Shop this guide — ✓ Free shipping ✓ Free 30-day returns · 10% off your first order with code RVSAFE10
If you're charging a lithium house battery from your vehicle's alternator — and if you have a lithium house battery, you should be — Victron gives you two ways to do it: the long-established Orion-Tr Smart family and the newer Orion XS. Both are Bluetooth-configurable through VictronConnect, both protect your alternator from lithium's unlimited appetite, and both detect engine running automatically. The differences decide which belongs in your rig.
(New to alternator charging? Our DC-DC charging explainer covers why a charger — not a relay — is mandatory with lithium.)
Orion XS: the new benchmark
- Up to 50A output from one compact unit — the highest of Victron's 12V DC-DC chargers — and the output current is fully configurable, so you can dial it down for a small alternator.
- Extremely high efficiency, which in practice means far less heat, no fan noise, and a much smaller case for the amps delivered.
- Non-isolated — designed for the standard vehicle scenario where starter and house systems share a chassis ground.
- Ideal for: vans, pickups, 4WDs, and camper trailers charging 200Ah+ lithium banks that want the fastest possible highway recharge.
Orion-Tr Smart: the flexible veteran
- Available in isolated and non-isolated versions. Galvanic isolation matters when the two battery systems must not share a ground path — trailers with separate chassis grounds, boats, and installs prone to ground-loop gremlins.
- Multiple voltage combinations: 12/12, 12/24 and 24/12 — if your truck is 24V and the camper is 12V (or vice versa), this is your only option of the two.
- Typically 30A (12/12) or 15A (12/24) per unit; multiple units can run in parallel for more current.
- Ideal for: mixed-voltage rigs, trailers where the coupling makes ground continuity unreliable, and marine installs.
Head-to-head
| Orion XS | Orion-Tr Smart | |
| Max output (12V) | 50A, adjustable | 30A per unit |
| Isolation option | No | Yes (isolated models) |
| 24V conversions | No (12/12) | Yes (12/24, 24/12) |
| Efficiency & heat | Best in class | Good |
| Size for amps delivered | Smallest | Larger |
| Bluetooth setup | Yes | Yes |
Which one should you buy?
- 12V vehicle + 12V camper, grounds shared (the majority of builds): the Orion XS. More amps, less heat, smaller footprint — there's no reason to prefer the older unit here.
- Trailer or caravan behind a tow vehicle where you want electrical separation across the hitch, or any install with ground-path doubts: the Orion-Tr Smart Isolated.
- 24V truck charging a 12V house system (or the reverse): the Orion-Tr Smart in the matching voltage combination.
FAQ
Do these work with smart alternators (Euro 6 vehicles)? Yes — both families handle variable-voltage smart alternators; engine detection is configurable in VictronConnect.
Can I combine DC-DC and solar charging? Absolutely — that's the standard overland setup: an MPPT for camp, the DC-DC for driving days. See the MPPT sizing guide.
How much charger do I need? A common rule of thumb is charge current around 30–50% of lithium bank capacity: a 100Ah battery is happy at 30A; 200Ah+ banks justify the XS's 50A.
Both ship free with free 30-day returns. Orion XS · Orion-Tr Smart Isolated — code RVSAFE10 takes 10% off your first order your order.