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Victron multiplus(es) vs. eg4 6000xp?

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solarDavesolar

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I have a fully off-grid 48v system and I'm looking to upgrade the inverter.

My main purpose is charging an EV and while I don't care how fast the car charges, I am trying to maximize the electricity that actually gets into the car's battery because my system is panel constrained.

My current setup works but is bottlenecked by my Victron Phoenix 48/1200 which can't even max out L1 EV charging (1440 watts). I have to set the car to charge at 10amps @120v which means my charge efficiency is pretty low because enabling the car's charge circuits draws a decent share of the current.

Ideally I'd like to get to something that can support a minimum constant output of 2,880 watts at 240v which seems to be a good minimum for optimizing efficiency into the car's battery.

It looks like sticking with Victron would mean I'd have to get two inverters to create 240v. Even the cheapest MultiPlus 2kVA at $940 should work for my needs but doesn't leave much room to upgrade in the future.

And two multipluses is $500 more than the EG4 6000XP at $1,450 which comes with 240v out of the box.

I realize the eg4 has a high frequency inverter vs. the LF in the victron and victron has a better reputation, but it's tough to pay more, have to buy more wiring, find locations for mounting screws etc. for the same capabilities.

Any recommendations one way or the other? Or is there anything else I'm overlooking?

Here's what I'm currently eyeing.
$940 - Victron 48V MultiPlus 2kVA Inverter – 25A Charger
$1450 - EG4 6000XP Off-Grid All-in-One Inverter/Charger

And if I go Victron, is there a super compelling case to go for the UL listed one with a little more headroom?
$1275 - Victron 48V MultiPlus-II UL1741 3kVA 120V Inverter 35A Charger

Thanks in advance!
 
solarDavesolar said:
I have a fully off-grid 48v system and I'm looking to upgrade the inverter.

My main purpose is charging an EV and while I don't care how fast the car charges, I am trying to maximize the electricity that actually gets into the car's battery because my system is panel constrained.

My current setup works but is bottlenecked by my Victron Phoenix 48/1200 which can't even max out L1 EV charging (1440 watts). I have to set the car to charge at 10amps @120v which means my charge efficiency is pretty low because enabling the car's charge circuits draws a decent share of the current.

Ideally I'd like to get to something that can support a minimum constant output of 2,880 watts at 240v which seems to be a good minimum for optimizing efficiency into the car's battery.

It looks like sticking with Victron would mean I'd have to get two inverters to create 240v. Even the cheapest MultiPlus 2kVA at $940 should work for my needs but doesn't leave much room to upgrade in the future.

And two multipluses is $500 more than the EG4 6000XP at $1,450 which comes with 240v out of the box.

I realize the eg4 has a high frequency inverter vs. the LF in the victron and victron has a better reputation, but it's tough to pay more, have to buy more wiring, find locations for mounting screws etc. for the same capabilities.

Any recommendations one way or the other? Or is there anything else I'm overlooking?

Here's what I'm currently eyeing.
$940 - Victron 48V MultiPlus 2kVA Inverter – 25A Charger
$1450 - EG4 6000XP Off-Grid All-in-One Inverter/Charger

And if I go Victron, is there a super compelling case to go for the UL listed one with a little more headroom?
$1275 - Victron 48V MultiPlus-II UL1741 3kVA 120V Inverter 35A Charger

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
If you only need to feed the EV charger at 3kW and 240V you could get a Euro spec Victron multiplus 2 or quattro which are 220/240 in a single unit. A mp2 3kVA is 2400W with a power factor of 0.8, maybe the EV charger is closer to 1.0 but you'll prob need to step up to a 5kVA model to achieve what you are looking for. What does the battery bank consist of?
 
I almost suggested this, but I don't know how the grounds will play. If completely isolated, it's probably fine provided the car doesn't care if the ground isn't 120V to ground from each of the 240V conductors.

Maybe @timselectric knows more.

There are even cheaper inverters I would consider if this is an option. IRRC, PowMr has a 230V 5kVA AiO unit for about $500 that also includes a MPPT.

Found it...

 
sunshine_eggo said:
I almost suggested this, but I don't know how the grounds will play. If completely isolated, it's probably fine provided the car doesn't care if the ground isn't 120V to ground from each of the 240V conductors.

Maybe @timselectric knows more.

There are even cheaper inverters I would consider if this is an option. IRRC, PowMr has a 230V 5kVA AiO unit for about $500 that also includes a MPPT.

Found it...

Click to expand...
It would probably work with an EV charger for the European market.
But not for one designed for North America.
Because it would be checking for the split-phase ground.
Not saying that it can't be done (I'll be doing it).
But some modifications will be required.
 
timselectric said:
It would probably work with an EV charger for the European market.
But not for one designed for North America.
Because it would be checking for the split-phase ground.
Not saying that it can't be done (I'll be doing it).
But some modifications will be required.
Click to expand...
If I had an EV and just needed dedicated charging for it, would def go with big euro Victron 220/240 plus the precious, integration with Cerbo yes please.

EV Charging Station NS - Victron Energy

The EV Charging Station NS has three-phase and single-phase capabilities. It delivers a maximum of 22kW AC in three-phase or 7.3kW in single-phase...
www.victronenergy.com www.victronenergy.com

Screenshot_20240415_210013_Chrome.jpg
 
sunshine_eggo said:
I almost suggested this, but I don't know how the grounds will play. If completely isolated, it's probably fine provided the car doesn't care if the ground isn't 120V to ground from each of the 240V conductors.

Maybe @timselectric knows more.

There are even cheaper inverters I would consider if this is an option. IRRC, PowMr has a 230V 5kVA AiO unit for about $500 that also includes a MPPT.

Found it...

Click to expand...
Just bananas pricing the 3800W unit is $260 after coupon...
 
sunshine_eggo said:
Victron also makes an autotransformer to provide 120/240V split phase either from a 120V or 230V EU inverter.

32A AT is 481 EU., so that + 48/3kVA would put you just a hair over the 6000XP.

If you don't need to pass an inspection, UL = meh.
Click to expand...
Brucey said:
If you only need to feed the EV charger at 3kW and 240V you could get a Euro spec Victron multiplus 2 or quattro which are 220/240 in a single unit. A mp2 3kVA is 2400W with a power factor of 0.8, maybe the EV charger is closer to 1.0 but you'll prob need to step up to a 5kVA model to achieve what you are looking for. What does the battery bank consist of?
Click to expand...
The EU spec inverter + autotransformer is an interesting option, thanks!

Looks like Signature solar has the 32a Autotransformer at $452 and a place called icmontana dotcom (anyone ever heard any feedback on them?) has the MultiPlus-II 48/5000/70-50 230V for $1030.

That seems like it'd get me a pretty robust system and if I'm reading correctly, I can still get a 120v circuit out of the AT, right? EV charging is my main use but having a 120v battery backup is one of the key points of this system.

And the battery is currently a single 5.1 kWh eg4 battery. That's one of the reasons I want to keep the EV draw as low as possible while wasting the smallest amount of energy possible.
 
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