Cheap Batteries are Coming, Cheap Batteries are Coming, Cheap Lithium Batteries ...

[SolarPoweredRV]

I also am looking at adding 400-600 watts of solar with an MPPT controller. I believe my current converter is connected to a 15 amp outlet. If my calculations are correct, I should be able to run a 70 amp converter (please let me know if I'm wrong.) I will have to verify the wire size that runs to my batteries is adequate for a 10ft run.

You need to verify the following information for yourself:

Progressive Dynamics Lithium Converters only go up to 80 amps ( PD9180ALV ), according to their website, this unit only draws 1300 Watts. 1300 Watts converts to ~ 11 amps draw at 120 volts.

The converter you choose will be limited by your wallet and your existing wiring if you decide to not replace it.

[SolarPoweredRV]

I also am looking at adding 400-600 watts of solar with an MPPT controller. I believe my current converter is connected to a 15 amp outlet. If my calculations are correct, I should be able to run a 70 amp converter (please let me know if I'm wrong.) I will have to verify the wire size that runs to my batteries is adequate for a 10ft run.

With regards to the size of your proposed 600 ah battery bank and the Solar Wattage you mentioned, I think your Solar system will be under sized.

I recommend you look into using Residential Solar panels in the 300 - 325 Watt range. You get a lot more watts per dollar and you will have fewer panels on your roof. Four 325 Watt panels will give you 1,300 Watts of Solar which would be a good match for your battery bank.
A quick Google search yielded top quality Solar panels for around $0.65 cents per watt.

Personally, I used four 305 Watt Canadian Solar panels on my roof (mounted with 6 "Z" brackets per panel) and I love their performance.

[Dennis1]

When it comes to replacing your Lead Acid Batteries with Lithium Batteries, Battle Born is the "Gold Standard" brand to install, unfortunately, the brand also carries a premium price. Lithium batteries (LiFePo4 chemistry) have been around for quite some time and it is about time prices start to become more reasonable. Have you ever said to yourself; I would love to have Lithium batteries in my RV, but, the price is just too steep, I'll wait till the price comes down.

Well...

For those who are more price conscious (frugal) the prices have come down for Lithium Batteries (LiFePo4 Batteries). To be specific, you can now power your RV for ~ 70% less than the price of installing Battle Born Batteries.

I spent the day researching LiFePo4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries and I have found batteries as low as $271 for a 100ah (equivalent) Lithium Battery. Compared to a Battle Born Battery at $949 that is quite a deal !!!!!



Now these batteries are not covered by a 10 warranty, nor are they supported by a dealer network, but they are cheap and they cost less than AGM Batteries.

I realize not everyone is willing to go with the cheapest battery on the market, but I have also created a Spreadsheet with several options priced between these two extremes.

I will attach the Spreadsheet below.

The lowest price is based on a 12v, 200ah, LiFePo4 battery sourced from AliBaba in China and shipped direct. The pricing is based on ordering a single battery and paying shipping charges from China, if you were to order more than a single battery, the pricing might be lower due to lower shipping charges per battery.

I realize that not everyone is adventurous enough to order your LiFePo4 Batteries direct from China (where most LiFePo4 batteries are made), but for those who are daring enough, your wallet will thank you (to be honest, if this were an option available to me a few years ago, I would have purchased these batteries direct from China).

If you are considering installing a Robust Solar and Lithium Battery System, I would strongly suggest you consider installing a 24 volt system instead of sticking with a 12 volt system there are many advantages to a 24v system. If you do consider a 24v system, you should search for 24v LiFePo4 batteries (all the batteries on my Spreadsheet are 12 volts).

I have also included several batteries available from Amazon with free shipping (I love those magic words) and some even have Warranties that compare favorably with Battle Born Batteries.

I have sorted my list by $ per Amp Hour to allow for better comparison between the different Amp Hour offerings shown. Additionally, I have included the web link to the page where I found the batteries and pricing. Please note that these links may not be accurate for more than a few days after I post this.

If anybody decides to purchase any of the batteries listed, please post a note about your experience and how you like your new (cheap) battery or batteries.

I don’t believe you mentioned the SOK 100 AH batteries I have two which I’m very happy with and will most likely purchase 2 more this year and with 800 wats of solar I believe we will be able to boondock easily at least with plenty of power.

[TerryH]

Thought I'd add this as an update from a few pages back on the Chins batteries. Wil Prowse did a teardown on the Chins and was overall positive about the construction. That convinced me to give the Chins a try. They have low temp batteries now that include heaters but I opted for the regular without as this battery will be inside the coach and we are fair weather campers. On Will's forum there is a thread with Chins reps and they are offering special deals. That's where I bought mine. 300ah, 200 amp BMS, 200 amps continuous discharge, 600 amps peak discharge, 200 amp max charge, 68.4 lbs. It's $1138.79 including tax on Amazon. The Chins direct price from the forum post was $923.99 to my door. Arrived in 6 days in perfect condition. Pretty darn good deal in my book. The battery assemblies have not gone thru UL testing but the cells are UL approved. Gan Feng cells, the certificate number is 20190705-MH63648 per their response to that question on the forum.

Unfortunately I'm nursing a torn up knee at the moment so haven't been able to do the install but I'm confident from all the research that it'll be a great battery for us. Just another idea for the cheapskates like me.

[SolarPoweredRV]

Thought I'd add this as an update from a few pages back on the Chins batteries. Wil Prowse did a teardown on the Chins and was overall positive about the construction. That convinced me to give the Chins a try. They have low temp batteries now that include heaters but I opted for the regular without as this battery will be inside the coach and we are fair weather campers. On Will's forum there is a thread with Chins reps and they are offering special deals. That's where I bought mine. 300ah, 200 amp BMS, 200 amps continuous discharge, 600 amps peak discharge, 200 amp max charge, 68.4 lbs. It's $1138.79 including tax on Amazon. The Chins direct price from the forum post was $923.99 to my door. Arrived in 6 days in perfect condition. Pretty darn good deal in my book. The battery assemblies have not gone thru UL testing but the cells are UL approved. Gan Feng cells, the certificate number is 20190705-MH63648 per their response to that question on the forum.

Unfortunately I'm nursing a torn up knee at the moment so haven't been able to do the install but I'm confident from all the research that it'll be a great battery for us. Just another idea for the cheapskates like me.

That is an excellent price on a battery with very good specs.

Hope you get to feeling better so you can test that sucker out !!

[Ynot4me2]

I don’t believe you mentioned the SOK 100 AH batteries I have two which I’m very happy with and will most likely purchase 2 more this year and with 800 wats of solar I believe we will be able to boondock easily at least with plenty of power.

The SOK are well reviewed and almost got my money. I simply decided to go the DIY route.

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[Ynot4me2]

Thought I'd add this as an update from a few pages back on the Chins batteries. Wil Prowse did a teardown on the Chins and was overall positive about the construction. That convinced me to give the Chins a try. They have low temp batteries now that include heaters but I opted for the regular without as this battery will be inside the coach and we are fair weather campers. On Will's forum there is a thread with Chins reps and they are offering special deals. That's where I bought mine. 300ah, 200 amp BMS, 200 amps continuous discharge, 600 amps peak discharge, 200 amp max charge, 68.4 lbs. It's $1138.79 including tax on Amazon. The Chins direct price from the forum post was $923.99 to my door. Arrived in 6 days in perfect condition. Pretty darn good deal in my book. The battery assemblies have not gone thru UL testing but the cells are UL approved. Gan Feng cells, the certificate number is 20190705-MH63648 per their response to that question on the forum.

Unfortunately I'm nursing a torn up knee at the moment so haven't been able to do the install but I'm confident from all the research that it'll be a great battery for us. Just another idea for the cheapskates like me.

Nice, please reported back but only when you feel better.

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[Dennis1]

Steph & Lise, I like the battery a lot. I’m certain you’ll be happy with them. Chin with SOK Battery (https://www.us.sokbattery.com) has been very help and responsive to all email communication. We started out with 1-100 ah battery due to budget issues and just buying our rig (July 2021) and have just recently purchased my second battery for now more to add later. Good luck with your DIY install. That’s the route I’ve taken too. Best of luck in your solar journey, it’s been worthwhile for us.

[Scramjet]

Steph & Lise, I like the battery a lot. I’m certain you’ll be happy with them. Chin with SOK Battery (https://www.us.sokbattery.com) has been very help and responsive to all email communication. We started out with 1-100 ah battery due to budget issues and just buying our rig (July 2021) and have just recently purchased my second battery for now more to add later. Good luck with your DIY install. That’s the route I’ve taken too. Best of luck in your solar journey, it’s been worthwhile for us.

We are running (2) 206ah SOK batteries. We have not had any problems and they have performed well. On a typical evening we consume about 150ah. The 412ah total that we have seems about right for us with some cushion for extra consumption or overcast days. I do run dual 12w heating pads with a digital temperature controller for cold nights as the batteries are in the front compartment.

Brian

[TerryH]

Nice, please reported back but only when you feel better.

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Will do. My orthopedic surgeon is out sick so only know what his nurse read from the report on the MRI I had on Wednesday. It's a radial tear in my meniscus and associated cysts and so on. Know more next week but looks like the battery and inverter project may be on hold for a while.