compare cost of Lion vs other types

[waninae39]

Something that people fail to realize when comparing battery prices is the charge cycle life. A lithium battery lasts MUCH longer than a lead acid battery, so it is much cheaper in the long run.

Below will give you a quick idea to how much each battery will cost you over time. The cost per kwh for 1000 cycles will give you the best metric to compare any battery!
​
​Sealed lead acid 8x 115 amp hour vmax batteries:
$2100 for 5.4 kwh for 1000 cycles
$388 per kwh for 1000 cycles
616 pounds

Trojan flooded 8x 105-s batteries:
$1300 for 5.4 kwh usable at 50% dod, 22 hour rate, for 1000 cycles
$240 per kwh for 1000 cycles
496 pounds

Battle born lithium iron phosphate:
$3600 for 4.8 kwh for 3000-5000 cycles
$150-$255 per kwh for 1000 cycles
116 pounds

Renogy Lithium Iron Phosphate:
​$3200 for 4.8 kwh for 3000-5000 cycles
$133-$222 per kwh for 1000 cycles
112 pounds

Diy lithium iron phosphate with prismatic cells:
$2400 for 4.8 kwh of cells, high quality bms cost can vary. Rated for 3000-5000 cycles
$100-$166 per kwh for 1000 cycles
114 pounds

2x Goal zero lithium 3000's:
$6000 for 6kwh for 500 cycles
$2000 per kwh for 1000 cycles
137 pounds

4x Inergy Kodiaks:
$7,500 for 4.4kwh for 2000 cycles
$852 per kwh per 1000 cycles
80 pounds

Tesla battery:
$1300 for 5.3 kwh for 5000 cycles
$49 per kwh for 1000 cycles
55 pounds

[Bigventure]

Thanks for the info.

I did not shop around and went with Renolgy Lithium’s.

You confirmed I made a good choice.

[kidjedi]

I wonder how many people get the "full life" out of their LiOn though. Any one with portable power tools knows how easy it is to "break" batteries. That same problem exists in an Airstream where it's easy to over-deplete or run into temperature issues (hot or cold). It's bad enough to ruin an $80 tool battery. It's devastating to ruin a multi-thousand dollar house battery bank. I'm not saying LiOn aren't great, I'm just saying there's a lot to consider when investing that kind of money in a system that is still pretty fragile.

[knowmercy]

Hello folks. As someone who has over a decade experience with lithium batteries in several chemistries, I couldn't help but join in this conversation. Someone remarked about hurting a lithium battery by over discharging it. That can and might happen. It's very similar to what happens to a lead acid battery that gets run down all the way and the life of the battery is significantly reduced. Most lithium systems have battery management that will break the circuit at a set low point. This is the norm now, but it certainly wasn't always.

I've setup a few charge profiles for myself. One is a full peak and full drain and it's useful for the fall/winter camping when the days are short and the nights are long. You tend to put a bit more draw during these times because you're indoors more and require more light. The second is storage mode. Basically pull the module down to a voltage and let it sit there. This prevents oxidation from building up. The third is a sort of moderate use profile for the summer when you have more light and don't have as much demand. I charge the module close to the top but not all the way. There are a bunch of chemical reactions inside a battery during that "peak" part of the charge. You can make it last longer by not charging it up as high or as low.

Anyhow, good on you all for wanting to learn about the "new" thing. I've got a 5.3kwh module that's going in our airstream. I found it the easiest way to get value, but I'm someone who is comfortable working with these types of systems. Cheers!