Was right on the edge of purchasing a pair of 100ah BB or LifeBlue LifePo4 batteries ($1600-$2100) for our truck camper. They were going to replace two GC2's. About 2 weeks ago decided to get adventurous and build our own LifePo4 200ah battery pack instead. Didn't want to wait 4-8 weeks ordering from China, so we purchased the cells and BMS from US distributors (~$750; probably could have saved $150-$200 ordering it from China; however, nearly zero recourse if you have any problems). Received everything about a week ago. It was a bit of a learning curve understanding and adjusting all the BMS presets, but managed to get everything working smoothly . Top balanced the cells before doing a whole slew of discharge/charge/temp tests to verify all the various cut-offs worked properly on the BMS. All seems well.
Have no idea how this battery pack is going to work out for the long haul, but for now it massively outperforms our two GC2's. I might add the GC2's we replaced were only 2 years old, well maintained, probably cycled less than 30 times, and performed like new batteries. These LFP's easily supply more than double the usable ah, especially when under very high loads (>100a). I can power a ceramic space heater (110a load) on high for at least 90-95 minutes (down to 15-20% SOC). The two GC2's could barely muster 35-40 min. at 110a before activating the low voltage cut-off on our inverter (50% SOC). No such issue with the LFP's--even down to 10% SOC. Did I mention weight?! This LFP battery pack and BMS only weigh 40 lbs. The two GC2's combined weigh almost 130 lbs! A 90 lb. weight savings---a very big deal when you're trying to trim weight off the rear-end of a heavy truck camper. Bluetooth and low/high temp cut-off is icing on the cake. Lastly, these LFP cells and BMS easily fit inside a small, group 24 battery box.
This battery pack offers more than double the ah performance, 1/3 the weight and 1/2 the size vs. two GC2's! Doubt we'll ever totally cycle this battery more than 30 times a year. With a projected 2000-3000 cycle lifespan, odds are this battery will outlive us---lol!
Have no idea how this battery pack is going to work out for the long haul, but for now it massively outperforms our two GC2's. I might add the GC2's we replaced were only 2 years old, well maintained, probably cycled less than 30 times, and performed like new batteries. These LFP's easily supply more than double the usable ah, especially when under very high loads (>100a). I can power a ceramic space heater (110a load) on high for at least 90-95 minutes (down to 15-20% SOC). The two GC2's could barely muster 35-40 min. at 110a before activating the low voltage cut-off on our inverter (50% SOC). No such issue with the LFP's--even down to 10% SOC. Did I mention weight?! This LFP battery pack and BMS only weigh 40 lbs. The two GC2's combined weigh almost 130 lbs! A 90 lb. weight savings---a very big deal when you're trying to trim weight off the rear-end of a heavy truck camper. Bluetooth and low/high temp cut-off is icing on the cake. Lastly, these LFP cells and BMS easily fit inside a small, group 24 battery box.
This battery pack offers more than double the ah performance, 1/3 the weight and 1/2 the size vs. two GC2's! Doubt we'll ever totally cycle this battery more than 30 times a year. With a projected 2000-3000 cycle lifespan, odds are this battery will outlive us---lol!
