Victron has pushed Orion XS firmware v1.15 with a feature a lot of us have wanted for years: emergency reverse charge from the house bank back to the starter so you can crank when the start battery is flat.
It covers the full Orion XS range as Victron lists it — the 12/12-50A, the 12/12-70A, and the 1400. You need VictronConnect app firmware v6.43 (released the day before this update). Install from VictronConnect, remotely via VRM, or from the Victron Professional download folder.
How it works in practice: on the VictronConnect Status screen you tap the new engine-starter-charge icon. The Orion XS reverse-charges for 15 minutes, then sits disabled for a five-minute settling period so you can crank again. It only runs when forward charging has already stopped (input-voltage lockout or engine-shutdown detection), and it still works in remote-off, so a remote-off wire that only kills forward charge does not block the rescue path.
Limits, straight from Victron: starter side is charged to a maximum of 14.4 V (28.8 V on a 24 V starter with the Orion XS 1400). Reverse current is the lower of your configured current limit or half the unit’s rated current, and it backs off if the house bank dips too far. The multi-voltage 1400 gets a new 12 V / 24 V starter-battery setting in Product Settings (or VictronConnect asks the first time you use the feature).
Practical takeaway: update VictronConnect first, then the Orion XS, then try the icon once on the hardstanding so you know the path before you need it on a cold morning. Victron says this is the first of several reverse-charging features planned for the range.
Sources
- Victron Professional: Orion XS firmware v1.15 (24 Sep 2026)
Image: Victron Energy
