Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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During 2021 we hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the huge, sometime tiny – but always game-changing installations of our products about factories and offices ‘going green’; or essential infrastructure installed remote from any electricity grid; and also about the businesses and homes which do have a grid connection but have chosen to use it only as a back up to harvesting and storing their own energy …protecting themselves from escalating energy prices.

Shore-based, Marine, Mobile, Industrial and Leisure – we’ve enjoyed hearing about them all! Keep them coming in 2022.

And we’ve enjoyed hearing the human stories: Victron-sponsored sportspeople who have achieved greatness; DIYers building energy freedom into Recreational Vehicles, Boats, or their remote Cabins; and about super-mobility in the case of Philip James with whose story we’d like to end the year!:

Mobility scooter gets 50 mile range – but how to charge it?

Philip James found an economical way to extend the range of his mobility scooter from ten miles to over fifty miles by buying component-parts from listing sites and building an under-seat Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery. He began charging his new battery using a low cost DC/DC converter – but was right to feel deeply uneasy about using a voltage converter in that way.

Lithium Batteries require intelligent monitoring-and-charging at cell level in order to keep them safe, and to extend their life.

Philip asked for advice from YouTuber Andreas (Andy) Kirch whose channel Off-Grid-Garage Australia discusses DIY solar battery projects. As a result Andy decided to divert his channel’s ‘Buy me a Beer’ donations towards raising funds to purchase a professional Blue Smart IP22 Charger which he planned to give to Philip.

Philip James’ new BlueTooth enabled battery charger was demonstrated by Victron Distributor Paul Collins. Photo: Keith Mindham (keithpix@btinternet.com) 

In a single day Andy’s channel raised AU$5400 from 190 generous followers! Andy also got in touch with us at Victron Energy to ask if we would like to help out. We arranged a product donation in the UK and as a result Andy was able to donate all the cash raised to the Muscular Sclerosis Foundation in Australia – at Philip’s suggestion.

Victron Energy distributor Paul Collins of Energy Monkey handed over the charger in person, and demonstrated how the Blue Smart IP22 Charger’s six-stage dynamic charge algorithm can be controlled from a smartphone.

Andy tells the story in his video here:

Watch Video

Onwards into 2022!

Looking forward: We have lots of exciting new products planned for next year which we know you’re going to love – so stayed tuned!

It only remains for all of us at Victron Energy to wish you a very Merry Christmas – if you mark that festival – and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!