Forum Discussion
- They've come down a little... (But are still quite expensive.)
LiFePO4 100AH for $1,300
LiFePO4 200AH for $2,400
These are (more-or-less) drop in 12V replacements with built-in BMS. They won't fully charge on 13.3V float though, which could mean having to use a different charger or a programmable solar charge controller that allows setting of the various voltages. - mena, the replacement has been nicknamed the lizard battery for the new heat tolerant electrode material. Time will tell if it holds up significantly better. Still just ambient cooling unlike most other EVs with active temperature management.
smkettner wrote:
The Leaf's batteries are air cooled but because of heat related issues (premature capacity degradation) they are switching to liquid cooling. Living in a cool environment might not be a problem with that battery pack but in hot climates you'll suffer capacity loss. It was noticeable to owners in the cars, I don't know if we'd notice it in RV usage.
Nissan has priced the LEAF electric vehicle Li-Ion 24 kWh replacement battery at $5,500 with exchange and assumes the old battery is worth $1,000. 24 kWh is a big battery and can be charged at well over 12 kW rate. Yes it would also need a battery management system. This battery operates in a sealed container.- One of my nieces' husbands. . . hmm, lets rephrase that. :o The husband of one of my nieces is an engineer with an electric vehicle/lithium battery company and this year he had been twice to Europe to replace the batteries and/or drives in a couple of large ferries. Guess it's coming.
I tried to get him to design me an electric toad that could be towed 4 down and recharge if necessary while doing do. He declined! - Nissan has priced the LEAF electric vehicle Li-Ion 24 kWh replacement battery at $5,500 with exchange and assumes the old battery is worth $1,000. 24 kWh is a big battery and can be charged at well over 12 kW rate. Yes it would also need a battery management system. This battery operates in a sealed container.
- If anyone follows American RV'er (both video and stand-alone audio Podcast), they did a pretty good show about Li-on batteries in RV's about two years ago. The manufacturer installed it in the coach to run and test for free because they had no idea how to price it. Lots of information, problems, and fixes discussed.
- People do use RV converters on LI batteries. Check the sailboat forums. I don't know where you guys get your information from. The deal with RV converters is using one that doesn't overcharge the batteries (too high a charging voltage). The batteries BMS will shut off the charger if it overcharges anyways. That's part of what that component does. Also, LI batts don't need absorb or float charging so you won't get the benefit of fast charging with a RV converter. A power supply would work with LI batts better than a RV converter.
- Hi Bob,
And lead acid very happily produces Chlorine gas if sea water infiltrates a cell. Not exactly what I'd call "friendly".bob_nestor wrote:
Still? Lithium-Ion doesn't play well with salt water environments - Don't forget the charger. With a set of AGMs, I can have a RV converter, 2-3 solar charge controllers, and on a motorhome, a second alternator feeding the batteries a ton of amps.
Try that on a a lithium mix battery, and you will either have the battery pack blow its thermal safeties and be rendered useless, or you have an explosion. For proper charging, you have to have all the devices "know" about each other, or have everything go through a single charger for safety reasons.
This isn't to say this can be done. Advanced RV uses a Silverleaf controller to have one point of exit and ingress for electrons from its lithium-ion battery bank. However, if you want something from them, you are going to be looking well into the six digits.
As previously posted: $$$$$, and that applies to the batteries themselves as well as the charger. - Lots of people prefer obsolete NiCd batteries for power tools because Lithium batteries have to have nasty safety devices - your $100 tool battery shuts off permanently if there is a tenth of a volt differential among the cells.
