The lithium battery for your Bailey caravan.
Bailey of Bristol builds some of the UK's best-loved touring caravans, from the lightweight Discovery single-axle to the twin-axle Alicanto Grande. Every one leaves the factory with a lead-acid leisure battery that gives you half the usable capacity its label claims. A TITAN lithium drops into the same underfloor box, doubles the usable reserve, and - crucially for a single-axle - weighs considerably less than the lead-acid it replaces.
Bailey of Bristol - a caravan, not a motorhome
Bailey builds touring caravans. That is worth stating plainly because the power system on a caravan is fundamentally different from a motorhome. There is no engine, no alternator, and no battery-to-battery charging while you drive. Everything the caravan's 12V system runs - lights, water pump, fridge, heating fan, USB sockets, motor mover - comes from the leisure battery alone, replenished later at a hook-up or by the sun. Sizing that battery correctly matters more on a caravan than almost anywhere else.
Bailey's ranges currently span Phoenix (entry), Discovery (lightweight single-axle), Pegasus Grande, Unicorn (the long-running best-seller), and Alicanto Grande (luxury twin-axle). All are built around Bailey's proprietary Alu-Tech bonded bodyshell, which keeps weight low across the range - an advantage that a lithium battery amplifies further, particularly on the single-axle models where every kilogram of payload counts.
For the broader picture of running lithium in a caravan, the caravan battery guide covers the fundamentals. The battery size calculator lets you total your real loads and arrive at an honest figure rather than a guess.
Sizing a Bailey by range
A starting point by model range. Discovery owners should prioritise payload - the lightweight single-axle is designed around low weight, and the battery choice should respect that. Alicanto Grande owners have twin-axle payload headroom and often run Alde wet central heating in electric mode off-grid, which nudges the requirement up.
| Model range | How it gets used | Good fit |
|---|---|---|
| DiscoveryLightweight single-axle; payload is the whole point of this range | Weekend and touring; lights, fridge, water pump, USB charging | 100Ah |
| Pegasus Grande / UnicornMid to upper single-axle; Bailey's best-seller range | Touring; lights, fridge, heating fan, water pump | 100Ah to 120Ah |
| Pegasus Grande / Unicorn with motor moverMid to upper single-axle; motor mover fitted | Off-grid nights or motor mover use; pitching on CLs | 150Ah |
| Alicanto GrandeLuxury twin-axle; most payload headroom; often Alde wet heating | Touring with Alde electric mode; inverter; extended stays | 120Ah to 150Ah |
| Alicanto Grande - extended off-gridTwin-axle; Alde electric mode; inverter loads; club CL sites | Multi-night off-grid; Alde electric + inverter simultaneously | 180Ah |
These are starting points, not fixed rules. The honest figure comes from your own loads, so total them in the battery size calculator. Measure your underfloor battery box including terminal height before ordering - Bailey's central box dimensions vary between model years and specification levels. On the Discovery and other single-axle models, check your payload margin before choosing a larger battery.
Where the battery lives in a Bailey caravan
Bailey positions the leisure battery in a centrally located underfloor battery box, mounted low and central beneath the caravan floor. This is a Bailey characteristic - central mounting keeps the weight distribution balanced fore and aft, which matters for both towing stability and nose-weight management. The box is accessed externally via a panel or through a floor hatch depending on the model.
Unlike some caravans that place the battery in the gas locker, Bailey keeps the battery compartment separate. This means your battery is not sharing space with the gas bottles, which simplifies installation and ventilation. The TITAN's IP67-rated case handles the damp and dust of an underfloor mount without issue.
A few things to check before ordering:
- Measure the box internally, not from a brochure. Include the full internal depth and the height from the floor of the box to the underside of the lid. Terminal clearance is often the tightest dimension - the terminals sit proud of the case top, and the lid catch or hinge can limit the available height.
- Check the cable run to the fuse board. Bailey's underfloor position is well-located for a short positive cable run, but note the routing and confirm the cable lengths you need before installation.
- RJ45 comms ports. The TITAN has RJ45 ports for third-party app monitoring. The case is sealed to IP67 overall, but the RJ45 ports drop to IP32 while a cable is connected - keep any plugged port clear of standing water in the underfloor environment.
Charging your Bailey caravan battery
A caravan has no engine and no alternator - your battery charges from three sources: mains hook-up, roof solar, and a trickle from the tow vehicle while you drive. Understanding each one helps you plan a battery size that actually matches how and where you tour.
230V mains hook-up. The primary recharge source for most Bailey owners is the onboard charger connected to a campsite electric hook-up (EHU). A lithium battery accepts a faster charge rate than the lead-acid it replaces, so a decent charger on a 16A pitch can replenish a 100Ah TITAN in a few hours rather than overnight. Check that your existing charger is set to a lithium profile - or that it has an automatic lithium mode - using the charger compatibility list. An incorrectly profiled charger will not damage the TITAN (the custom BMS handles protection), but it may not charge it fully.
Roof solar via MPPT. Upper Bailey ranges can leave the factory with a roof solar panel and a PWM or MPPT controller. Even if your caravan came without solar, a panel is straightforward to add to the Bailey Alu-Tech roof. Solar is the key source on Caravan and Motorhome Club Certificated Locations (CLs) where there is no electric hook-up. Size your panel with the solar sizing guide and pair it with an MPPT controller for the best yield from a lithium battery. Lithium's flat discharge curve means the MPPT sees a stable voltage across the bulk of the discharge, which maximises harvest time compared to lead-acid.
12S / 13-pin tow plug while towing. The 12S socket on your tow car passes a small charge current - typically 4A to 8A depending on the vehicle - to the caravan battery via the 13-pin plug while you are driving. This is a maintenance trickle, not a fast charge. It keeps the battery topped up on a long drive and is worth having, but it will not meaningfully recover a deeply discharged battery during a normal journey. Do not size your battery around this source alone.
Motor mover. If your Bailey has a motor mover fitted, lithium is a significant upgrade. Motor movers draw high surge currents - often 60A to 100A for a fraction of a second when they bite - and lead-acid batteries sag badly under that load, sometimes cutting the mover out mid-manoeuvre. A TITAN holds its voltage flat under surge, delivers the full current the mover demands, and recovers instantly. Owners who have struggled with their mover cutting out on a tired AGM consistently report an improvement after switching to lithium.
Winter storage. Lithium chemistry tolerates months of storage at a partial state of charge far better than lead-acid. You do not need to top it up every six weeks or connect a conditioner. Leave the TITAN at around 50% to 70% state of charge, disconnect it from any loads if possible, and it will still be healthy when the touring season starts again. The custom BMS with built-in low-temperature heater also means it charges safely down to -30C - so an early-season cold morning is not a problem.
