Adding More Lithium Batteries on 2022 AI

[casebor]

I have a 2022 AI 24GT and it comes with 2 Battleborn 100AH batteries located under the passenger seat (I was told). Has anyone added additional batteries?
If so, where did you place them?

[StogieMan]

I don't have a 22 AIGT but do have a 15 and added some lithium batteries. Even though they're different years, I don't think that the area underneath the passenger seat has changed and very tight for two Battle Born batteries but they will fit. I'm currently working in this area and measured it up and if they say that they're there - they're probably there but again this is Airstream and they can possibly be anywhere.

I have seen some pics of folks adding them in the area in back of the driver seat and built a box for them but more often they're added it in the garage area. The question is going to be how much space are you willing to loose to add the additional batteries and how many more or Ah's.

One thing often overlooked when adding additional batteries is how are you going to get those bad boys charged up. A few hundred Ah's won't be too bad but if you're talking anything over 600Ah's, you'll need to figure something out as a few hundred watts of solar power is not going to cut it to get them charged up quickly. What type of alternator charging is in place now or are you willing to change it out and add a better one or add two chargers? Do you still have a generator with that model year that's going to charge the batteries? Is the solar charge controller capable of handling additional solar power without changing it out? I have 600 Ah's of lithium and get them charged up pretty quickly with a combination of a Victron 50A Buck Boost alternator charger, 500w of solar, generator and shore power.

If you're thinking more than 600Ah's of lithium, I would also consider adding a second alternator to the mix.

Bottom line is not just how many more batteries or Ah's but if you're going all out - how the heck do I charge them up quickly?

[Vitaver]

Added 4 LI, not sure why though, just liked that they can be run down to zero without damage and more juice in case I need it. Removed the originals.

[Crackerman]

The thought of "just adding more battle borns" is nice, but if you take a step back, you can really maximize space and capacity by switching brands or updating a few things.

Victron makes a VERY compact 330ah, and 200ah battery in 12v, the 200 is roughly the size of one battle born 100a. Lithionics well makes a 330ah in roughly 1.5 the space as a single battle born.

[Rocinante]

Great point, though as I recall, Victron batteries don't come with an onboard BMS and require a separate Victron BMs component to manage them. I only know this because we had a pair of 200Ah Victron batteries and a Victron BMS installed in our previous RV. It was a great system, but the separate BMS added quite a bit of cost.

[Crackerman]

Depending on your options, yes, they can add as little or as much as you want. If you are upgrading inverter and everything else as well, what's just a little bit more?

[Vitaver]

Originally Posted by Crackerman

Depending on your options, yes, they can add as little or as much as you want. If you are upgrading inverter and everything else as well, what's just a little bit more?

I had no idea this was necessary, I hope the AS dealer that did the install knew and did that modification. Any way to confirm that?

[CRCMD]

We have a 2022 GT 24 Interstate. When purchased, I had the 2 lithium batteries removed and replaced with 4 Battle Born 270 aH batteries., a 3000W Victron inverter, 2nd alternator, + other stuff. 2 batteries are under the lounge and the other 2 are behind them in the “trunk”. All batteries need to match so I could not use the 2 100aH batteries

[casebor]

Thank You! That sounds perfect, costly but perfect. Is there any chance you can post a few pictures of the install. In addition, what type/brand of alternator did you use?
Thanks again for info

[CRCMD]

As my earlier post, 2 batteries are under the lounge along with the inverter and 2 batteries are directly behind them in the trunk. I thought they would take up more room but not really because you can store stuff on top of them. They don’t need to be ventilated. As mentioned, the batteries are Battle Born GC3 270 aH.

The alternator is Nations, 280 amp. They make a specific model for the Mercedes sprinter. Who ever installs one of these better know what they are doing because it is a complicated process. I’m happy with my setup. Got the 2nd alternator because charging the batteries with the coach generator or shore power takes a lot of time. I saw This alternator putting out 190 amps at idle. Much more when driving.

I would call Battle Born (they are very helpful) and ask if they could recommend an installer for batteries/inverter. They were familiar with the company that did my alternator and thought highly of them. Made me feel better because an AS dealer did the battery upgrade but not the alternator.

[romanf17]

I have a 2018 interstate gt, and have 4 bb 100w each underneath- 2 on each side. The original cages had to be modified slightly to enable the bigger lithium batteries to fit

[StogieMan]

Short video with some good info on the Victron's BMS. I like his down to earth videos!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CyenSTh4lc

[gigsAS]

what was the cost? what did you gain? are you able to run AC without Generator for a long period? Thanks! Great setup! Gregg

[Rocinante]

Victron batteries and BMS are truly wonderful. We loved having that setup in our previous Airstream trailer. However, they're also priced to reflect how great they are, which is why we went with LifeBlue batteries for the build in our current van. They have an onboard BMS with Bluetooth so if we're ever uncertain whether the Victron BMV 712 Smart monitor numbers are right, we can query the batteries directly for their state of charge and the flow of amps in or out.

How long you can run the AC without generator depends on power drawn by the AC unit, the number of amp-hours in your battery bank, and external temps. With 400AH of lithium, we can run the stock Dometic AC unit in our AI for an hour or three, depending how hot it is outside and as a result how much time the compressor stays on to keep the van cool. However, our batteries and inverter are inside the van, which means that as we use the batteries to run the AC, the batteries and the inverter both get pretty warm - which can therefore contribute to heat build-up in the van. So, its a series of trade-offs. If our batteries and inverter dumped their warm air outside the van instead of inside, we could be more efficient while running AC off the batteries, but that would probably require more holes in the van, or mounting sensitive electrical gear underneath the van and neither of those choices seemed optimal.

[CRCMD]

I have 4 Battle Born GC3 batteries, 270 amp/hr each. The AC in my 24GT will run 5 hours with the compressor on continually. That only happens here in Fl with the temp in the 90s. Normally with typical air conditioning on/off in the 80s the AC will last about 12+ hours. My inverter/charger and the batteries are located inside the coach. They don’t seem to produce a lot of heat. I describe them as a little warm but certainly not at all hot. During this time, the refrig/freezer and the WeBoost are active; both consuming power.