Anyone thinking of Lithium batteries?

[photohc]

Just got mine installed and operational. Much more efficient in charging and the weight lost is exceptional, went from 120#'s to 28#'s. While this technology has made inroads into the boating industry, it is just starting in RV/Campers. One of the issues is having a efficient and well thought-out controller. If interested and like living on the technical edge, checkout this Kickstarter for a Solar Battery Management System by Dacian Todea.



Also, checkout my install.

[URL="http://digitalens.com/lithium-batteries-for-my-fwc-hawk-camper/"]

 

[DiploStrat]

You REALLY need to get a moderator to move this to the 12v Forum. Lots and lots of interest in Lithium batteries there.

 

[pugslyyy]

I'm still on the sidelines on this but eagerly watching developments.

The kickstarter campaign seems to focus more on connectivity (bluetooth, wifi, etc) and less on function. I don't necessarily need a charger that will talk to my phone, I just need it to quietly do it's job. I also need to understand how I can use different charging methods (alternator / shore power / inverter-charger / solar) together. In my experience solar won't get you every where you want to be all the time. Maybe this is more aimed at fixed off-grid installations?

 

[photohc]

One development in this Kickstarter that lends itself to the RV/Camper is the dual input capabilities of this second version. This allows one input dedicated to a solar array and the second can be used for an alternator or converter charger. Both inputs being managed by one device makes this an elegant solution. In addition, cell balance is managed by the same device. I haven't found a solution that does what this one does at a very reasonable price point and fully integrated. His first version already has proven itself, this one takes it another to another level.

 

[photohc]

You REALLY need to get a moderator to move this to the 12v Forum. Lots and lots of interest in Lithium batteries there.

Sorry, if I posted to the wrong area. Thanks.

 

[Maninga]

Will look more closely at the Kickstarter project a bit later. I just had 400ah of Winston's delivered today with some other parts, very keen to see them working. Benefits just seem to make sense.

 

[photohc]

Congrats on taking delivery. You Aussies have taken to this battery technology more than anyone else. Would be interested in following your implementation.

 

[Maninga]

It's always been part of my plans to use them. Am about 2 months from being ready to install, still got to figure exactly where I'm putting them and lose my current workshop in a couple of weeks. Will add in details to build thread closer to the time.

 

[Camelfilter]

I'm hoping that over the next decade the price will come down significantly on lithium bulk batteries. Like photovoltaics & LEDs have come way down in price over the last ten years.

I'm thinking that the batteries will come down in price, especially given that there is more of a future need (hybrid cars, fully electric cars etc), replacements will also be needed...

 

[photohc]

I'm hoping that over the next decade the price will come down significantly on lithium bulk batteries. Like photovoltaics & LEDs have come way down in price over the last ten years.

I'm thinking that the batteries will come down in price, especially given that there is more of a future need (hybrid cars, fully electric cars etc), replacements will also be needed...

Yes, it is a given that prices will make it's way down. Right now, if you evaluate the cost vs effective life of these batteries, they fall nicely in line beating the Lead Acid pricing. There are some assumptions here as these batteries have not existed more than 5 yrs.

 

[Weaselblade]

I'm planning to use LiFePO4, and have backed Dacian's kickstarter; I don't see any alternatives in this pricerange to charge/manage lithium cells correctly. As mentioned above, the secondary input option on this new charger is a big help. While I agree that his main target is stationary homestead-style installations, this hardly makes the solar BMS unsuitable for mobile use in my opinion, and the advantages of LiFePO4 are significant to me.

The technomadia folks have quite a few LiFePO4 posts on their blog, they've been using their bank for ~3 years: http://www.technomadia.com/lithium/

Another RVer with some good posts on LiFePO4 is at http://techno-viking.com/

 

[photohc]

I'm planning to use LiFePO4, and have backed Dacian's kickstarter; I don't see any alternatives in this pricerange to charge/manage lithium cells correctly. As mentioned above, the secondary input option on this new charger is a big help. While I agree that his main target is stationary homestead-style installations, this hardly makes the solar BMS unsuitable for mobile use in my opinion, and the advantages of LiFePO4 are significant to me.

The technomadia folks have quite a few LiFePO4 posts on their blog, they've been using their bank for ~3 years: http://www.technomadia.com/lithium/

Another RVer with some good posts on LiFePO4 is at http://techno-viking.com/

Thanks for the links. I'm looking forward to Dacian's project. This will make managing the LiFePo4 much easier, especially with the second input. So far I've managed it well with the Morningstar Sun Saver MPPT controller. When the camper is in the garage, I just disconnect the battery and it's happy removed from any power. The low self discharge rate makes it easy to hook back up and charge up before the next adventure.