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Geeking out on different batteries


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#1 smlobx

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Posted 03 January 2021 - 04:14 PM

I came across this interesting video comparing the differences between various battery types in a controlled laboratory setting. While I’m certainly not an EE I found the data compelling so I thought I’d post it here and get some feedback from our resident electrical guru’s...

 

 

 

 

 


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Eddie
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#2 Jack

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Posted 04 January 2021 - 12:22 AM

This is a promotion for Battle Born and it plays games. The games notwithstanding, lithium batteries are a more economical long term solution in most cases.

 

First off, testing exactly to 50% discharge does not reflect typical camper power usage. Camper usage varies greatly, from a few percent some days to maybe more than 50% other days. The usage profile greatly affects battery life and therefor battery cost.

 

Assuming that 100 Ah meets your daily power needs, what you really want to know is what is my yearly cost of 200 Ah of AGM batteries over their life versus the yearly cost of 100 Ah of lithium batteries over their life.

 

There are a lot of individual factors in how you use your camper that affect your specific battery cost. What is the load profile of your electrical equipment? Do you have solar or travel daily to recharge regularly? In what temperature ranges do you camp? For one FWC owner who works and camps at a ski resort with temperatures well below 32 F, lithium batteries are useless. If you are 80 years old, the actuaries say both AGM and lithium batteries will likely outlive you. Are you likely to (accidentally) completely discharge your AMGs? I probably averaged 4 years from my AGMs. Other's get 7 or 8 years out of their AGMs. It goes on.

 

 


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#3 Vic Harder

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Posted 04 January 2021 - 12:51 AM

To add to what Jack says, the video is informative and perhaps misleading.  I notice they are determining when to "cutoff" when the batteries are under load.  Yes, 12.2V is 50% for AGM, when they are at rest!  I wonder why they are not using a Victron BMV to measure SOC instead and perhaps verifying that 50% does eventually level out at 12.2 for the AGM's.  The focus on voltage perpetuates a misunderstanding of how to practically determine actual SOC when you are using your batteries in the real world.

 

That said, I was interested in the Watt hours vs AH comment, and to see that those heated Battleborn batteries get around the "at a ski resort with temperatures well below 32 F, lithium batteries are useless." problem, since you can recharge them the same way you would AGM batteries, while still being arguably more efficient than the AGM's.


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