Power Simplified: Inside REDARC’s all-new, plug-and-play, 12-volt revolution

Figuring out a fixed 12-volt system in your 4WD can be a bit of a mission. What brands to mash together, how many amps you actually need, what fuses go where, how to mount it, and, crucially, how to wire it in a way that won’t turn into a campfire halfway up a trail. Too often, we see people give up altogether and settle for a chilly bin full of melting ice rather than deal with the complexity of wiring up a fridge.

We’ve been there. Our first 12-volt setup was a cobbled-together mix of parts we had lying around the shed, a few deals we found online, and a lot of crossed fingers. It worked most of the time, but it also looked like a bird’s nest and took hours of head scratching every time we wanted to add something new.

Thankfully, REDARC, the South Australian legends behind some of the toughest power gear in the industry, have come up with a solution that cuts out the guesswork, clutter, and complexity from 12-volt systems altogether. It’s called REDWorks, and it’s an Australian-made, pre-wired power panel range designed to make powering your adventures as simple as mounting it, plugging it in, and hitting the road.

The ‘Australian Made’ advantage

REDARC have built their reputation on reliability, but ‘Australian Made’ isn’t just a sticker for them. It’s an advantage. Every REDWorks panel is designed, engineered, and assembled in their Lonsdale facility in South Australia. It’s then tested using the same vibration and environmental chambers that simulate years of corrugations, heat, and dust in just a few days.

That means these panels aren’t built for brochures. They’re built for the real world, for the people who actually use their rigs off the beaten path and expect things to work first time, every time.

With a growing REDNetwork installer base across New Zealand, you’re never far from qualified support if you do need a hand fitting or troubleshooting your setup.

A plug-and-play approach to 12-volt power

If you’ve ever built a touring setup, you’ll know the challenge: trying to piece together a charger, fuse block, battery monitor, and wiring kit from multiple brands, hoping it’ll all talk to each other nicely. REDARC’s new REDWorks panels take that entire process — design, wiring, testing, and protection — and build it into one compact, finished product.

Each unit arrives pre-wired, pre-fused, and ready to install. There’s no hunting for extra terminals, crimping cables, or calculating fuse ratings. Everything is integrated, tested, and designed to work seamlessly from day one.

It’s the same quality you’d expect from REDARC, built tough in Australia and tested for the world’s harshest conditions. Most importantly, it’s power made simple.

Powering the system

Every REDWorks panel is built to manage power between two sources: your vehicle’s start battery and a dedicated auxiliary battery. The system doesn’t store power itself — it charges, controls and distributes it. While you’re driving, the panel charges your auxiliary battery via your vehicle’s alternator. But when the sun is out, the in-built MPPT solar regulator handles charging from solar panels, and, thanks to Green Power PriorityTM, they’ll automatically prioritise solar first to reduce strain on your alternator.

Your start battery remains isolated and protected from discharge, while your auxiliary battery powers your accessories — fridges, lights, compressors, or Starlink units for example — through the pre-wired genuine Anderson outputs.

All three panels are compatible with AGM, lead-acid, and lithium (LiFePO₄) batteries, including heated lithium variants. The higher-end models (Scout 50, Nomad 50, and Pioneer 50) are even EV and hybrid-ready, able to limit input current when required. 

All panels feature an in-built MPPT solar regulator and REDARC’s Green Power PriorityTM technology, to prioritise solar charging first to reduce strain on your alternator. 

Recommended battery pairings

• Scout 25/40: for AGM 70–150Ah or lithium under 100Ah
  
  

• Scout 50: for AGM 150–200Ah or lithium 100–150Ah
  
  

• Nomad 40: for AGM 150–200Ah or lithium 100–150Ah
  
  

• Nomad 50: for AGM 200Ah+ or lithium 150Ah+
  
  

• Pioneer 50: for AGM 200Ah+ or lithium 150Ah+
  
  

Whichever REDWorks system you choose, you’ll need a separate auxiliary battery — like REDARC’s REDLAB Alpha 150 Ah or Icon lithium range — to complete the setup.

Three levels of power: Scout, Nomad, and Pioneer

The REDWorks range is built around three models, each tailored to how you travel. Whether you’re keeping things light and simple or building a full-blown tourer, there’s a panel for every type of setup.

Scout: essential power made easy

If your idea of a great weekend away involves a fridge, a few lights, and charging your camera gear, the Scout panel is the one to look at. It’s compact — about the size of an A4 sheet — and slips neatly under a seat, behind drawers, or tucked into a canopy.

The Scout gives you genuine plug-and-play, dual-battery power without the clutter. You can charge while you drive through the alternator, or from the sun thanks to its in-built MPPT solar regulator. There’s no need for fancy wiring diagrams or multiple components. You’ve got a ready-to-go system that’ll power a fridge, lighting, or small accessories with total reliability.

For anyone running a minimalist touring setup or just starting out in 12-volt, this is a huge step up from chilly bin and head torch camping.

Includes:

• BCDC Core or Alpha R dual-input DC-DC charger with built-in MPPT solar regulator

• Anderson plug inputs and outputs (vehicle, solar, accessory)

• Integrated battery monitoring with Bluetooth app visibility

• Powder-coated aluminium housing, pre-wired and fused

Nomad: power that grows with you

For those starting to add more gear — maybe Starlink, a water pump, or a few more accessories — the Nomad takes things to the next level.

Nomad introduces expandability through an integrated fuse block, allowing you to add new devices easily without re-wiring or digging into your canopy again later. It’s perfect for travellers who started with a basic setup but keep finding new gadgets to plug in (and who doesn’t?).

With up to 50 amps of output, Nomad is designed to handle bigger loads and longer stays off-grid, and will look after your start battery at the same time. It still keeps the plug-and-play simplicity of the Scout but gives you a solid platform to build on.

It’s the kind of system that grows with your rig — clean, reliable, and easy to service when needed.

Includes:

• BCDC Core40 or BCDC Alpha50 R dual-input DC-DC charger with MPPT solar regulation

• 12-way or 10-way integrated fuse block (blade and MIDI fuses)

• Anderson plug inputs for vehicle and solar charging

• Anderson outputs for 10A, 25A, and 50A accessories

• Battery monitoring via RedVision app 

• Pre-wired aluminium panel ready to mount

Pioneer: total control in the palm of your hand

If you’re the kind of person who likes to know exactly what’s happening behind the scenes, and maybe automate it, the Pioneer50 is the flagship of the range.

It combines high-output charging and power delivery with RedVision smart monitoring, giving you full visibility and control of your 12-volt system from your smartphone or the included RedVision display.

You can monitor battery health, track input and output currents, and even control devices like lights, fridges, and pumps with a tap on your screen. It’s a level of convenience you usually only find in high-end expedition vehicles or modern caravans, and now you can have it in your 4WD.

The Pioneer50 also supports light dimming, water-tank sensors, and programmable automation, such as shutting off certain circuits when you start the engine. It’s also EV and hybrid-ready, with intelligent current limiting built in to protect sensitive systems.

All 50A panels also look after your start battery. With the Start Battery Recovery feature, safely restart a flat start battery in just 15 minutes via RedVision. Once you’re on the move, Start Battery Charging will charge your start battery with any excess solar available. 

It’s the smart home of 12-volt touring setups, purpose-built for serious travellers and tradies who rely on power day in and day out.

Includes:

• BCDC Alpha50 R dual-input DC-DC charger (50A)

• TVMS Rogue and RedVision display module

• Electronic resettable fuse bank with programmable outputs

• Anderson inputs for vehicle and solar

• Anderson outputs for 10A and 50A accessories 

• Full RedVision integration with smartphone control and monitoring

Built to make power simple

Power setups are one of those things that can make or break a trip. Get it wrong and you’ll be chasing faults in the rain with a multimeter. Get it right and you’ll forget it’s even there — your fridge hums away, lights glow softly at camp, and your devices stay charged.

That’s the whole idea behind REDWorks: turning a messy, intimidating part of the 4WD world into something reliable, compact, and easy to live with.

Australian-made, purpose-built, and ready for anything — it’s power you can trust, wherever you end up.

Find your perfect setup at redarcelectronics.com and discover which REDWorks panel suits your next adventure.