GOOD BUY? Lithium 12.8V 200ah Battery BMS $899.

[Extreme]

I can't afford a Battleborn battery or others of the same dollars but this one really caught my eye.
Now I know it's not the best but for someone just starting out this would go a long way with my limited budget $$ in getting started with a Lithium battery setup.
Can you give me your opinion on buying this 12.8V 200ah Battery BMS LifePO4 Deep Cycle Solar LED Display Marine Solar RV for $899.

Here is some basic information:
* 12V 200Ah Lithium Battery pack is made of 2parallel 4 pcs of 200000mAh Lithium Cells
* Rated Voltage：12.8V
* Rated Capacity (0.2C): 200Ah / 2560Wh
* Maximum Continuous Discharge Current: 100A
* Max. discharging current: 200Amp(Duration: less than 5 seconds)
* Maximum Charging Current:100A
* Over Charging Protection Voltage: 14.6V
* Cycle Life: 2000 cycles 100% DOD，Depth of Discharge (DoD),up to 5000 cycles at 80% DoD
* Charging time: Approximately 6 hours
* Operating temperatures: Charge 0°C~50°C,
* Discharge -20°C~60°C, Storage -20°C~50°C
* Impedance: ≤ 15mΩ
* Cut-off voltage: 10V
* Depth of Discharge (DoD): 100%
* Output: 14.4 - 14.6V; Input:110v/AC/50HZ
* Standard charge current: 20A
* Max continuous charge current: 50A

Here is the web link to the battery:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lithium-12...iseUnbiasedWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851

Thanks in advance!

 

[bertschb]

I've never heard of BtrPower. I looked at their website and it's apparent somebody threw it together quickly (lots of typos). One year warranty is the lowest I've heard of (others have 10 years to life). I personally wouldn't buy a LiFePO4 battery unless somebody had done a tear down review and tested it. I'd want to see the quality of the wires/lugs/cells/BMS/case, etc. I'd also want to see a capacity test and also confirm it has high/low temp cutoffs.

If I couldn't afford Battleborn, I'd consider something like the Lion Energy UT1300 which are on sale right now at Costco for $1,399 for two.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRe9TWEEoI0

 

[Extreme]

Do you like the Dual Case (2 in one case) or 2 separate batteries for RV use?

 

[bertschb]

Do you like the Dual Case (2 in one case) or 2 separate batteries for RV use?

I prefer fewer connections between batteries for RV use. But that's just me. I'm moving from two Lion Energy UT1300's to two of the new 270ah Battleborn GC3 batteries. The downside of going with a single, larger battery is if it fails, you're SOL.

 

[Extreme]

Did you have any problems with vibrations on your RV with the Lion batteries? The video said that vibration can cause problems for the Lion battery.

 

[bertschb]

Did you have any problems with vibrations on your RV with the Lion batteries?

No, but I've never liked the post design. You can tighten the lugs but when I do it, I cringe wondering if the nut in the case will strip out. So they are snug but not really as tight as I'd like. That's one thing I really like about the BB batteries. The posts are designed such that you can crank down the lugs with zero chance of damaging the battery.

Will's concern with vibration in the Lion Energy battery holds true across all the cheaper brands. The construction just isn't the same as higher quality batteries. He has done several battery tear downs where he cuts open the case and dismantles and tests everything. The build quality and components (wiring, lugs, crimps, etc) used in some of the cheap batteries is scary.

 

[Extreme]

Since I'm sooooo new at this. I'm really looking for a entry level on this whole thing.
If its not too much to ask could you give me a $$ breakout on what a inexpensive dual lithium batteries, inverter/charger and monitor would cost?
Then in a 5 years I would update the system for more serious dry camping. As it is now me and the wife will only be dry camping a 1-3 days max.
Thanks on behalf of all us Newbies.

 

[bertschb]

Since I'm sooooo new at this....If its not too much to ask could you give me a $$ breakout on what a inexpensive dual lithium batteries, inverter/charger and monitor would cost?

Just so you know - I'm new at this myself so take EVERYTHING I say with a grain of salt.

You can actually build your own LiFePO4 batteries pretty cheap. It's not difficult to do and if I had very little money, that's what I'd do. Failing that, I'd pick up two of the Lion Energy UT1300's at Costco right now for $1,399.

Most people here who switch to lithium batteries replace their stock converter/charger with a Progressive Dynamics PD9160ALV for $218. You could probably get a non-name model for $150 (just guessing).

As for the inverter - it depends on what you're trying to run from the inverter. My Solitude 310GK-R came from the factory with a 2,000w inverter as part of the solar package. It's enough to run the residential fridge, lights, modem/router/TV/sound bar and other light loads. If you want to add hair dryers and other high loads to that list, you'll need a 3,000w model (or more). My factory 2,000w inverter (Magnum Dimensions CSW2012) sells for $690. You could probably get a 1,000w cheap model for half that.

The go-to battery monitor is the Victron BMV-712 ($207). As always, there are cheap alternatives ($30)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6O76Okmt08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tObHbsSDWeQ

Will Prowse has several really good videos on batteries, inverters, monitors, charge controllers, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/c/WillProwse/videos

 

[Extreme]

Thanks Pal.
Your information has been extremely helpful.
But since I am not electrically handy (too say the least) I'll be looking for someone to install all this stuff.
Oh and by the way we are only looking to run our lights and TV with the Lithium on our hitch but I'm thinking of having it moved to our front pass-thru bay storage area.
Plus we have a 300 watt Bluetti personal lithium battery generator we will use for other stuff. Thanks again!

 

[goodoz]

I own three of these...currently on Amazon for $799 (I paid $849 about three months back). No problems so far and they rated pretty well in a y0utube teardown...Will Prowse. You just can't allow them to get too cold...low temp shutoff did not work at the time of the review.

https://www.amazon.com/Lithium-Appl...5338227&sprefix=amperetime+200,aps,264&sr=8-3

 

[SolarPoweredRV]

I can't afford a Battleborn battery or others of the same dollars but this one really caught my eye.
Now I know it's not the best but for someone just starting out this would go a long way with my limited budget $$ in getting started with a Lithium battery setup.
Can you give me your opinion on buying this 12.8V 200ah Battery BMS LifePO4 Deep Cycle Solar LED Display Marine Solar RV for $899.

Here is some basic information:
* 12V 200Ah Lithium Battery pack is made of 2parallel 4 pcs of 200000mAh Lithium Cells
* Rated Voltage：12.8V
* Rated Capacity (0.2C): 200Ah / 2560Wh
* Maximum Continuous Discharge Current: 100A
* Max. discharging current: 200Amp(Duration: less than 5 seconds)
* Maximum Charging Current:100A
* Over Charging Protection Voltage: 14.6V
* Cycle Life: 2000 cycles 100% DOD，Depth of Discharge (DoD),up to 5000 cycles at 80% DoD
* Charging time: Approximately 6 hours
* Operating temperatures: Charge 0°C~50°C,
* Discharge -20°C~60°C, Storage -20°C~50°C
* Impedance: ≤ 15mΩ
* Cut-off voltage: 10V
* Depth of Discharge (DoD): 100%
* Output: 14.4 - 14.6V; Input:110v/AC/50HZ
* Standard charge current: 20A
* Max continuous charge current: 50A

Here is the web link to the battery:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lithium-12...iseUnbiasedWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851

Thanks in advance!

Did you read my posting about "Cheap Lithium Batteries are Coming..."?

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/sho...g-Cheap-Lithium-Batteries?p=341322#post341322

In that posting I included a spreadsheet showing all the cheaper Lithium (LiFePo4) batteries I could find, exclusive of the "Build it Yourself" batteries, including a breakdown of $ per Amp Hour. I compared Battle Born batteries to all the other batteries I found to give you an easy to compare pricing guide. I included several batteries from Amazon as well as several "Direct From China" batteries. I did not include the Lion batteries from Costco because they were not available for sale on the day I did the research.

Anyway, you managed to match the lowest priced LiFePo4 battery that I found available from a domestic source. If I were looking to purchase the battery you found, I would probably order the "same battery (essentially the same)" from Amazon, simply because they have a better return policy and free shipping.

**** Breaking News **** I just checked on Amazon and the price has been reduced by $50 !!!

That's right, a 200 Ah LIFePo4 battery for only $799 with Free Shipping !!!!

Outside of building your own battery from individual Chinese Cells, this is the best deal going on Domestically sourced LiFePo4 batteries.

PS: Buy it now, don't wait Stock may be limited.

 

[Extreme]

So how concerned are you about the low temperature cut off ability and what do you personally do to handle that concern?
Its not that uncommon for it to get into the 30's?

 

[Extreme]

This is the hot tip......thanks.

 

[Extreme]

Where do you think I can find a battery box that can hold the dual size battery for the front hitch of my 2500rl rig?

 

[SolarPoweredRV]

So how concerned are you about the low temperature cut off ability and what do you personally do to handle that concern?
Its not that uncommon for it to get into the 30's?

The concern with Lithium batteries is that they can not be charged if the internal temp is 32 degrees or below. You can still discharge them, but trying to charge them will ruin them.

The key lies with the BMS, does the BMS stop the battery from charging if it senses 32 degrees or below, if it does, then you are golden, if it does not, then you have a problem.

I don't know where you are from, but if you always disconnect your batteries while in storage you won't have a problem, because the problem is only if you try to charge the battery at, or below, 32 degrees. Also, if you don't have any way of charging your batteries during storage you won't have a problem.

The problem happens if you are camping and the batteries drop below 32 degrees and you don't turn off your Converter, if you are plugged into shore power. Additionally, if you are plugged into your Tow Vehicle and your batteries are below 32 degrees and you have not disabled the charge line from the Tow Vehicle you can have a problem.

Another issue is if you have a Solar panel(s) that can charge the battery anytime there is sunlight you will also have a problem.

So, if your camper does not have Solar, and you are not out camping in the cold weather, you won't have to worry about your batteries being damaged.

If you are camping in the cold weather, then you need to ensure that you are not charging the batteries if their Internal Temperature is at 32 degrees or below.

The Internal BMS should prevent the batteries from being charged if the internal temp is at or below 32 degrees, however not all BMS are programmed for this feature so you might want to check the comments on Amazon to see if someone has tested your battery.

For me, I would not be too concerned about cold weather charging, because, I would ensure my battery was fully charged before the cold weather hit, and I would turn off all methods I had to charge the batteries, I would then manually enable charging after I was sure the battery temp was above 32 degrees.

 

[rootusrootus]

Where do you think I can find a battery box that can hold the dual size battery for the front hitch of my 2500rl rig?

It's wider than the battery rails, so you'd end up bolting a sufficiently large tool box to the trailer tongue. etrailer.com sells a variety of sizes. Personally, I'd probably just put it in the pass-through storage next to the 'universal docking station' where the battery disconnect is, for ease of wiring. You lose a little bit of storage, but that's not too critical for me. And you'd likely keep the battery above freezing at all times unless you left the trailer unheated.

 

[RV Sailor]

I've never heard of BtrPower. I looked at their website and it's apparent somebody threw it together quickly (lots of typos). One year warranty is the lowest I've heard of (others have 10 years to life). I personally wouldn't buy a LiFePO4 battery unless somebody had done a tear down review and tested it. I'd want to see the quality of the wires/lugs/cells/BMS/case, etc. I'd also want to see a capacity test and also confirm it has high/low temp cutoffs.

If I couldn't afford Battleborn, I'd consider something like the Lion Energy UT1300 which are on sale right now at Costco for $1,399 for two.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRe9TWEEoI0

I’m in agreement with your assessment of Li fly by night companies with unproven quality control.

He does have an alternative. Instead of the Lion Energy or any lithium we have Oasis Firefly Carbon Foam AGM. Not at all like any other AGM with lots of similar performance properties of Battleborn. You can draw the down to 20% easily and without penalizing cyles. Can get 3000 cycles. No special battery management system. No danger in an accident of a lithium fire which could be spectacular. ( First responders get special training when appearing at an accident with lithium battery powered cars) the cost is just north of $500. 6 year warranty


https://oceanplanetenergy.com/advanced-energy-storage-systems/firefly-energys-oasis-group-31/

 

[rootusrootus]

lithium fire which could be spectacular. ( First responders get special training when appearing at an accident with lithium battery powered cars)

You are thinking of lithium ion, not Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP). The FAA has done fire tests and concluded that LFP batteries are dramatically less likely to become a fire hazard than lithium ion.

the cost is just north of $500.

Best I can find is just under $700 including shipping. And it's still really heavy, and has less capacity than a Battle Born LFP (which includes shipping in the advertised price).

6 year warranty

Just over half as long as the warranty on a Battle Born, which is only $200 more (and has slightly more capacity).

Also worth noting is that the carbon foam battery still has problems with relatively high self-discharge rates, and it has a 'memory' and will lose capacity over time until you draw it all the way down and fast charge it back to full. LFP batteries don't have this problem.

I think the carbon foam battery is a very interesting competitor to AGM, but it's overpriced by about 2x.

It's especially bad if you compare it to a budget LFP like Ampere Time, which are built pretty well but cost $500 for 100 Ah or $800 for 200 Ah, and still have all the usual LFP benefits.

 

[BigSam]

I would check Dakota Lithium batteries. I think they have an 11 year warranty and are little bit cheaper than Battleborn. I have not used them on my RV, but know people who use them in their boats and swear by them. The USA only processes 1% of the world’s lithium and China process 50%, but at least try and buy something assembled and/or engineered in America.

 

[rootusrootus]

I would check Dakota Lithium batteries. I think they have an 11 year warranty and are little bit cheaper than Battleborn. I have not used them on my RV, but know people who use them in their boats and swear by them. The USA only processes 1% of the world’s lithium and China process 50%, but at least try and buy something assembled and/or engineered in America.

Same price as Battle Born (899). Both are assembled in America, all LFP cells are manufactured in southeast Asia.