auxiliary battery

[supafly]

I want to hook up an auxiliary battery for a van conversion project and would like some advice before going ahead.

- Where is the best place to mount the battery? Will it fit somewhere under the hood?
- Is the stock alternator beefy enough to charge both batteries?

[MountainManJoe]

Have you looked under the hood? I think Gary mentioned you can get two batteries on the tray, but they're going to be small. The best place is entirely up to your needs and abilities. If you're creative and handy, I think the best place is underneath the body. If not, put it inside. I'm not too well equipped, so I put it in a battery box behind the seat. Some people put it in the jack storage, but remember more wire length = more loss (again depends what you intend to do).

The stock alternator should charge two batteries just fine. It just takes more time. The CS130D provides Up to 120 Amps depending on RPM (see performance curve here). If you draw 60 Amps for 1 hour from your battery, that's 60 Amp-hours (Ah), then your alternator will need to recharge 120 Amps for 0.5 hours, 60 Amps for one hour, or 30 Amps for two hours etc... (also add time for efficiency losses, and running other accessories like headlights etc).

Hope that helps.

[dvil]

Here's one option. There's also a similar spot right behind the drivers seat.