinent over the next 10 years.

It all started with the iTECH120 120Ah 12V battery

“RVs went from very simple things that had a refrigerator and a toaster on the side, and now they have large fridges, microwaves, satellite TV dishes and flat screen TVs — you name it,” he says. “So the power draw, the power that the caravan uses, is going up and up and up. So our products, especially the adaptors, are becoming more  and more relevant to people.”

Kratzer says despite some resistance from older travellers, the company is seeing a shift in attitudes from RV travellers, dealers and manufacturers about electrical safety, in particular modified power leads (or as he puts it: ‘death leads’).

“We have done some research and some older RVers couldn’t care less,” he says. “They say, ‘I’ve been fine for 30 years and nothing has ever happened to me.’ But the people who are entering now are much more safety conscious and want to do the right thing. They have two kids and want to holiday domestically and do it safely.

“We also find when people upgrade their RVs they have been doing it wrong for 30 years, then they get a new one and come and buy an adaptor and sheepishly say they were modifying leads but this is a big investment and now they just want to do the right thing.”

Keep the tunes going and the beers cold while you’re away

He says CMCA members have been some of those most eager to embrace new ways to protect their prides and joy.

“The Wanderer was one of the first magazines we advertised in many many years ago and because CMCA is a club and people know what they are doing, they were some of the earliest adopters,” he says.

The company’s surge protectors were a natural progression in the product chain from the adaptors, especially with the potential damage to appliances and the RV’s electrics as a whole from surges often caused when generators run out of fuel. Kratzer and Betterridge developed theirs in conjunction with a local electrical engineer after being inspired by products in the US.

But, despite some very positive reactions, they have been slower to take off. Kratzer says this is not concerning for the company — they want to position themselves ahead of the curve.

“There is a group of people out there who have experienced these issues and are saying, ‘Oh thank god. Finally,’” he says. “But the majority of people don’t think they need it and that it would never happen to them. But as RV electrics get more expensive and more complex, they will need protection more and more.

“We are thinking long term here. We are very serious about educating people. We are a non-traditional manufacturer and what we are doing saves people’s lives, and saves people money.”

In future, standards for electrical work will also need to keep up with the change in the industry, Betterridge says, especially if the trends over the last few years continue on the same trajectory.

“In the RV manufacturing sector, it is quite concerning how loose the regulations are,” he says. “There have been some discussions about implementing across-the-board standard requirements, especially with the influx of imported RVs coming in to the country, to make sure they are actually up to some sort of specification that can be controlled or investigated or tested to. And that will have to happen over the next five years or so.”

Ferguson with some of iTechWorld’s current products

ITECHWORLD

According to Ian Ferguson from Perth-based power product manufacturer iTechWorld, the future of power supply is already here — and its name is lithium.

The hot new buzzword of the RV industry, lithium technology has allowed the creation of batteries that are lighter, more powerful and have bulked-up stamina.

“Traditional lead acid batteries weigh 33kg each and can cycle between 400 and 500 times and you  can only use 50 percent of its power,” Ferguson says. “Whereas a lithium battery weighs only 13kg, you can cycle it over 2000 times and you can use 80 percent of its capacity.”

Ferguson says grey nomads are the mainstay of the business, and are leading the charge in demanding lighter products as weight issues plague the industry.

“There have been a lot of strict rules brought in about the weight of RVs, and many caravans have been stopped on the side of the road and been found to be too heavy, so people have had to remove items,” he says.

“The grey nomad market are aware of this and they are trying to lose weight in their RV as much as possible. So if they can remove two 33kg batteries and replace them with two 13kg batteries and save 40kg, that’s at the forefront of their minds.”

More portable solar solutions are predicted to be the next big tech thing

Interestingly, this desire for lighter weight coincides with a desire to fatten RVs up with creature comforts. Lithium, with its slimline profile, allows this trade-off to happen more easily.

“We make sure our lithium battery has a high discharge current,” says Ferguson. “So the reason that’s beneficial is if someone wants to install lithium batteries and use an inverter, then they can use goods from their home.

“The biggest one is coffee machines. We talk to a lot of people who really want to take their coffee machines on the road with them. So with an iTech 120 lithium battery and an inverter that we do as well, you can run it directly from the battery.”

The initial issue with lithium, as with any emerging technology, was the cost. In developing its own range of lithium products, spearheaded by the flagship iTECH120 120Ah 12V battery, Ferguson said the family-owned business had to find a way to make it affordable, among several other hurdles.

“It really started to take off about three years ago,” he explains. “We became aware of lithium batteries when we were looking but the price of them and the cost of installing them wasn’t quite right. We were  quite aggressive with our pricing so normally they would be retailing for about $4K and we sell ours for $849.

“We addressed the objections of lithium — the cost, installation, and compatibility with other chargers.”

Now that the tough part of the developmental process is over, Ferguson says the company has developed several other lithium products, and will continue to release more in the future. Most of these have been designed in response to customer feedback, and address not just issues of weight, but portability, which he says is another key shift in the market.

The company developed its nifty iTECH2000A Portable Jump Starter Backup Wireless Power Bank, which weighs just 700g.

The iTECH2000A can also wirelessly charge mobiles

“It can jump start any petrol car and diesels up to 8L,” he says. “Compared to previous jump starters, which would weigh 20kg because of a heavy battery, you just keep this in your glovebox. You can use it to charge a mobile phone and it has a torch built into it too, so it is an all-in-one multifunctional device.”

As for other future trends, Ferguson predicts the issue of lighter weights will pervade other aspects of the power market such as solar panels. In fact, it has already begun to do so. RV owners who have had solar panels installed on their roof to keep their batteries topped up are swinging towards portable solar blankets which are not only lightweight, they can be more flexible with their usage.

“We have 140W up to 280W folding panels,” he says. “You can put them on your windscreen, around camp or on the roof and then you fold them back up and put them away and they only weigh 4–8kg.

“You get a 5m lead which means you can park in the shade and put the solar panel out and you get the full benefit of your solar system.”

Category: Technology
Written: Sat 01 Feb 2020
Printed: February, 2020
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