Where lithium can and cannot be installed in a caravan
Under AS/NZS 3001.2:2022, cited by the Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2025, in force since 13 November 2025 and compulsory from 12 November 2026, a lithium battery inside a caravan or motorhome can only be in the habitable space if it's housed in a sealed, externally vented enclosure. This is so toxic gases cannot reach the living area, and the battery also must have a battery management system and be certified to AS IEC 62619. A replacement battery must be the same type as the one originally installed, unless a competent person does the upgrade.
The regulatory chain: New Zealand's Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 cite the standards that connectable installations have to meet, which means caravans, motorhomes, food trucks and relocatable homes. The 2025 legislation amendment updated those citations to AS/NZS 3001.2:2022 with a 12-month transition, so from 13 November 2025 you may work to the new standard and from 12 November 2026 you must. WorkSafe's guidance is explicit on the date. The 2022 edition is the one that squarely addresses lithium banks, which barely existed when its predecessor was written.
Why the standard singles out lithium placement specifically and not other battery chemistries: a lithium cell in thermal runaway vents hot, toxic, flammable gas, and in the few square metres of living space in a caravan there's nowhere for that to go except to where people sleep. A sealed and externally vented battery housing changes the outcome of a rare event from fatal to survivable. None of this makes lithium a bad camper battery, it makes battery placement a design decision to get right at build time rather than after the upholstery is in. Under-seat and under-bed locations inside the living space are exactly the ones that now need to be sealed and externally vented, or a battery relocated to an external, drawbar or underslung compartment.
What to do with this. Building or refitting now? Work to the 2022 standard already, because the transition window is permission rather than a reprieve, and any fixed 230V work needs a registered electrician certifying to it. Existing vans: an interior lithium bank with no sealed external venting is worth reviewing at the next refit whatever the legal position due to the concerns flagged, and a specific van needs a specific answer from us or a registered inspector rather than general advice off a web page. Buying components: chemistry and placement decide each other, which is the conversation to have before the purchase rather than after. We supply components that suit a compliant install and can point you to an electrician.
Common questions
What counts as a habitable area, and where can the battery go instead?
The habitable area is the living space, anywhere people sit, sleep, cook or sit out the weather, which is what under-seat and under-bed locations are. A lithium bank can still go in there if it's in a sealed enclosure vented to the outside. The alternative is to take it out of the living space altogether, into a drawbar box, an underslung compartment or an external locker that vents to atmosphere. Decide this at build time, because it's a joinery decision as much as an electrical one.
Can I keep my existing under-seat lithium battery?
Your van needs a specific answer rather than a general one off a web page, so ask us or a registered electrical inspector about your setup. What holds regardless of the legal position is that an interior lithium bank with no sealed external venting is worth reviewing at your next refit.
Does this apply to my food truck or tiny home on wheels?
The standard covers connectable installations, which means structures with 230V systems that move between sites, and that captures caravans, motorhomes, vending vehicles and many relocatable homes. If it plugs into a caravan style supply, assume that it does apply and check.