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Power in Your Motorhome: Shore Power, Solar & Battery Made Simple
Lights, fridge, water pump, charging your phone – it all needs power. How the electrical supply in a motorhome works can be confusing at first. Here are the basics, without the jargon.
Two electrical systems in your motorhome
- 12 volt (on-board system): powers the lights, pump, fridge and more from the leisure battery – independent of any mains socket.
- 230 volt (shore power): "mains power" through the cable at your pitch – for sockets, air conditioning and the coffee machine.
Shore power
Campsites and many pitches have power posts. Plug in with your CEE cable and you get 230 V just like at home, while the leisure battery charges on the side. Keep an eye on the fuse rating (often 6–16 A) – running too many high-draw appliances at once will trip the breaker.
Staying off-grid: battery & solar
Without shore power you live off the leisure battery. How long it lasts depends on its capacity and your consumption. Solar panels on the roof top it up during the day – in summer often enough to stay off-grid indefinitely. If you free-camp a lot, combine a large battery (lithium if possible) with solar.
Saving power on the road
- Use LED lighting (it barely draws anything).
- Run the fridge on gas or sparingly.
- Only use high-draw 230 V appliances (hairdryer, toaster) on shore power.
- Keep an eye on the battery charge level.
With solar and a decent battery you'll be remarkably independent – ideal for free-camping (see Free-camping in Germany). Find your pitches with or without power in Muvano – just filter for "power".