a great comparison of LI vs AGM jars

Huntindog wrote:
What exactly is the problem with low tempertures for these batteries?
That is a serious shortcoming for my usage... A dealbreaker even if they were free.

Any chance that the technology may improve in that area?

Will -49 F work ? Look here

Besides the huge weight advantage, LiFePO4 batteries (the safe Li-Ion batteries) can be left partially charged indefinitely. In fact IIRC they prefer to be stored at around 50% SOC. For those of us with just solar, no generator, that's quite an advantage over AGM when boondocking with uncertain levels of sunshine. As long as you don't drop below 10% or over 90% SOC you are good.

However the cost is still prohibitive for me. Maybe next year?

There's many more yacht owners successfully running LiPO4. But maybe they have more money than most of us ...

No need for life insurance then Mex. Just...turn on the air conditioner, too.

Seriously folks, there are at least 2 rv full timers, that I am aware of, using LI successfully. The systems need to be sized appropriately. Right now they are costly. But the price is dropping, and may continue to do so. Eventually it may make economic sense, especially for full time folks. That same process has happened to solar, with panel prices now as low as $0.38 per watt for a name brand (Sharp) 153 watt panel.

One of the two folks does "live" on rvnet and has posted fairly often. So we have our "proof of concept" established.

For myself, I'd really love to double my capacity (currently 566 amp-hours) and quintuple the solar (currently 256 watts). I can do neither because I'm right at the weight limit of my RV and do not have enough roof space to increase solar wattage.

So I'm stuck urban docking and running off 15 amp shore power. That I can do successfully from May to October running 100% electrically.

Now, if I could just find a money tree....

"Hmmm, I wonder how my lithium battery will do powering both my toaster and microBOOM!"

mlts22 indeed a battery management system must be in place. I know that there are some 12 and 24 volt jars that have one integrated into the jar.

There are two things not mentioned: You need a special charger for lithium batteries, and a discharger. If you attach loads like you do on an AGM battery, the lithium batteries might just go boom. This is why the high end class "B" vans use a Silverleaf charger.

There are a couple places (Smart Battery) that purport to make "drop in" lithium batteries that won't explode or limit amps coming out. However they still need a special charger, and a special solar charger as well.

If the cost of lithium batteries falls to 1.5 to 2x the cost of AGM, it might just be worth it, due to the damage lead-acid batteries get when under 50% SoC.

The decision should be based on dollar cost per cycle, so long as the temperature can be kept above -20 c (-4 f).

The ability for rapid discharge with much smaller Peukert effect is significant.

Thanks, that's an interesting read.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
HERE'S THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT COMPARISON!


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And there you have it!