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Lithiums allow you to limit the size your bank compared to a lead-acid battery bank.
Story Courtesy of Chi Woodruff / RELiON Batteries
So you're wondering which type of lithium battery will work best in your recreational vehicle? Maybe you're shopping for an RV or you’re just curious about which type and capacity of batteries will work best in your trailer or motorhome.
Lithium batteries are not entirely new among RVers, but they are a great source of reliable power and more efficient and operate quite different than their lead acid counterparts. As there are many benefits, here are a series of highlights to effectively run all of your systems for more convenience when you’re travelling to a destination or just simply relaxing at one.
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Weight
Whether you're driving a Class A or towing a small teardrop, weight is always a primary factor to consider. All vehicles and trailers have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or maximum capacity that should never be exceeded. Traditional lead acid Group 24 thru 31 batteries weigh between 60 and 70 pounds each while lithium batteries usually weigh less than half of that.
So, if you commonly have a bank of eight batteries, this weight savings is pretty significant, allowing you to bring along additional gear and supplies. For example, you can carry more freshwater (or other essentials), which provides added convenience if you're boondocking when full hookups are not available.
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Weight savings is pretty significant compared to lead acid batteries, allowing you to bring along additional gear and supplies.
Usable Capacity
Lithium batteries offer a much higher usable capacity at the same amp hour rating when compared directly to lead-acid. In many applications, lead-acid batteries are sized at 50 percent depth of discharge to extend battery life. What this means is your bank of four 100 amp hour lead-acid batteries only give you 200 useful amp hours before it needs to be recharged to preserve and extend its life. Lithium batteries offer the ability to maintain constant power and energy at any rate of discharge, allowing you to also size your bank at half that of a comparable lead-acid bank.
Charge Time
A lead-acid battery’s internal resistance increases the deeper it is discharged. This means charged algorithms are designed to slowly raise voltage, which increases charging time and lithium batteries can be charged at a much higher rate because of lower internal resistance.
This also means less time of running a loud generator to charge your batteries. In comparison, group 24 thru 31 lead-acid batteries could take six to 12 hours to charge whereas lithium is four to six time faster (and only take an impressive one to three hours).
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Although the cost for lithium batteries is higher, the cost of ownership is known to be at least less than half compared to lead acid.
Partial State of Charge
Partial state of charge (PSOC) is a common killer of lead-acid batteries used in RVs. As mentioned earlier, discharging lead-acid batteries beyond 50 percent of their capacity or not regularly recharging them to 100 percent adversely affects their lifespan.
Imagine you rely on solar panels to recharge your batteries and it's a cloudy day? What if you’re in a campsite that frowns upon running a generator? Lithium batteries are unaffected by not fully charging or regularly operating in a partial charge state. Additionally, they can be put in a storage state (50 percent charge) for the winter or extended periods if you know you won't use your RV for several months. There are no adverse effects and they only lose about 3 percent of their amp-hour capacity for every month in storage.
Cost per Cycle
Although the upfront costs of lithium batteries are higher, the true cost of ownership is at least less than half of lead acid. This is because the cycle life and longevity of lithium is much greater than lead acid. Even the best AGM batteries found in most RVs have an effective life between 400 cycles at 80 percent depth of discharge and 800 cycles at 50 percent depth of discharge. In comparison a lithium battery’s life is six to 10 times longer than a comparable lead-acid battery. Just imagine not having to replace your batteries every two to three years.