Appliances

Your campervan has a leisure battery (also called the secondary or living-area battery) that powers the living area — lights, water pump, and 12V and USB sockets — separately from the engine battery.

How long it lasts

With no gadgets plugged in and the cooling box switched off, the leisure battery should power the living area for 1–2 days. How long it actually lasts depends on how much you use — the cooling box and charging devices are the largest drains, so heavier use means more frequent recharging.

The LED lights, water pump, and 12V and USB sockets are all designed to be energy-efficient.

What uses the most power

Not every appliance draws the same amount. Knowing the heavy hitters helps you make the battery last longer when you're off-grid:

• Highest drain: the cooling box or fridge — it runs continuously, so it's the single biggest draw on the battery.
• Moderate drain: charging phones, tablets, and other devices through the USB and 12V sockets, especially several at once.
• Lowest drain: the LED lights and water pump, which are designed to be energy-efficient and use very little.

Anything plugged into the 230V mains sockets is a separate case — those only work on external power, not the battery (see below).

If your battery is draining faster than expected, the cooling box is almost always the reason. Switching it off overnight, or running it only while you drive, makes a noticeable difference to how long the battery lasts.

How to recharge it

The leisure battery recharges while you drive, and when the van is connected to an external power source (a campsite hookup). If you're not driving much, we recommend recharging at least three times a week so the battery doesn't run low

The 230V sockets need external power

The 230V mains sockets only work when the van is plugged into an external power source. They won't run off the leisure battery alone, so when you're off-grid, only the 12V and USB sockets are available. 

Model differences

Use this as a general guide. Some models have appliances with different power sources, which can change how often you'll need to recharge. For model-specific details, see our vehicles.

Indie Campers campervans have two kinds of climate control: front systems that run off the engine while you drive, and independent (stationary) systems that work when you're parked with the engine off. Some vans also allow a portable electric heater as an add-on. This article explains each and — most importantly — when each one works.

Included van features

1. Front air conditioning & heating

Every campervan has air conditioning and heating in the front cab. These run off the engine, so they work while you're driving and switch off when the engine is off. For heating or cooling while parked, you'll rely on the independent systems below.

2. Independent (stationary) heating

Most of our fleet has stationary heating, which works when the van is parked and the engine is off. The exception is Adventure models, which have a rooftop tent and no stationary heating.

What powers it depends on your region:

• North America: propane, from a fixed built-in LPG tank.
• Australia & New Zealand: propane, from refillable gas bottles.
• Europe: either propane (gas bottles) or diesel. Diesel heating draws directly from the vehicle's main fuel tank.

To see what your specific model has, check the 'Included Features' section on our website. 

3. Independent (stationary) air conditioning

Stationary air conditioning is available on most vehicles in our North American, Australian, and New Zealand fleets, for comfort in warm climates. How it runs depends on region:

• North America: can run off-grid through the vehicle's 110V setup, powered by either a fixed generator (drawing fuel from the RV's main tank) or a portable generator (with its own separate fuel tank). 
• Australia & New Zealand: requires a direct shore power connection (a hookup) to run — it won't operate off-grid.

The number of passengers that can ride and sleep in an RV is always indicated under the vehicle details:

For IndieCampers fleet

The number will also depend on the size of the RV and the model, but here are the average numbers: