There are a few details to know when tapping into alternator power on the Ford Transit. In this guide, we’ll walk through the positive and negative connections, using FarOutVan1 (2016 Transit) and FarOutVan2 (2021 Transit) as real-world examples. Hope this helps!
Resources
How to tap into alternator power varies by brand, model, variant, and production year… It’s always a good idea to refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations. As such, all the information found on this page follows the recommendations of the Ford Transit BEMM:
Ford Transit BEMM
Body & Equipment Mounting Manual
Sprinter BEG
Body & Equipment Guideline
Ram ProMaster BBG
Body Builder’s Guide
The Not So Obvious
First, let’s address a few recurrent topics/questions!
Alternator Power Access
Let’s get it out of the way: to tap into the alternator power, we do not literally connect to the alternator (under the hood) 😉 Generally, there are connection points located in the vehicle for easy access 🙂 It’s often found in or near the driver seat pedestal. You can refer to the Equipment Guidelines (links above) to find out about your specific van!
Connecting Directly to the Battery
Connecting directly to the starter battery often seems like the obvious thing to do. However, in modern vehicles, this can lead to unforeseen consequences, such as disturbing or bypassing the Battery Management System (BMS). For example, here is an extract from the Ford Transit BEMM (section 4.5.3.):
High electrical loads should be grounded directly to the vehicle body and not the negative battery terminal. Connecting to the negative battery terminal will bypass the BMS and affect the correct assessment of the battery state of charge.
Create new chassis ground points
The vehicle’s body (or chassis) is like a giant negative bus bar. Before tapping into the chassis to create a new ground point, ensure to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations to avoid interfering with the vehicle’s electrical system (modern vehicles have finicky systems…).
For example, Ford recommends the following as ground points for the Transit (BEMM section 4.25):
The “problem” is that some of the recommended ground points are not suited for high current (DC-DC chargers draw quite a lot of current!).
That’s why, on FarOutVan2, we created a new ground point to connect our EcoFlow Power Kit (it can draw up to 100A, we need a solid ground point!). We found that the 2024 BEMM allows the creation of new ground points (BEMM section 4.25):
If a new grounding point is required, avoid placing it in a wet area, especially for high current grounds. Ground connections should be routed back close to the location of the +12V supply. This helps to reduce the electromagnetic field particularly generated by inrush current and improve electromagnetic compatibility.
Sheet Metal Screws
Creating a new chassis ground simply by using a terminal ring over a sheet metal screw is not sufficient. The problems:
- The threads alone provide a path for the current; the surface area is just too small for high-current loads (such as DC-DC chargers) and overheating may occurs.
- Corrosion may occur over time between the screw and the body, and as a result, the current’s path may be lost (permanent or intermittent problems).
The correct way to create a new chassis ground point for a high-current load is to use a larger stud and to remove paint, to allow full contact between the lug and the chassis. See section 4.2.
Charge while idling
Long periods of idling can produce a build-up of fuel residue and cause engine damage, and it is not recommended in modern vehicles (even for warming up the engine in cold weather).
2015-2019 Ford Transit
Positive Connection
To connect the Victron Orion XS on FarOutVan1 (2016 Ford Transit with dual AGM batteries), we followed the recommendations from Ford’s SVE Bulletin Q-226 (Accessing Battery Power on Transit 2015-2019). We connected the positive cable to the empty B+ battery post on the second AGM battery:
Negative Connection
For the negative connection, we used the BEMM’s recommended ground point between the passenger and driver seat:
2020-Up Ford Transit
Positive Connection
Per BEMM section 4.5.3:
Any peripherals added to the power supply must be connected in one of the following ways:
- Up to 60A – across CCP1 and Camper 60A supply
- Up to 175A – CCP2 with twin-batteries
- Up to local fuse – Auxiliary Fuse Panel JZGAE
- Up to alternator limit – direct from battery, when controlled using load-shed signal and Third party switch
The CCP1 and CCP2 are located on the driver seat pedestal, near the driver door:
FarOutVan2 (2021 Transit) is equipped with CCP1 (up to 60A) and CCP2 (up to 175A). Since the EcoFlow Power Kit GEN2 can draw up to 100A, we connected it to the CCP2 like so:
We prewired the BlueSea 285 Breaker (120A):
We connected the wire to the Ford Transit CCP2 (M8 threads) and installed the breaker in its enclosure (secured to the seat pedestal with VHB tape):
Negative Connection
For the negative connection, we created a new grounding point behind the driver seat:
We drilled a hole and, using a wire brush, we removed the paint on the surface mating with the terminal lug (this is a high-current application, we want as much surface contact as possible; do NOT rely on bolt’s threads for conduction!):
We inserted a M8-1.25 x 16mm serrated flanged bolt (stainless), then added the ALT IN negative wire, and a M8 serrated nut (stainless). Do not use a washer between the van chassis and the terminal lug:
With this configuration, the Power Kit charges at 100A, and the negative connection remains cool to the touch.
Should I disconnect the starter battery negative before connecting ecoflow to the transit ccp, just in case of unintentional contact with surrounding metal?
What would be your sequence for all the connections?
Thanks for all your help with my camper van!
Matt
I didn’t disconnect the battery personally.
I’d go this way:
Turn Ecoflow OFF. Disconnect alternator cable from ecoflow.
Connect negative to chassis.
Connect positive cable (from ecoflow) to the breaker
Install the cable that goes from the breaker to the CCP (but don’t connect it to CCP yet). Put breaker in enclosure to isolate the positive studs.
Turn breaker OFF, then connect the cable to the CCP.
Connect alternator cable to Ecoflow.
Turn breaker ON.
The issue would be connecting negative to chassis, and positive to CCP, then having the other end of the cable “bare”. But here, the other end of the cable is the ecoflow plug (which is female, so no danger).
So as long as your breaker is in an enclosure (positive studs not exposed), this should be fine! 🙂
Hi, thanks for all your great information. I’ve got a couple of questions for you. I also have a 21 transit but I have a DC only system that’s about 30 A. I’m assuming that you created a grounding point in your second van because you considered the grounding point between the seats inadequate. I’m assuming that using this grounding point would be adequate for my DC only system. Is that true? The other question is about CCP1 and 2 Based on your information, it seems like I should be using CCP1. Is there any disadvantage or advantage in that, or should I just use CCP2? Any advice you have would be much appreciated because there’s not much on out there about DC only systems. PS. Thank you for mentioning in your guides that DC only is an option. Almost nobody else seems to think so.
If you plan on pulling less than ~50A from the CCP, using #1 or #2 would both be OK.
CCP1 is always ON, CCP2 is always ON when driving and turns OFF after some time when engine off.
When you say “DC only,” does that mean you have no inverter in your system?
Thanks, Antoine that was really helpful. Yes, I have a system with no inverter. I’m going to cook with propane, and charge my electronics from USB-C outlets. I think USB-C is kind of a game changer, and that it allows higher wattage charging and can be used for laptops, drones, and other goodies.
I’m tempted to ground the Orion exactly the same way you do because I assume you know better than I do, but I fundamentally don’t understand it. I’m assuming that the Orion is in the back of your vehicle, so why pull wire all the way up to the front to ground it? It seems like the D&C pillars would be closer.
The manufacturer recommends grounding high-current loads close to the starter battery to minimize electrical interference.
Now I’m sure people have grounded at the back of the van without issues, but I tend to follow OEM directives because they know their product 🙂
Hope that makes sense,
antoien
One thing that’s confused me about this article…from my understanding, dielectric grease does not conduct electricity. The article mentions applying the grease to bare metal to prevent corrosion, makes it sound like the grease should go between the chassis and the ALT IN negative wire. Wouldn’t this make the ground connection worse?
I followed your same method, except I applied the grease on the outside of the assembled grounding connection rather than between the chassis and the ALT IN negative wire. Kinds feels like it might make more sense to spray paint the assembled ground connection though, if the goal of the grease is prevent corrosion? I don’t anticipate needing to re-use this new grounding point for anything other than the alternator charging (I could see the grease being a nice touch if this weren’t the case).
Sorry about the confusion. The electric grease can be applied after the assembly (not on mating surfaces).
I prefer grease over paint in case I have to disassemble the ground in the future.
Cheers,
Antoine
Thanks for the reply! Appreciate all the info on this page and the rest of your website.
Hi – Would it be okay to use one of the factory holes as a grounding point so that I wouldn’t need to drill another hole into the van? I was thinking of adding a rivnut to a factory hole, then using a flanged nut to secure the negative terminal to the chassis.
The factory holes are painted, so that won’t work as-is.
For a ground point, you really want to remove that layer of paint! And you don’t want to rely on threads or the edge only; you want a larger contact surface area to minimize resistance. That’s why we made a new hole and removed the paint under the entire mating surface with the lug.
Hope that makes sense,
Antoine
If I’m reading BEMM correctly CCP2 is on a timer and will switch off via relay. It will also switch off if vehicle battery voltage drops below 11V. I’m about to install a DC-DC charger with reverse charging and vehicle battery maintainer and I think I need to go directly battery. Perhaps there is a way to disable timeout on CCP2 with Forscan. I have a 2023 Transit Trail with dual AGM batteries.
How are you hiding the positive wire from the DC breaker back to the ECO-FLOW?
It’s routed into the driver-side wall all the way to the back of the van.
For now there’s nothing to hide the cable from the breaker -> wall, I’ll make something when I get there!
https://faroutride.com/ecoflow-install/#alternator
Hi, would you consider the Upfitter switches to connect an alternator charger if the draw of the charger was lower? Thanks
I mean technically a DC-DC charger is like a “normal” load, so it should work. But the draw would have to be lower than the rating of the switches, of course.