Cangoee Australia brings a new intelligent and integrated off-grid power solution to caravanners, campsites, and other four-wheeled recreational vehicles.
The stylish, lightweight, but highly durable alternative to a dual battery system was developed by the director, and former Toyota engineer Andrew Holden, whose design has proven to be a crucial part of the emergency services in Australia for over 20 years.
The latest version of the battery is designed for recreational settings. The range of off-grid and on-grid power solutions is snowballing to meet the ever-growing needs of Australia’s 5.5 million owners of 4WD. It will soon provide an adaptable battery solution for homes similar to Tesla Powerwall.
“We’ve been around since 2006, mainly in the emergency services market. But with COVID, we took the technology that we already had and pivoted it towards the recreational market,” said Holden.
“Our system is fully integrated and easy to install and, in many cases, can reduce the typical installation time from 10 or 12 hours down to just two or three.
Holden said that due to challenges in staff, the “need to take the complexity and time out” from the installation process is important for workshop owners. They made sure that the installation fit specific models and was plug-and-play without the drilling, cutting, or wire-tapping.
The Cangoee Power Node uses prismatic lithium-iron-phosphate cells set in an aluminum case to offer a staged approach to delivering power.
The slimline units are equipped with an internal battery management system, a 40-amp dual-stage DC/DC charger, and a power source, which can provide up to 100 amps of continuous discharge and rapid charge and can be arranged in parallel to increase power availability.
The Cangoee system is available in short and long-series packages suitable for various uses, including emergency services, large corporate fleets, canopy builders, 4WD enthusiasts, and the body-building motor sector. It is also small enough to fit under seats, the rear parcel shelf, or unused areas.
“The system also knows the status of the door locks, the headlights, the state of battery charge, and so on,” he said.
“All of those things are feedback into the control system to ensure you’re never left without power. We are able to tailor solutions to suit customers, or simply offer a standardized solution like an Anderson plug.”
He said that the system could be charged by the battery, alternator, and solar panel. It is also possible to add an integrated power control unit that has up to 14 outputs, an HDMI input that allows the use of a touchscreen to control the unit, and most importantly, the option to control the unit with a laptop, a USB cable, and through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
“The other benefit is that if there’s ever a problem, it will instantly go open circuit, and in most cases, the problem is simply fixed by cycling the ignition. And that’s great because it means you don’t have to sort through a massive number of fuses. Just cycle the ignition, and the unit will come back to life,” Said Holden.
Cangoee also has its power distribution unit, which works in conjunction with its Node units or in conjunction with the vehicle CANbus in place of a traditional fuse box.
The plug-and-play system permits easy expansion of systems such as Cangoee’s touchscreen battery monitor, digital switching screen, input/output module, and the gadget CANbus.
“There’s a range of systems ranging from 75-amp hours all the way up to 660-amp hours for the caravan market,” said Holden.
“Typically, the 110-amp hour unit is the highest seller. They’re all designed here in Australia, and we actually manufacture our own electronics here (too). All our Node units are backed by a five-year warranty.”
