If you’ve walked through newer RVs lately, you’ve probably noticed something: big lithium battery banks, giant inverters, factory solar, residential refrigerators, and touchscreen energy monitors. Some rigs can even run an air conditioner off batteries for short periods.
And behind the scenes, the RV industry is trying to keep the safety rules caught up.
Safety rules are trying to catch up
Last week in Elkhart, Indiana, RV manufacturers and engineers gathered for a seminar on updated RV construction and electrical standards. The event covered changes to RV electrical system standards, updates to the National Electrical Code, and revisions to the main safety standards used throughout the RV industry.
That may sound like inside baseball. But it matters more than many RVers realize.
Twenty years ago, most RV electrical systems were pretty simple. A converter. A battery. A few 12-volt lights. Maybe a small inverter if somebody added one later.
Today, some RVs carry enough battery power to rival a small off-grid cabin.
Electrical systems have become far more complicated
“Some newer RVs carry enough battery power to rival a small off-grid cabin.”
As RVs add larger lithium battery banks, stronger inverters, solar systems, and higher-powered appliances, manufacturers have to think differently about wiring, battery protection, ventilation, and heat management.
That’s one reason the industry keeps updating these standards.
And, frankly, RVers have already started noticing the growing pains.
Spend enough time in owner forums and you’ll eventually see stories about overheated wiring, battery problems, tripping breakers, failing converters, or electrical systems that simply don’t behave the way owners expected. Most rigs work fine. But the systems behind the walls are far more complex than they used to be.
The RV Industry Association said the seminar included significant updates involving RV DC electrical systems. Additional materials and follow-up webinars are expected later.
What this means for RV shoppers
If you’re shopping for a newer RV, especially one with factory lithium batteries or large inverter systems, it may be worth paying a little more attention to the electrical equipment hiding behind basement panels and under beds.
Questions worth asking include:
- Does the RV include proper battery management protection?
- Is the inverter sized correctly for the appliances installed?
- How well is the wiring supported and protected?
- Was the solar system designed at the factory or added later?
Most shoppers naturally focus on floorplans, décor, and storage space. But the safest RV features today may be the ones you never see at all.
MORE ON RV ELECTRICITY
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- An easy multimeter master class: Save hundreds of dollars in RV repairs
- How to test for a dangerous RV hot-skin condition before its too late
RVT1263b
The more you have the more to break down. In my business days we had a motto (kiss) It worked well for us.
Thank you for the news, Russ and Tina. As a side note, while doing research to inform our search for RV #3, we learned that the company producing Lithionics, one of the most expensive of lithium iron batteries, is owned by Winnebago. Suddenly, rather than thinking (probably exactly as Winnebago hoped I’d think) that Lithionics is possibly the best Lithium iron battery, I now understand that there is far less reason to think so. Have a great day and safe travels!
We just took delivery on a new trailer. It came with 1000 watts of solar standard and I could get 1200 Ah of lithium battery. I need the larger battery system to run medical equipment. Yes its complicated and I hope I never have to work on it or have someone else work on it. But with it I’m able to continue camping, hopefully for many years to come.
Given the stellar reputation of the RV’s made in Elkhart, IN it’s easy to foresee many more angry customers wondering why their new purchase has spent most of it’s warranty time at the dealership waiting for a part to make the kitchen light work. In other words the manufacturers should raise their standards before adding more features they hope people will want.
Just purchased a 2021. That’s as new as we’re ever getting. They’re ruining this industry just like they’ve ruined the auto industry.
Just like motor vehicles it will not longer be the deteriorated chassis/body/shell of the RV that puts that RV in the junkyard it will be the ELECTRONICS!
ALL electronics become outdated quickly in today’s world and that means NO SUPPORT and therefore NO PARTS for repair.
Advanced ELECTRONICS = Throwaway item!
Personally, I think the whole solar/batteries thing is getting out of hand. I guess it depends on how you camp, but don’t need any of it if you do mostly full hookups. I guess the switch to 12 volt refrigerators is pushing this and I’ll keep our 2019 camper with propane fridge thank you. We can go for days on end if we needed to with our 2,000 watt Honda generator that runs on tri-fuel and a soft start installed on the A/C.
Compare a cell phone to a simple rotary dial phone. The rotary dial phone was durable, cheap and easy to repair yet it’s as obsolete as an 8-track tape.
The cell phone is so complicated, you practically need a degree in electrical engineering just to identify its circuitry yet everyone owns one. Speaking of complicated, it also plays your music collection with no moving parts, takes better pictures than your 35mm, is far more detailed than your best road Atlas and it can carry all your owner manuals with a far better search.
TLDR: Technology is only headwind to those who lack the courage to learn.
Its not courage they lack, its patience.
My first thought on advanced technology isnt “How did i ever live without it” its ” How long till ive mastered all my new tech. How much downtime when (not if) this thing breaks. Technology is an improvement when it works (your thinking)
Its far worse than simplicity when it breaks.
My thinking.
I respect that but let me offer you a paradigm shift.
You can’t fix your microwave, TV or phone but you bravely own one. Most folks can’t rebuild an automatic transmission but they still own one. You own many, many things you can’t fix so why look at an RV any different?
That said, are you conceding that the 28 year old dental hygienist YouTuber who owns a modern RV is more capable of fixing her rig than you?
Without knowing you, I think you’re selling yourself way short. Am I wrong?
Overcome your fear my friend. Technology is actually eliminating the craftsman, not creating them.