In modern specialist vehicles the auxiliary batteries can often need special charging considerations to increase life and improve overall capacity. The Virtual Alternator achieves this by intelligently monitoring the voltage from the alternator and selecting the most effective mode to charge the auxiliary battery and run the load simultaneously.
The issues are caused in many ways: modern OE managed alternators which revert to lower voltages ~12.6VDC after the primary battery is charged, auxiliary battery location in the vehicle which can be many metres from the vehicle alternator causing voltage drop, battery chemistries and in extreme cases temperature differences. Any of these issues create the need for a Virtual Alternator solution.
The VA works by continually checking the incoming voltage and the auxiliary battery voltage. When the alternator voltage is too low ~ 12.6V the VA ‘recognises’ that this will not charge the battery directly and switches to ‘VA charging mode’ which isolates the battery from the auxiliary load to charge it optimally whilst routing the remaining power to the auxiliary load, thereby making full use of the vehicle’s alternator power. The VA delivers an advanced temperature compensated intelligent 4 stage charging regime to the battery with full remote voltage and temperature sensing.
Heavy duty latching contactors operate to ensure the auxiliary load is always connected to either the battery or the chassis alternator. They also serve to protect the auxiliary batteries from potentially harmful voltages found on SMART charging systems.
Additional primary battery protection is afforded by the in-built split charge when the vehicle is not running, as well as protecting the auxiliary battery from damage by isolating it from the loads when it is fully discharged.
The VA is one of the most comprehensive battery management systems on the market today.
