fourfa
Observer
Hello, I'm building out the power system in my camper (Alu-Cab Canopy Camper on a Jeep Gladiator). And at the moment I'm getting frustrated that the offerings from the most prominent vendors are all shaped exactly like traditional car batteries. I've got a bunch of odd leftover spaces which might otherwise go unused, and I'd rather not displace efficient storage of other gear that really does need a big empty rectangle of space.
From what I understand, the internals of a car battery-shaped Li-ion battery is just a stack of 18650s or flat polymer packs that could be any shape at all. Some examples: a thin (1-2") pack could be like 24"x24" and fit between my bed and aux fuel tank. Or if it were max 6"x9", it could be up to 24" long and fit perfectly along the wheel well. (These volumes seem roughly in line with standard in-market rectangular shapes.)
Obviously I'm on here, I do long offroad backcountry trips with bad washboards. Looking for safe durable and dependable batteries, not just over-rated junk for candlepowerwars and vape pens, nor sketchy alibaba sellers. Needs are fairly modest by overland standards; only looking for around 50Ah, maybe 100Ah at the most. 200W of solar, and I could easily live with 30A off the alternator from the existing trailer harness, so I'm not really pushing any boundaries here. (FWIW my fridge has its own battery and BMS built in, which buffers its draw)
Any pointers or keywords to search, perhaps outside of automotive and overland channels? Maybe there's a niche of small shops that can build single packs to order? Mildly curious about DIY options too, though I expect these need welded terminals for durability, and good matching battery management controllers - seems a bit beyond me but maybe there's something I can learn.
For background: up until now I've just been using a smallish Ecoflow (River 2 Max) but it really doesn't integrate well, too many vulnerable cables on the front panel when things start flying around inside, hard to tie down, it routinely barfs on the ~24v voltage from my panel with a charging overload error, and stops charging until I clear it. Plus I really want a proper DC/DC system that can maintain the starting battery from solar.
From what I understand, the internals of a car battery-shaped Li-ion battery is just a stack of 18650s or flat polymer packs that could be any shape at all. Some examples: a thin (1-2") pack could be like 24"x24" and fit between my bed and aux fuel tank. Or if it were max 6"x9", it could be up to 24" long and fit perfectly along the wheel well. (These volumes seem roughly in line with standard in-market rectangular shapes.)
Obviously I'm on here, I do long offroad backcountry trips with bad washboards. Looking for safe durable and dependable batteries, not just over-rated junk for candlepowerwars and vape pens, nor sketchy alibaba sellers. Needs are fairly modest by overland standards; only looking for around 50Ah, maybe 100Ah at the most. 200W of solar, and I could easily live with 30A off the alternator from the existing trailer harness, so I'm not really pushing any boundaries here. (FWIW my fridge has its own battery and BMS built in, which buffers its draw)
Any pointers or keywords to search, perhaps outside of automotive and overland channels? Maybe there's a niche of small shops that can build single packs to order? Mildly curious about DIY options too, though I expect these need welded terminals for durability, and good matching battery management controllers - seems a bit beyond me but maybe there's something I can learn.
For background: up until now I've just been using a smallish Ecoflow (River 2 Max) but it really doesn't integrate well, too many vulnerable cables on the front panel when things start flying around inside, hard to tie down, it routinely barfs on the ~24v voltage from my panel with a charging overload error, and stops charging until I clear it. Plus I really want a proper DC/DC system that can maintain the starting battery from solar.
