17 replies to this topic

[Esus]

The main negative that I have seen, other than cost, was that they can not be charged if the battery is below 32 deg F. 

 

This struck me as the main downside as well. Mine cuts off closer to 20 than 32, but yeah, cold weather charging could be tricky. Fortunately, I can run my heater for days before I need to charge and my battery is inside the camper! Hopefully that does the trick this winter - we shall see!

[Andy Douglass]

I stumbled across another consideration:

 

Was looking at the Renogy RV solar packages and in the questions, someone asked if their controller would charge lithium batteries.  The Renogy seller stated that none of their controllers are compatible with lithium.

 

https://www.amazon.c...Tx3PHSZXHEDXTDS

[rando]

The better solar controllers (Victron, Morningstar etc) are all compatible with LiFePO4 as the charge parameters are all adjustable.  If I were installing solar now I would (and did) consider this.   Lithium batteries are not quite there yet, but they will be in the next couple of years, so it would suck to have to replace your charging system to switch to the new technology when you replace batteries. 

[Esus]

Lithium batteries are not quite there yet, but they will be in the next couple of years

 

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree here. My setup is Lithium, it works fine, didn't break the bank, and couldn't be simpler using normal Victron gear many people already have and use for conventional LA setups. While it's true that LA will cease to be as popular and lithium will certainly increase in popularity down the road, the cost savings are already there for those willing to shell out a little more cash up front not to mention the technology is just plain better to begin with.

[Esus]

I stumbled across another consideration:

 

Was looking at the Renogy RV solar packages and in the questions, someone asked if their controller would charge lithium batteries.  The Renogy seller stated that none of their controllers are compatible with lithium.

 

https://www.amazon.c...Tx3PHSZXHEDXTDS

 

One of the interesting thing about Lithium cells is that once you have four of them you have a very similar voltage and charging profile as you would with a standard LA battery. Add to that a BMS, which is often built right into a lithium battery, and it's pretty easy to drop them right into traditional applications without changing much. Not to mention that you won't damage it by slightly under charging it. Most chargers where you can at least turn off equalization will likely do the trick. 

[rando]

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree here. My setup is Lithium, it works fine, didn't break the bank, and couldn't be simpler using normal Victron gear many people already have and use for conventional LA setups. While it's true that LA will cease to be as popular and lithium will certainly increase in popularity down the road, the cost savings are already there for those willing to shell out a little more cash up front not to mention the technology is just plain better to begin with.

 

I have a DIY LiFePO4 pack as well and think they are awesome.   In saying 'not quite there' I am not referring to the tech (which is awesome) but to the pricing and manufacturing.   The price per Ah (~$10/Ah) is still really high and the manufacturing is still pretty fragmented (as far as I know all the resellers in the US are small outfits packaging cells from CALB and other Chinese OEMs).   However I think both of these issues will be changing as the market grows. 

[Esus]

I have a DIY LiFePO4 pack as well and think they are awesome.   In saying 'not quite there' I am not referring to the tech (which is awesome) but to the pricing and manufacturing.   The price per Ah (~$10/Ah) is still really high and the manufacturing is still pretty fragmented (as far as I know all the resellers in the US are small outfits packaging cells from CALB and other Chinese OEMs).   However I think both of these issues will be changing as the market grows. 

 

Fair. While not a DIY job, mine is definitely from a small startup. It is worth mentioning that it ran about $8 per Ah and comes with a 3 year warranty. Definitely getting there. 

[rando]

When Deka, Lifeline and the other big manufacturers get into the LiFePO4 game things will change dramatically with prices going down and quality going up.