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New Ducato X-290 charging issues


Chuns

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I would quite like to fit to my (recently ordered) Ducato-based motorhome a charge controller like I have on my boat. This ‘fools’ the alternator into thinking the battery still needs charging, even though the battery voltage has risen. It means the leisure battery is more quickly topped up.

 

However I have been told that the new X-290 has a smart charging system that shuts the alternator off when the start battery reaches its voltage, so the house battery doesn’t get its charge even though it needs it. This to meet emission targets.

 

In the words of the specialist I spoke to “there could be an awful lot of Motorhomes getting pretty angry when they find their batteries are not being charged. On the other hand I have not seen one yet to see for myself whether my fears are justified.”

 

I hope that I have understood this correctly, and that I have relayed it properly.

 

Has anybody heard of this, and if so, what are the issues?

 

I can’t believe that the Motorhome market, which I understand represents a large chunk of the Ducato sales, would have been omitted from their thoughts in their introduction of the new model.

 

Regards to all.

 

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Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums.

 

There certainly are vehicles nowadays where the alternator ‘disconnects’ when charging is not required, but I’d be surprised if that were the case with an X290.

 

As there are already lots of X290-based motorhomes out there, if leisure batteries were failing to receive alternator charging, logically this should have been known about well before now.

 

I suggest you go back to the person you spoke to and ask where his/her information came from.

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Thank you Derek,

 

I feel a little concerned about appearing to challenge his wisdom, so I think I'll let it drop until I take delivery.

 

The company that makes the unit I have had on two successive boats has proposed two alternatives - one for a Fiat dealer to re-programme the ECU so the alternator doesn’t switch off so his unit (an Adverc) can do its stuff; or two, a dc-dc charger that fits between the start battery and the house battery, so the starter battery is asking for charge as long as it is trying to top up the house battery.

 

And thank you for your your welcome, I'm sure I'll have a few more issues as things go along. This a great site, is it not? Especially for newbies like me. (I go from being a fount of wisdom on the boating forums to a receiver of such pearls here!)

 

Rgds

 

Peter

 

 

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Peter,

We too have both boat and van, and on the former the Adverc is an essential bit of kit. The charging and usage regimes of the 2 pastimes can be very different though and personally I've never even considered fitting a charge controller to the van.

 

Afloat we have a much larger domestic battery bank and generally the engine runing times (on a sailing boat) are short as you'll know so an Adverc or similar is essential to get the most out of the charge available. Plus the power demands are high, what with instrumentation, radio, autohelm etc. to be run and of course that biggest battery drain of all - 24 hours of compressor fridge running.

 

The van spends much more time with the engine running, has a small leisure battery and then uses a lot less electrical power too; LED lights and a bit of TV watching does it for us.. Gas fridges are just so good too - I wish they could be safely fitted to boats.

 

As to the X2/90 smart alternator control, the camper versions of the vehicle have so many modifications specifically to match them to the motorhome conversion process that I'd be very surprised if this had not been thought of and that the function had been switched off on these versions. Certainly I've not noticed such a problem on ours, but I will look in more detail the next time we're out with it.

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There are systems where the belt-drive to the vehicle’s alternator is mechanically decoupled by a ‘free-wheeling’ pulley and others where ‘smart charging’ is employed. The following Ford-related articles describe the latter type

 

http://www.hella.com/startersalternators/assets/media/g06_ti_en_electronics_ford_smart_charge_system.pdf

 

http://www.valeoservice.com/data/master/webfile/2945759434DDE6E8714173.pdf?rnd=113

 

There’s no doubt that some Fiat vehicles have a ‘smart alternator’. It’s mentioned in this advert

 

http://www.arnoldclark.com/fiat/fiat-technologies/

 

"SMART ALTERNATOR

Powered by the car’s engine, alternators create electrical energy to recharge your car’s battery. Unlike conventional devices, Fiat’s smart alternator chooses the best time to do this, such as during braking or deceleration. It won’t recharge while you’re accelerating, which helps reduce the load on the engine and saves you fuel.”

 

It’s quite possible that the latest Ducato X290 uses this type of alternator, particularly as “...a Smart Alternator that recaptures kinetic energy to charge the battery... “ is mentioned as being part of the specification of the latest Iveco Daily that uses similar powerplants to the Ducato’s.

 

You say “...As to the X2/90 smart alternator control, the camper versions of the vehicle have so many modifications specifically to match them to the motorhome conversion process that I'd be very surprised if this had not been thought of and that the function had been switched off on these versions...”

 

Although certain X290 variants will have been produced with motorhome conversion in mind (eg. the camping-car chassis-cab version), I very much doubt that, if 'commercial’ X290 versions have a smart alternator, ‘camper’ versions will not. Besides which, what about all the X290 ‘commercial’ panel vans leaving the Italian factory that end up as motorcaravans?

 

If the X290 has smart-alternator charging, it’s likely to be embedded into the vehicle’s basic technology., so the chances are very low that it can easily be deselected. And I’m not sure that - even if the X290 has this type of battery-charging system - it will matter that much to a motorhome owner.

 

Frankly (given Fiat’s history for mismatching Ducatos to motorhome usage - underbonnet water ingress, wind noise, over-high reverse gearing) I’d be astonished if the charging system installed on ‘motorhome’ X290s differs from that of commercial X290s.

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Have an X290 but was completely unaware of the Smart Alternator technology so find this thread very interesting. If the Smart Alternator technology merely decides to provide its main charge when the vehicle is not accelerating and only on the over-run or conditions of deceleration then surely this does not alter its interface with the habitation part of the vehicle. Would it not simply apply a charge to the habitation battery but only under the same conditions as supplied to the starter battery? Fiat supply their vehicles with a 'converters connection point' if required positioned at the foot of the driver's door pillar. Examining documentation appears to suggest that this is identical in the X290 to that in the X250. This connection allows the easy interface of the habitation electrics, including battery charging, to the vehicle system so I would have thought it accommodates the use of a Smart Alternator. Whether a Smart Alternator is as good at replenishing a discharged leisure battery as a standard alternator in a given time might be an interesting question.
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I haven’t been able to find any on-line reference to the X290 having a “smart” or “intelligent” alternator (and I’ve GOOGLEd using English, German and French).

 

However, there is a mention (on a French forum) of potential problems with this type of system when charging a 2nd battery using the type of connecting arrangement (coupler/separator) that’s commonly employed on Continental-built motorhomes. But this discussion was in early 2014, well before the X290’s launch.

 

On another French forum it is suggested that Fiat has fitted an ‘intelligent’ alternator to Ducato, but this was said in 2011.

 

The initial question, really, is whether the alternator-based charging system used on X290 vehicles is any different to that used on recent X250 vehicles. If X290 has a ’smart alternator’, did, (say) 2013 and 2014 X250s also have a smart alternator? If the X290’s charging system hasn’t changed, it should be expected that leisure-battery charging won’t be any more problematical than it was with late-model X250-based motorhomes.

 

If X290s have a smart alternator that stops charging when the vehicle is accelerating, logically a leisure-battery also won’t be charged when the vehicle is accelerating. The leisure-battery would receive charge from the alternator for a shorter period than if the alternator were charging continuously, but (as Graham says) it should still receive charge when the vehicle is not accelerating. It might also be the case that, when the vehicle is slowing down, the alternator’s output is deliberately increased to ensure that the starter-battery’s charge-state is maintained.

 

The suggestion on the first French forum thread is that a smart alternator system is designed with only one battery in mind, won’t ‘recognise’ a 2nd battery and hence won’t charge it. This is what Chuns seems to have been told and, if correct, would indeed be bad news for motorcaravanners.

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I would think that the alternator monitors the amount of current that is being supplied to the 'system', in the case of a motorhome, the vehicle battery, leisure battery and fridge /freezer circuits and it would always see a need to constantly supply an output as the fridge/freezer alone draws in excess of 8 Amps.

 

When you are talking about a commercial van on its own you are usually only considering the vehicle battery and when that is 'satisfied' then I see the intelligent system taking over and disconnecting the alternator output from time to time.

 

Alan

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Silly question, no doubt, but how would the alternator be able to distinguish between the starter battery, the habitation battery, and the fridge, all of which consume 12V when the van is being driven? Do these three consumers not share a common alternator feed at some point?

 

Or are we saying that the starter battery charge state is monitored via the ECU, and it is that which controls alternator output?

 

Whether or not the charge rate is varied depending on the signal from the accellerator seems somewhat irrelevant. A lot of vans are on continual stop - start deliveries. Their batteries will need a healthy charge rate to ensure they can cope with all those starts without pergressively discharging. As far as I can see, if the average delivery driver isn't stopped, he's accellerating, so his battery wouldn't stand a chance! I would think there must be some degree of override to this system, to maintain normal charging if the charge state falls below a set level.

 

Besides, don't the vans have a standard (or optional) connection for an auxilliary battery? If so, either the charge state of both must be monitored, or the presence of the auxilliary must somehow negate the smart alternator control.

 

I would just add to the OP that it might be wisest to wait to see how his habitation battery performs in practise before intervening. The only folk who have continual problems with habitation battery charge seem generally to be those who remain off-grid for extended periods. They mostly seem to settle for solar charging as their best option, largely because this continues working while static, and they often add greater battery capacity to extend their-off grid endurance. If that pattern of use is contemplated, I'd think solar and more capacity would be likely to be more effective.

 

Squeezing a bit more charge from the alternator will only be effective while the engine is running, which is likely to quite a small proportion of the motorhome's life. Those who move around every few days, especially if using the odd hook-up where available, seem generally to find their habitation battery adequate. To me, this sounds potentially an expense with little practical benefit. However, we are all different, and we all use our vans in different ways, so I'm not "dissing" the idea, just posing the question.

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I can’t see much profit in crystal-ball gazing about a Ducato X290 Smart Alternator system if the X290 does not have that system. Nor, if the standard X290 has that system as part of its standard specification, it’s possible for motorhome manufacturers to ‘deselect' it from the specification as they can with the X290’s ‘standard' ESC system

 

As I said earlier, what gives credence (in fact, the only thing I can find that gives credence) to Chuns’s contact’s comment is that the latest Iveco Daily is said to have a smart alternator.

 

The June 2014 Iveco Daily brochure is here

 

http://issuu.com/iveco1975/docs/ivecoplus_61_jun_2014?e=5200183/9608844

 

and, in the “PROFITABILITY” section on Page 15, is the following statement:

 

“In particular, the adoption of technology like the Smart Alternator has contributed to optimising engine profitability. The Smart Alternator is an alternator which only works in specific conditions of use; it is automatically and individually regulated by means of an electromagnetic field controlled via the LIN line by the engine management electronic control unit and by the battery charge level (checked by the IBS sensor).”

 

LIN = Local Interconnect Network

IBS = Intelligent Battery Sensor

 

Page 14 of the Iveco Daily brochure may also provide a clue regarding the emission control system likely to be fitted to Euro 6 Ducatos. Looks like there’ll be an additive tank on board.

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I’ve continued trying to establish whether the battery-charging system used on X290 vehicles is different from that used on the outgoing X250.

 

During the last few years Fiat has begun fitting certain car models with what they term ‘smart’ or ‘intelligent’ alternators. A Smart Alternator offers improved fuel-consumption and, because this is important to vehicle buyers, the presence of a Smart Alternator is advertised in the promotional brochures for the Fiat cars that have this type of alternator. (Similarly with the latest Iveco Daily.)

 

There is no mention in the relevant promotional brochures that a Smart Alternator was fitted to X250 vehicles, nor is there any mention of a Smart (or Intelligent) Alternator in the Citroen/Fiat/Peugeot X290 brochures. This, of course, doesn’t prove that the same charging system is used on the X290 as on the X250, but - as a fuel-saving Smart Alternator will be a selling-point – it should be anticipated that, if a Smart Alternator had been introduced for the X290, this would have been advertised.

 

The May 2014 press release for the Ducato X290 is here:

 

http://www.fiatprofessionalpress.co.uk/press/article/5319

 

Improved fuel economy and reduced emissions are highlighted, but nothing about smart/intelligent alternators.

 

I’m going to suggest (guardedly) that an X290 has the same battery-charging philosophy as an X250. Consequently, if an Adverc unit (or a B2B unit) would be suitable for an X250-based motorhome, it ought to be suitable for an X290-based one.

 

I also have a Ducato X290-based motorhome on order, but I don’t anticipate leisure-battery charging via the vehicle’s alternator being an issue (Famous last words!) But if I were considering modifying the vehicle to boost the leisure-battery’s charge input and somebody told me this plan might be affected by the X290’s new charging system, I’d be more concerned.

 

As there seems to be no evidence that the X290 has a Smart Alternator charging system similar to the new Iveco Daily’s, I’m not sure how one would identify such a system on an X290 even if the system were present. (Besides nothing being said in X290 brochures about a Smart Alternator, there’s also nothing about a Smart Alternator in the X290 Owner Handbook.)

 

As I said at the beginning, it would be worth knowing how the Adverc specialist has become aware that the X290 has a revised charging system. Without details of the source of knowledge it’s very difficult to estimate its credibility.

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Firstly, thanks to all who have given me the benefit of their thoughts, and insights. All very helpful to a newbie, who is bound to be talking out of his ****!

 

As my original question seems to have initiated a broad debate with many uncertainties, I shall call the specialist back (not Adverc, they provided the proposed solutions) and see if I can tease anything out of him. He will probably emphasise his earlier comment that he had yet to have a X-290 pass through his workshop.

 

I may try a Fiat commercial dealership, and see what they have to say.

 

regards to all,

 

Peter

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Hello folks,

 

I have looked on the Fiat parts system and checked this. Engine for engine, spec for spec there are no differences between alternators used on 2011 or 2014 Ducato's. We can therefore conclude that even if this might be a problem if it were fitted; it is not.

 

Hope that puts it to rest.

 

Nick

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Let's hope so, Nick, though I thought the villain in the piece might have been the ECU, not the alternator. Assuming they are separate bits.

 

Had a small (actually big) domestic crisis today, so have not followed it up as promised.

 

Hope to tomorrow.

 

Regards

 

Peter

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Surely, an alternator is an alternator, essentially a few magnets moving around close to a few more magnets and producing an electric current. You can make it bigger or smaller, you can make it of cheaper or more expensive materials, but it's just magnets whizzing around. You can connect the electrical output to an electrical or mechanical control unit and influence the manner in which the output is used, but it's still only an alternator. The engineers will always looking for ways to make them cheaper or more efficient, and the Ad men will always be looking for ways to describe these developments in such a way as to fool you into thinking that these developments are either worth more or work better than their competitors. At this time the buzz word is Smart. We have Smart Phones, Smart electrical appliances, we have Smart drugs, and even Smart food, the only thing we don't have is Smart Consumers. A smart alternator is presumably an ordinary alternator connected to an electronic controller within the computerised management system, a piece of software, it probably ain't magic. Try not to get taken in by advertising blurb.

AGD

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Archiesgrandad - 2015-01-12 11:20 PM

 

Surely, an alternator is an alternator...

 

AGD

 

The following links are to Quinton Hazell technical bulletins relating to Ford’s “Smart Charging” system

 

http://tinyurl.com/n2sk8vm

 

http://tinyurl.com/lyewwke

 

The basic questions are

 

a) Has the latest Ducato X290 a ‘smart charging’ system different from the system used on the Ducato X250?

 

b) If the Ducato X290 had such a system, would it impact adversely on leisure-battery charging?

 

A GOOGLE-search on “Iveco smart alternator” or “Iveco smart charging” will retrieve references to the system fitted to the 2014 Iveco Daily. Substituting “Fiat” for “Iveco” will retrieve references to a few Fiat car models, but no reference to Ducato.

 

Nick Fisher has said that the technical specification of a 2014 Ducato X290 is no different from that of a 2011 Ducato X250.

 

There’s no apparent evidence, then, that the charging system on an X290 differs from that used on its X250 predecessor and, as far as I’m aware, no owners of X250-based motorhomes have been complaining that their vehicle’s alternator has not been charging the leisure-battery.

 

As will be seen from the following 2009 link, there’s nothing partcularly novel about ‘smart charging'

 

http://www.aftermarketonline.net/ewcommon/tools/download.ashx?docId=23715

 

though the implication seems to be that the leisure-battery of a motorhome having that type of system might not be charged as fully compared to a motorhome with a ‘standard’ system.

 

Until Peter can obtain more information from his specialist contact, guesswork won’t help matters. (For instance, I could guess that Peter’s contact has simply confused the 2014 Ducato with the 2014 Daily - but so what?)

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Well, it seems my man knows no more than any of us, in that he is unable to be specific about the impact of any changes in specification until he actually has one "in his hands". His stance (wisely, in view of my next sentence) is to wait till he has such a vehicle, and then to plug a load of test equipment into it and drive it around, recording voltages.

 

He did add that he spoke to the FiatDucato agent who was unable to answer the question.

 

When he has specific information, he puts it on his website - http://www.pbautoelectrics.co.uk/

 

He invited me to bring my MH to him for the testing, but as I don't take delivery until July it won't happen till then. I guess if anybody has a X-290 and wants to investigate, we'd all welcome any news!

 

Regards

 

Peter

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To answer a few of the comments above.....

 

If the alternator is going to be isolated from the engine so that it causes less drag on the engine when not required it is going to have a clutch of some kind. Think in terms of an air conditioning compressor and you won't go far wrong. They are free-wheeling when not required and an electromagnetic clutch pulls the pulley drive in to engage it when it is required thus only loading the engine when further cooling is demanded. They cut in and out autonomously all the time.

 

There is no such device fitted to the X290 and therefore the smart charging function is not available. Whatever software is fitted to the ECU, it won't be able to alter a standard alternator's behavior if it is a standard one.

 

This does prove however, that not all alternators are the same....

 

Perhaps Chuns could change the title of this thread to 'charging query' rather than 'charging issues' as the latter implies there is some sort of problem. There is not.

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Thanks for that explanation - most helpful.

 

Changed the heading, though I don't think I can do the previous ones.

 

Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain a little more to help my understanding. I had assumed an alternator was only "working" when various coils were energised in order to coax it into generating electricity. Without that current, the alternator was just a whirling mass of metal and wires. So if the computer switched these coils off there would be no magnetic fields, no electricity is generated, no power taken from the engine, and the ice caps advance a metre.

 

Forgive my simplistic approach - I had forgotten what little I learned 50 years ago, and that I do remember is probably mixed up. But if it has a grain of sense, that would be how an alternator could effectively be electronically "uncoupled" from the engine rather than mechanically with a clutch.

 

Regards

 

Peter

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‘Clutched’ vehicle alternator pulleys aren’t that rare.

 

http://fordtransit.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=103449

 

http://www.decouplerpulley.com/basics.cfm

 

They are not designed to improve fuel efficiency, and the concept seems to be at odds with the description of ‘Smart Charging’ systems that switch off alternator charging when the vehicle is accelerating and switch on alternator charging when the accelerator-pedal is released.

 

The link I provided earlier

 

http://www.aftermarketonline.net/ewcommon/tools/download.ashx?docId=23715

 

has a graphical example of how a 4-stage ‘Smart Charging’ system functions.

 

1: The alternator charges at 14.8V until the battery is fully charged.

 

2: When the battery is fully charged the alternator charges at 12.5V to meet electrical loads.

 

3: During ‘overrun phases’ (ie. when the vehicle is braking or the accelerator-pedal has been fully released) the alternator charges at 14.8V.

 

4: When the vehicle is accelerating the alternator switches off.

 

This is the type of system Iveco adverts say is fitted to the 2014 Daily. Control of the Daily’s alternator-output is managed electronically.

 

I don’t think any of this is relevant to SEVEL X250s or X290s, as there’s no indication these vehicles have a ‘clutched’ alternator pulley and no indication that they have a ‘smart charging’ system of the type fitted to Daily.

 

It might be interesting to know what - if anything - motorhome converters that build on an Iveco Daily base (Carthago, N+B, etc.) might be doing, but that’s another matter.

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Chuns - 2015-01-13 10:35 PM

 

Thanks for that explanation - most helpful.

 

Changed the heading, though I don't think I can do the previous ones.

 

Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain a little more to help my understanding. I had assumed an alternator was only "working" when various coils were energised in order to coax it into generating electricity. Without that current, the alternator was just a whirling mass of metal and wires. So if the computer switched these coils off there would be no magnetic fields, no electricity is generated, no power taken from the engine, and the ice caps advance a metre.

 

Forgive my simplistic approach - I had forgotten what little I learned 50 years ago, and that I do remember is probably mixed up. But if it has a grain of sense, that would be how an alternator could effectively be electronically "uncoupled" from the engine rather than mechanically with a clutch.

 

Regards

 

Peter

My understanding of alternators coincides with yours. The only twist is that, as I understand it, the output can be regulated by varying the current fed to the (usually) fixed coils, and it seems this is what the "smart" technology is doing. The battery sensor monitors starter battery state, and triggers the control module to feed a higher or lower current to the fixed coils, so that the alternator output is varied (stepped?) to suit demand. Other sensors monitor auxilliary items such as wipers, lights, heater fan, cooling fan, and accelerator demand, allowing the control module to prioritise alternator output to minimise fuel consumption while maintaining operation of essential equipment. It seems that, unless the battery state is critical, it has the lowest priority, with acceleration taking highest. So far, so good - ish! :-)

 

How this system interacts with the added requirements of charging leisure batteries and running a fridge is the unknown. I'm not aware of any battery sensor on the leisure battery of our 2013 Ducato based van. It may be that the battery charger/power pack, through which the 12V charging feed passes, contains some circuits to "fool" the alternator control module into maintaining a high output, that is then modulated by the charger while keeping the fridge feed on max all the time, it may be that use of the converter's socket merely adds the fridge plus leisure battery charging activities into the control module's range of activities, or it may be that the "smart" functions are merely negated leaving the alternator to run permanently in non-smart mode.

 

Academically, it would be interesting to know but, assuming our van has the smart control facility, the leisure battery receives satisfactory charge from the alternator, and the fridge gets its 12V supply without problem. Since the SEVEL chassis underpin about 80% of all motorhomes, it would be surprising (but not inconcievable!) if the need to charge leisure batteries and run fridges on X-290 chassis supplied for conversion had been overlooked. I therefore suspect you will find that the converter's needs will have been catered for in your van, one way or another, when you get it.

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Hello,

 

I saw a demonstration of a clutch operated alternator a few years ago. I liked the idea but the evidence seems to suggest that it can be done electronically. In that case the voltage regulator would have to be a bit smarter than the standard fitment and since this is part of the alternator, and for the Fiat's at least the part numbers have not been changed from X250 to X290 I stand by my statement.; There is no 'smart charging' on the newest Ducato. Not even as an option.

 

 

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Brian Kirby - 2015-01-14 11:05 AM

 

...assuming our van has the smart control facility...

 

There is absolutely no evidence that SEVEL X250s have a ’smart charging’ system that causes the vehicle’s alternator to cease charging based on the vehicle’s accelerating/decelerating behaviour. It should be expected that an X250’s alternator output will vary according to the charge-state of the battery being charged and/or on the electrical demand of things like lights and wipers - but that can be considered normal.

 

There is no evidence that an X290’s alternator-charging system differs from an X250’s - in fact (other than Peter’s specialist’s throw-away comment) everything points to the systems being the same.

 

Unless the alternator’s output switches to zero (or a very low voltage) based on the vehicle’s behaviour (eg. when the vehicle is being accelerated hard) powering a fridge via 12V should be unaffected.

 

There’s also the question of charging ‘priority’. Even if a ‘smart charging’ system has the ability to switch off an alternator when the vehicle is being accelerated hard, will this occur only when the battery is considered by the system to be fully charged? This would be logical (the ability to start a vehicle’s motor must come before potential fuel-saving) and is what happens in the 4-stage example I mentioned above.

 

If a vehicle has two batteries connected in parallel (as happens when a coupler/separator is used with a motorhome's starter-battery/leisure-battery arrangement) it should be expected that the system would treat that arrangement charging-wise in the same way as if the vehicle had parallel-connected twin starter-batteries and, if those batteries were not fully charged, the alternator’s output would not switch off.

 

OAP and OAD ‘clutched’ alternator pulleys won’t improve fuel consumption - that’s not their raison d’etre. As Nick says, it should be practicable to decouple an alternator mechanically from its drive system to save fuel, but electronic ‘smart charging’ currently seems to be the preferred method of achieving the same objective.

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  • 1 year later...

I’ve resurrected this thread as a result of a letter in the October 2016 issue of the French motorhome magazine “Le Monde du Camping-Car”.

 

The letter relates specifically to the charging of leisure-batteries on a Hymer MLI-580 motorhome based on a Euro 6 Mercedes Sprinter. The writer says that the vehicle has a ‘smart’ alternator that stops charging when the starter-battery is fully charged and, as a consequence, the charging of the motorhome’s leisure-battery is restricted while the vehicle is being driven.

 

Hymer France’s response to this observation was that it was ’utopian’ to expect a leisure-battery to be 100% recharged while a motorhome was being driven and this could realistically only be achieved by being on a 230V hook-up for 48 hours. Alternatively, the motorhome owner could consider always driving with dipped headlamps to force the alternator to keep charging!

 

The writer mentions that (for 2017 Euro 6-based models) the French motorhome manufacturer Pilote will be fitting some sort of ‘black box’ to address this potential charging limitation, but the editorial comment was unable to provide more details.

 

Anyway, there’s no doubt that ’smart’ alternators are likely to become standardised on the Euro 6 light commercial vehicles on which most motorhomes are based with leisure-battery charging implications.

 

(Incidentally, another French motorhome magazine states that Fiat has announced that it will follow the lead of Citroen/Peugeot, Ford and Mercedes and - from the end of 2017 - ALL Ducatos will use AdBlue to meet the Euro 6.c emissions standard that comes into force then.)

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