Weekend camper — 400 to 1000Wh
Charged at home before the trip. Runs a 12V fridge, phones, lights, a small inverter load. The buyer is price-aware and carries it by hand, so weight and handle position matter more than capacity.
RV & Campervan Power: What Dealers Need to Stock
Most RV power guides are written for one person buying one unit. This one is for the dealer or converter deciding what to hold in stock — where the questions are weight, charging paths, documents for the market you sell into, and how many units you have to commit to.
Start From the Vehicle, Not the Watt-Hour
The same capacity sells into three different shelf positions. Stocking one size for all three is how a range ends up with dead SKUs.
Full-time van — 1000 to 2000Wh
Induction hob, diesel heater, laptop, camera gear. This buyer needs to recharge from the alternator and from roof solar, not only from a campsite hook-up. DC input is the deciding spec, not the watt-hour number.
Class A / fifth wheel — 2000Wh and up
Here a power station competes with a small generator: coffee machine, microwave, hair dryer. AC surge matters more than rated wattage, and a 2400W-rated unit will trip on a compressor start if the peak window is too short.
Four Checks That Decide Whether the Range Sells
These are the four that generate returns. Everything else is a specification argument.
| Check | Why it decides the sale | What to ask the supplier for |
|---|---|---|
| Weight and handle | A van owner moves the unit weekly. A 25kg box with a single plastic handle is a return, not a sale. | Measured net weight in kg, not “lightweight”; handle load rating |
| Recharge paths | Mains-only charging does not work on the road. Alternator and solar input are what separate a camping accessory from an RV system. | DC input voltage range, solar MPPT window, full-charge time on mains |
| AC surge, not rating | Fridge and air-conditioning compressors pull several times rated power at start. A unit that holds 2400W steady can still trip. | Rated W, peak W, and how long the peak is held |
| Market documents | You cannot list a unit in the EU, UK or US without the paperwork that applies to that exact model. This is the check most often skipped at sample stage. | The document list per model, in writing, before you commit to a listing |
On “can it run my air conditioner”: a 2000Wh unit can start a small RV air conditioner, but not for long. A 9000 BTU roof unit draws roughly 900–1200W while the compressor runs, so even a full pack is measured in tens of minutes, not overnight. Say that plainly to the customer; overselling run time is the fastest way to get a unit back.
MOQ, Mixed Models and Lead Time
The commercial part, stated plainly so you can plan a first order.
| What you are deciding | Stock order | Private label / OEM |
|---|---|---|
| Order size | 20 units, mixed across models | From 100 units per model |
| Branding | NewenGrid carton, or neutral carton on request | Printed carton, manual and unit silkscreen |
| Plug type | EU, UK, US or AU — can be mixed per carton | Fixed per model, chosen at order |
| Lead time | Typically 15–25 days after deposit | Same base, plus artwork proof rounds |
Two things move the date out: artwork approval (each proof round costs days, not hours) and manual language. Confirm both before deposit and the schedule holds. Change the artwork after production starts and it does not.
Documents, Per Market and Per Model
One thing worth knowing before you compare suppliers on price.
Document availability differs by model, and it differs by market. A unit can carry a full CE set and still need a separate transport document for air freight; another model in the same range may only have the transport set. So the honest answer to “are these certified” is not a yes or a no — it is a list, per model, for your market.
What we do is confirm that list in writing for the models you are considering, and send the documents that exist for them. If a model you want does not have what your market requires, we say so before you place the order rather than after. For the transport side — UN38.3 and MSDS — every unit that ships by air or sea needs them, and they travel with the shipping documents.
Note that CE marking is the supplier's declaration; registration duties such as WEEE and battery take-back schemes fall on the importer in most EU markets. That is a cost to plan for, not something a supplier can carry for you.
Before It Ships
The part that protects the margin after the container lands.
Every batch is checked against a fixed list before the cartons are closed: actual capacity against nameplate, cell consistency inside the pack, BMS protection functions, output under load, packing drop test and the document set. Photographs are taken at each step and sent for approval before the goods are sealed — you approve the goods, not the promise.
The full checklist is on the battery inspection page, and the procedure itself on the pre-shipment inspection page. If you already work with a third-party inspector, send their list and we will run that instead, provided the tests stay within what the unit is designed for.
Questions Dealers Ask
Including the two that decide whether a first order is worth placing.
What capacity do most RV dealers stock first?
1000–2000Wh covers the widest set of buyers, because it is the smallest size that still runs an induction hob or a diesel heater for an evening. The 400–1000Wh band is a volume product for weekend campers and tent buyers, and 2000Wh and above is a replacement for a small generator. Starting with one unit in each band is usually better than a deep buy of a single size.
Can the units charge from the vehicle alternator?
Only if the model has a DC input that accepts the vehicle's voltage range — check the DC input window per model rather than assuming. A 12V socket will charge slowly; a proper alternator charging path needs the matching cable and, on some vehicles, a DC-DC charger. Confirm both before you promise it to a customer.
Is a power station a direct replacement for an RV generator?
For lights, laptops, a fridge, a coffee machine or a microwave for a few minutes — yes. For hours of air conditioning, no. The honest comparison is run time: work out the load in watts, divide by usable capacity, and quote that number rather than a marketing headline. Buyers who are told the real figure come back; buyers who are oversold return the unit.
What documents do I need to sell these in the EU?
For the product itself, a CE declaration covering the applicable directives, with the test reports behind it. For transport, UN38.3 and an MSDS for the cell type inside. On top of that, importer-side duties: WEEE registration, battery take-back registration in most member states, and local labelling. Ask for the model-level document list before you list the product.
Can I mix models in one order?
Yes. The 20-unit minimum applies to the order, not to each model, so a first order can be split across three or four sizes to test what your customers actually buy. Private-label orders are priced per model from 100 units, and the artwork applies to the models you choose.
Tell me which vehicles you sell to
Send the vehicle types and the market you sell in, and I will come back with the two or three models that fit, plus the document list for each. No price list until I know the models and quantities — the numbers depend on both.