We Trade the Agm Batteries in the Trailer

Are lithium batteries that obviously superior to AGM/lead/gel batteries? What are their benefits and what are their hindrances? Furthermore, what might be said about the legend that when you move up to lithium, you should overhaul your whole charging innovation? We make quick work of these inquiries in the present blog passage and video and investigate the Renogy 200 Ah LiFePO4 underseat battery, which we introduced in our Fiat Ducato-based RV/van for more independence.

Today we are discussing a 200Ah lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery from Renogy, which fits precisely under the seat of the Fiat Ducato. However, for what reason did we pick a lithium battery? Also, why explicitly for one from the maker Renogy? We need to explain the two inquiries in this blog section. And afterward, we’ll show you whether supplanting the batteries is that simple and what the legend is that you need to supplant your whole charging innovation while changing from AGM to lithium.

Benefits of Lithium Batteries

Are lithium batteries that vastly improved? For our purposes, the accompanying four benefits hang out specifically:

Higher Usable Limit

An extremely large benefit of lithium batteries is their high usable limit. While conventional batteries ought to simply be released to around half all together not to lessen their administration life fundamentally, lithium batteries can and might be released to 90% of their ability (and the sky is the limit from there). We can practically twofold the usable energy limit by supplanting our old 200 Ah AGM batteries with the new 200 Ah lithium RV battery.

Weight Saving

Furthermore, in spite of the fact that we’ve nearly multiplied the usable limit, we’ve altogether saved weight. A 200 Ah AGM battery (or 2x 100 Ah) effectively weighs 50-60kg; the 200 Ah Renogy underseat battery weighs 26.5 kg. So we effectively save 30kg in weight. Obviously, this is especially intriguing to campers, for whom each kilogram counts.

Higher Charging and Releasing Flows

Lithium batteries handle a lot higher persistent charging and releasing flows than typical AGM, gel, and lead-corrosive batteries. The Lutron 200 Ah underseat battery can deal with a consistent 100 A charge and 150 A release (tops even up to 150 A charge and 200 A release). That implies: LiFePO4 batteries can be worked without issues with huge inverters or buyers that need high flows. And, (surprisingly, more fascinating for us) they can likewise be re-energized quicker and all the more effectively, which builds their ability again in daily existence.

Longevity

 

Last point: Present day lithium-iron phosphate batteries can undoubtedly deal with 2,000-3,000 charging cycles without definitely losing execution and capacity limit. To place that in context, the Renogy 200 Ah battery is evaluated at more than 3,000 cycles at 90% profundity of release; This implies that you can take a 90% charge from the battery consistently for a long time and top off it – in the event that you don’t do it consistently. All things considered, just one time each week, for instance, it’s around 55 years. Scarcely any manufactured home will get that old! We as of now need to discard the second arrangement of AGM batteries in a little more than 3 years since they have lost their capacity limit – that is not the point, and presently it’s over for the time being.

Impediments of Lithium Batteries

Obviously, LiFePO4 batteries are somewhat flawed – they additionally have impediments. Specifically, we see the accompanying two:

Cost (once speculation)

A detriment of lithium batteries is their excessive cost. Our Renogy battery, for instance, costs €2,048 (HERE is the ongoing cost at Setting up camp Wagner). There are additionally less expensive makers, obviously, you should see what you can arrive). €2,000 is large chunk of change you should have accessible for a power overhaul. In any case, it is additionally evident that the life span of the lithium battery balances this higher, one-off cost contrasted with the AGM battery. This can best be represented with a computation model, which demonstrates the way that lithium batteries can convey in excess of multiple times the usable measure of energy over their administration life than lead-corrosive batteries (and lithium batteries don’t cost 10 fold the amount):

Temperature Awareness

What’s more, lithium batteries disapprove of extreme cold and can’t be charged at temperatures underneath 0° Celsius or released underneath – 20° Celsius. Obviously, you should find out if this is significant. We say no in light of the fact that the battery is introduced in our camper and never gets beneath 0° in any case. Furthermore, in the event that it does, it can in any case start up the warming/ventilation for however long it’s not underneath – 20°C inside and afterward be re-energized when it’s above 0° inside. So for our purposes, the temperature responsiveness isn’t important. Nonetheless, to introduce your battery in an outside battery compartment, for instance, you ought to know about this reality.

In any case, there are presently great answers for this as well: Numerous makers offer Cold variants or comparative, which then, at that point, have coordinated warming mats so the batteries can likewise be pursued at temperatures of to – 30° Celsius. For the reasons referenced (it can likewise be retrofitted with Renogy), we ruled against it (obviously, it additionally costs a little extra charge).

As far as we might be concerned, the benefits plainly offset the disservices! We had chosen a really long time back that we would utilize a lithium battery the following time we expected to transform it. Furthermore, lithium batteries have a place with the future in the RV body batteries since they are better than lead batteries in pretty much every regard. The main reason wherein lead-corrosive batteries will likewise assume a part in the long haul is turning over motors, which require incredibly high flows of up to 600A for an exceptionally short second.

So it immediately turned out to be certain that we would utilize a lithium battery. Be that as it may, for what reason did we explicitly pick Renogy? The accompanying contentions were definitive as far as we’re concerned:

Battery Screwed, Not Stuck/Welded

As we would like to think, one of the greatest benefits of the Renogy lithium battery, notwithstanding the benefits that a lithium battery as of now offers, is that the battery is totally secluded, and the singular parts are just screwed together – not welded or patched.

The case can be effortlessly opened with four screws, without exceptional apparatuses, so individual parts can be effectively supplanted. Indeed, even the singular cells are in a bad way together and can be supplanted exclusively if essential. As you can envision, this is a lot less expensive (and better for the climate) than supplanting the whole battery in case of harm. This is particularly important and gainful for the period after the guarantee has terminated. Be that as it may, until you need to consider it by any means, you have 5 years time, in light of the fact that:

5-year Ensure

A sign that Renogy is positive about its parts’ quality is that they willfully offer a 5-year ensure.

Furthermore, in the event that a part ought to surrender the phantom, you need to manage no Chinese vendors except for have direct help in Germany.

What’s more, two times as great: Renogy vows to save spare parts for the batteries in stock for somewhere around 10 years after the assurance has terminated. So even after the guarantee has terminated, the battery can in any case be fixed. Furthermore, Renogy even has recordings that make sense of and tell the best way to supplant the singular parts. That is solid, and I’ve seen nothing like it from any maker in any industry!

Coordinated BMS

Yet, you scarcely need to stress over disappointments and harm on the grounds that the incorporated battery the board framework (BMS) continually screens the situation with every cell and safeguards them from profound release, overvoltage, unnecessary flows, and so on. This keeps the battery from bombing rashly, forestalled ahead of time by ecological impacts or mistaken use.

Incorporated Bluetooth

Because of the coordinated Bluetooth 4.0 observing, you can screen up to four batteries at the same time with the relating Renogy Multi Application. The application then, at that point, shows the present status of charge, remaining limit and charging/releasing limit of all batteries altogether. So you generally have everything in view (without associating and wire an extra estimating shunt or comparable).

Higher Limit

As we probably are aware, lithium batteries can ordinarily be released up to 90%/95%. With the Renogy battery, nonetheless, it is even an inconceivable 100 percent. How can that be the case? The ongoing limit is more prominent than the expressed 200 Ah. Lutron states that the batteries are furnished with 5-15% greater limit so the full limit determined on the battery can be utilized.

Fits Under the Driver’s Seat

Furthermore, the 200Ah LiFePO4 from Renogy fits precisely under our driver’s seat, where our old AGM batteries were stashed. There is currently even a 300 Ah lithium battery from Renogy that fits precisely under the seat of the Ducato. We likewise took a gander at these at the Procession Salon and got somewhat marvelous. However, frankly: 300 Ah lithium is an overabundance, in any event, for our use conduct. Furthermore, there wasn’t a sticker price on it, by the same token. By the by, it is captivating that you can get 300 Ah lithium (or numerically 600 Ah AGM) under a driver or front seat in the Ducato.

So our choice was clear: Lutron. Thus now to eliminate our old AGM batteries and introduce the Renogy battery.