Used Valence Lithium batteries

[Swiftone]

I am seeing a lot of these batteries for sale locally here in CA . Prices range around $350 for the 12 volt/138 ah size. (Valence Lithium Battery U27-12XP | 12-14.6V )

In the listings they are shown as Lithium Iron Magnesium Phosphate (LiFeMgPO4)

Also claimed to be 1 to 1.5 years old , used in trucking companies and have an estimated 300 cycles on them.

Are these something to think about, or something to steer clear from?

Sample listing from Craigslist - https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ele/d/san-diego-lithium-battery-12v/6994755835.html

Webpage - https://lithiumwerks.com/valence-batteries/standard-modules/xp-module/

 

[Superduty]

The one in cl ad said 4000 cycles.

I'm interested also in the boards thoughts. #subscribed

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[john61ct]

Well you need to compare the used price to what **you** can find or make in a comparable Ah capacity brand new

and decide for yourself if the difference is worth the risk they won't perform for at least a few years.

The quality of the brand is excellent, Valence really knows what its doing, good build quality both cell chemistry, physical packaging and protective BMS if still intact, all of good quality. Presumable trucking fleets have ways of tracking how many cycles they've run.

Personally with LFP, I would not pay more than 20-30% of the new price, and that's assuming a trusted seller, after passing my own load / capacity testing, so with a reasonable warranty period.

I think $5-600 per 100Ah @12V plus delivery is a decent price for new

so $350 for used? pass…

YMMV

 

[shade]

What was the original use? Mobile data terminals for tracking/logistics? Just curious.

 

[plh]

The one in cl ad said 4000 cycles.

I'm interested also in the boards thoughts. #subscribed

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I think the 4000 in this case means after 4000 cycles they retain 80% of capacity. This ad just shows specs, not how used up they are as being sold

 

[shade]

Well you need to compare the used price to what **you** can find or make in a comparable Ah capacity brand new

and decide for yourself if the difference is worth the risk they won't perform for at least a few years.

The quality of the brand is excellent, Valence really knows what its doing, good build quality both cell chemistry, physical packaging and protective BMS if still intact, all of good quality. Presumable trucking fleets have ways of tracking how many cycles they've run.

Personally with LFP, I would not pay more than 20-30% of the new price, and that's assuming a trusted seller, after passing my own load / capacity testing, so with a reasonable warranty period.

I think $5-600 per 100Ah @12V plus delivery is a decent price for new

so $350 for used? pass…

YMMV

I'd also factor in the cost of a BMS solution.

I've seen some batteries for sale with the BMS leads cut off, so I'd at least confirm that hasn't been done if you want them intact. Otoh, if they've been pruned, that could be a bargaining point.

 

[john61ct]

I believe "eAPU" units using stored energy rather than running the genset all the time.

 

[luthj]

I would ask for a capacity test. If they were used in high temp environments they could have 50% or less capacity after 2 years. There must be a reason they are being retired from service.

Also make sure you understand how the BMS (if any) is implemented. If using for DIY you need direct cell wire/jumper access.

Finally, if you are using a number of these in parallel, note that you may need a separate BMS for each battery, as you can't parallel each cell group. Though I would be curious if these use prismatic cells, which could then be extracted from the case, and reassembled as needed into a larger pack.

Here is a spec sheet. Looks like the BMS is external. Internal balancing. Two connectors provide data/bus for chaining the batteries together, and to the master BMS?

https://300mpg.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/XP-Modules-Datasheet-111318.pdf