Redsky wrote:
HMS Beagle wrote:
There are several "lithium ion" battery technologies, and they are not all created equal. LiFe are much less likely to suffer thermal runaway or short circuit fires. The ones in your camera, cell phone, laptop and Dreamliner are not the same chemistry, and are not comparable.
And you read this where, on a battery manufacturer's website? Did you miss the many articles on the Boeing Dreamliner and its suspended production due to the lithium batteries? Do you think that the RV manufacturers and the inverter and charger manufacturers whose products they use are smarter than the engineers at Boeing?
The thermal runaway is endemic to the technology and that is why many millions of dollars are being spent on alternative battery technologies that do not use lithium at all.
There is also no benefit to saving 50-100 lbs. in battery weight for a camper. That is the weight of 6-12 gallons of water. My truck and camper together weigh over 7,000 lbs. and saving 100 lbs. with two batteries, or less than 2% of the rig's weight at a cost of $1200 for two lithium-ion batteries is as dumb a thing as I can think of at the moment.
If I had $1000 to burn on batteries for the camper I would instead donate it to a worthwhile charity and get some benefit out of my donation.
I can buy a good quality deep cycle lead acid battery for $120 that will last me 5 years. That works out to $24 a year. Or I could buy a 100 AH lithium-ion battery for $1299 that maybe lasts me 10 years. That works out to a cost per service year of $130 a year.
Even if I held onto the RV for 20 years, which is not going to happen, the cost would be $65 a year. How does that make any sense at all? Only the military and the banksters that are both using other people's money can afford this waste.
Hmmm....
You need to step away from the keyboard and research this a little more. Boeing uses LiCoO2 batteries, the ones you buy for your camper are LiFePO4. It is unfortunate that the media and public have begun to use "lithium ion" indiscriminately, without understanding that there are many different types with many different characteristics. It like saying "engine" - as in "the engine blew up". Jet engine? Diesel engine? Gas engine? Rocket engine? They are not equivalent.
I agree that saving weight in a camper is a small benefit of LiFePO4 batteries. However there are many other benefits to help justify the high cost for some users: High recharge rates, deep discharge capability, long cycle life at deep discharge, low voltage sag, and yes - in the right situation, lower life cycle costs. They are not for everyone at this point, and it sounds like not for you. But to discount them out of hand as dangerous and expensive is ignorant.
