Travato LiFePO4 Battery Install

[booster]

They may or may not worry about amps, depending on what protection they have built in. It seems we here all the time about not float charging lithium, so still seeing the full charge voltage certainly brings up a question.

It will be interesting to see what Smartbattery has to say, as they sell the batteries as drop ins, and nearly every charger in existing systems stays on and floats.

[gerrym51]

wincrasher-i was reading this again since Jim H was talking specifically about the smart battery. what happens if you charge under 32

[wincrasher]

The same thing that will happen to his magical batteries if you don't have a heating system or a shutoff switch.

[gerrym51]

Jim Hammill If you have a solar panel on this battery in the winter it damages it every time it charges. Every day.

[gerrym51]

what actually happens though-to the battery?

[wincrasher]

Basically the cells are degraded each time. Eventually, if you do it often enough, the batteries will be destroyed. How much depends on alot of factors. The bottom line is you don't want to charge below freezing - either by alternator or solar, so you need to take precautions.

[gerrym51]

also what about lithium battery aging?

theoretically tests have been made with cycles-but long term aging has not been checked because not a lot of time has passed for many of these batteries

[wincrasher]

They've been in service for almost 10 years in marine applications. Articles and links have been posted in various threads. Lots of rabbit holes you are free to go down if you like.

[gerrym51]

go to this article-got to part 2/3 down -the dark cloud-premature battery aging



Living the Lithium Lifestyle – 3.5 Year Lithium RV Battery Update | Technomadia


my point being is that aging lithiums do happen. not saying that they are not superior to agm

[wincrasher]

I read that a while back. They let their batteries get too hot. That is a problem too.

Frankly, I don't get using Lithiums in a large bus capable of carrying 10's of thousands of pounds of cargo.

But they were trail-blazing and I guess you live and learn. They are still getting 80+% out of their pack.

I don't expect my battery to get hot under the coach where it is somewhat protected from heat and of course will get good airflow.

What we don't know is how Roadtrek is going to handle their cooling. Jim implied they have a cooling system, but of course no details.

I assume Pleasureway is just going to use their existing battery box in the floor under the sofa, and change out their converter charger to the Progressive Dynamics for Lithium. They probably have adequate warmth with that box, but I have no idea if they could get too hot.

From my experience so far, the battery does not generate any noticeable amount of heat being charged. Discharging may generate some heat - haven't measured it yet.

[gerrym51]

Ron-they think it might be heat. other articles i've looked it have other possible reasons-others say the problem does not exist.

hell AGM's are not going to last longer either. however it appears that Roadtrek is convinced they have solved the issues.

if i ever upgrade i will get them-it's just money-lol

[wincrasher]

I think we'll know more when some of these hit the street. Since we've already seen build sheets/window stickers they are on the way. Question is, will people pay the $23-25k for the system? I think I'd have a hard time shelling out $140k+ for 210.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

I think we'll know more when some of these hit the street. Since we've already seen build sheets/window stickers they are on the way. Question is, will people pay the $23-25k for the system? I think I'd have a hard time shelling out $140k+ for 210.

some will-they already do-this is ARV pricing for top of the line my wife however would never let me pay that much. getting the zion was as high as she would let me.and i can afford it.

[markopolo]

In an email, I asked Smart Battery if their batteries could be charged when temperatures are below freezing and if so, what is the minimum temperature at which they can be safely charged.

Their reply indicated that their batteries can be charged at below freezing temperatures but it did not specify how low the temperature can be.

If you live in a colder climate it would be worth sending them some specifics about the temperatures you would expect to use the battery in and get a more specific reply.

[mojoman]

A simple solution would be the glue on holding tank heater pads. I'm using carbon seat heater elements which are 12v.

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by mojoman

A simple solution would be the glue on holding tank heater pads. I'm using carbon seat heater elements which are 12v.

You could do a really cheap install for that - an external switch, powered right off the battery itself, and wrapped in something, probably just some reflectix.

[wincrasher]

I thought it would be fun to hammer my battery today. I've got everything 12v turned on - refer on 12v, the tv, the stereo, the fantastic fan on high and every light on. We'll see how long she goes. I have the autostart on the generator set to come on at 12.1v - that should be deep I'd think. Any guesses how long to expect?

[markopolo]

my guess: 6 hours

[AK49er]

My guess: 8.34 hours.

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by AK49er

My guess: 8.34 hours.

Not too long left for my pick ......