You could almost think that we haven’t done much around GrandCali.com in the last few weeks and months. However, we have been so busy with some projects – for example, there was a small Grand California meeting to organize, or a Battery Maintainer, or a Plug and Play Powerstation integration.
So it’s all the better that we can now present one of these projects to you.
Plug and Play Powerstation Integration
Electricity is the all-encompassing topic at Grand California. I don’t think we need to reopen the tiresome subject of the original AGM battery. Whether Volkswagen will ever change this in the Grand California is highly doubtful.
Almost every Cali owner is confronted with the power problem sooner or later. Most of them simply reach for a lithium battery and replace it 1 for 1 with the original AGM. We have also discussed the pros and cons of this many times in the past.
Then there is the solution offered by Car Electric from Reinbek – even after more than 3 years the only supplier on the market whose lithium conversion at Grand California has a UBB from Volkswagen and therefore has no influence on the factory warranty.
If you don’t want to carry out a one-to-one replacement of the AGM with lithium or are willing or able to put at least 5000 euros on the table for a car electric conversion, sooner or later you will end up with a power station. There are numerous suppliers on the market, with Jackery and Ecoflow certainly being among the best known.
If you now have a power station, which usually costs around 1000 euros, it is usually located in the rear garage of the Cali and is taken out when needed – whether to charge the body battery with a shore power cable or to operate the coffee machine for breakfast.
The fact that the power station is never really integrated into the vehicle is relatively inconvenient and annoying. If you need it at the front for the coffee machine, it somehow gets in the way or an extension cable runs from the rear to the front.
This changes with our Plug and Play integration
We have tackled this problem in recent months and developed a plug and play integration for your Powerstation. This allows you to operate the 230 volt sockets in your Grand California via the Powerstation without having to bring it to the front or handle an extension cable.
Once connected to our module, the power station simply supplies your Grand California with power via the AC output. To do this, our mains priority circuit is plugged between the original 230 V fuse box – this works in just a few minutes without any technical know-how.
A Torx and a few cable ties are all you need for installation. And the best thing about the integration: it can be completely dismantled at any time and is therefore ideal for leased vehicles, among other things.
Once the module is connected to the Cali, the cables are laid to the location of your power station. We used the space below the outdoor shower as a guide, as this is where most people have positioned their Ecoflow, Jackery and the like.
Finally, connect the Powerstation to our module via the integrated IEC plug – and the power supply is ready. The best thing about it: If you connect your Cali to the shore power, the Powerstation is automatically charged via this and the power supply switches internally so that the sockets work normally again via the shore power. If you unplug the shore power again, the Powerstation immediately takes over the power supply to the 230 volt consumers. Great, isn’t it? 🥳
A small status display on our module gives you information about which mode is currently active. If the status lights up green, the module is in self-sufficient mode and the power station is supplying the vehicle. If the status switches to red, the shore power is being used.
You can now pre-order our module exclusively in our online store at the introductory price of 449 euros. Delivery will take about 4 weeks after receipt of your order.
2 comments
Hi
When the 240v circuit is powered from the power station will this include the starter battery charger?
Hi Lee,
no it won’t effect the the agm leisure or starter battery.
If you want to charge the starter battery using solar for example you could use our battery maintainer.
Best regards