Lion Energy UT 1300 LiFePO4 Batterie

[YelloDuc]

Before taking off the beginning of September, for a month long trip around the western U.S. I installed two Lion Energy ut1300, lithium batteries, on my 2019 Jayco TT. I couldn't be happier. It was a lot to bite off, given how expensive Lithium batteries are, but I don't plan on worrying about batteries for at least the next 10 years, probably many more than that. I will say that the longest time we spent dispersed was 5 days, but only because we had to move on to our next destination. We are conservative in our resource usage, but on the last night, I ran quite a few things, including the exhaust fan while cooking, the radio for a few hours, charged an ipad and a phone, and the heater for a bit, in addition to using every day/night things, like lights (the outdoor awning light strip for a bit) water pump, etc.. The next morning, while packing up, I pulled in the awning, lowered the tongue jack. Right before I plugged into the truck, I checked the batteries, still at 100%! (on the bms readout integrated in the battery cases) I couldn't believe it. I didn't even hook up my solar panels. Such a vast improvement from the 12v deep cycle I had prior (couldn't make it 1 night without it dying). Just wanted to plug Lion Energy on a great product.

[Bookemdanno]

Duc - Did you buy the he double Lion battery package from Costco? I’ve got 2 Lithium from Battleborn. They are expensive, but like you said...I don’t think I’ll need to worry about batteries anytime soon! At least while I own my current rig.

[YelloDuc]

Danno, no I purchased them directly from Lion Energy. I got a promo code and actually got $200 off. It came down to either lion or battleborn, and I just liked the lion design a little better. I don't know about you, but when I get my next trailer, I'm gonna put a new battery in the old one when I sell it, and keep my lithiums. How long have you had your BB's? Have you done much boondocking with them?

[YelloDuc]

I might also add, my tt I had a few years back had two golf cart deep cycle 6v batteries, which worked great for boondocking, but still don't hold a candle to these lithiums.

[Bookemdanno]

I bought 1 Battleborn around May of ‘19 and added a 2nd May of this year. We have residential fridge, so 1 was enough for rolling down the road to the next RV park, but if I wanted to stop & rest I knew I’d need a 2nd.

[Danno]

Lithium batteries are excellent where weight savings are crucial. Dropping $1500 on a couple batteries for a TT makes no financial sense to me. Sure they will last longer, but not as long as $1500 worth of golf cart batteries.
I use LiFeP04 on my E-bike where it's needed but wouldn't even think of using them on a travel trailer unless I needed the extra Ah. We boondock 90% of the time, and have never run out of power with 2 6v batteries and a 100 watt solar panel. I use a separate 100 watt panel just for the E-bike.

[YelloDuc]

Danno, I understand what you're saying, and gave your set up much consideration, having had that same setup on an earlier TT. One of the places we ended up boondocking (that I spoke about in my initial post) was a fairly deep, secluded canyon, that saw probably 5-6 hours of sunlight per day. It rained almost the entire time we were there, meaning that my solar panels wouldn't have done me much good. I was in the pacific northwest, and that is where I am looking to spend much of my camping time. Also, given the numbers, I figure these batteries will last me close to 20 years. Zero maintenance. Yes, they are pricey, but for the peace of mind, and the fact I'm a low maintenance kind of guy, it was worth the $. Now, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. Time will tell if they were a good investment. Over the next 10 years, I expect battery tech to vastly improve, and the cost to come down considerably. But I needed batteries now, as I held off for about a year, nursing the old one, and doing battery research here and there. My intent was to get just one battery, but I got a really good deal on two, so I went for it. We all have to get a new battery at some point, this was mine and I decided to go with lithium, and I am very pleased so far.

[Danno]

Originally Posted by YelloDuc

Danno, I understand what you're saying, and gave your set up much consideration, having had that same setup on an earlier TT. One of the places we ended up boondocking (that I spoke about in my initial post) was a fairly deep, secluded canyon, that saw probably 5-6 hours of sunlight per day. It rained almost the entire time we were there, meaning that my solar panels wouldn't have done me much good. I was in the pacific northwest, and that is where I am looking to spend much of my camping time. Also, given the numbers, I figure these batteries will last me close to 20 years. Zero maintenance. Yes, they are pricey, but for the peace of mind, and the fact I'm a low maintenance kind of guy, it was worth the $. Now, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. Time will tell if they were a good investment. Over the next 10 years, I expect battery tech to vastly improve, and the cost to come down considerably. But I needed batteries now, as I held off for about a year, nursing the old one, and doing battery research here and there. My intent was to get just one battery, but I got a really good deal on two, so I went for it. We all have to get a new battery at some point, this was mine and I decided to go with lithium, and I am very pleased so far.

If I was in your situation with the low hours of sunlight I would probably do exactly what you did.
I've never physically seen the type of batteries that you bought, but had a question about them. Do these batteries have a BMS built in? I went on their website, and they look just like a lead acid battery. I'm just wondering how they balance the cells during charging?
FWIW, LiFeP04 batteries do not like to be stored with a full charge. If I store my E-bike for an extended time, I'll take it for a ride after charging so that I can store it with about 90-95% charge.
Hopefully battery technology improves in the next few years. I would love to use cheaper LiPo batteries in my projects but they are just too dangerous and can be unstable.

[YelloDuc]

Danno, yes, They have a built in BMS, with an led read out on the top of the case to visually check the level. I did quite a lot of research prior to purchasing and one of the things that concerned me was being below freezing. The company assured me that the bms would protect the battery, and that it would still discharge and operate my trailer equipment, but that it just won't take a charge below freezing. Also, a concern was burning up my alternator. I had zero problems in that department. As a precaution, I wired in a fuse, between the power coming from the truck, and the batteries. Installed a 25 amp fuse. While it popped a few different times, I simply replaced it and went on my way. I also bought a spare alternator for the truck to take with us in the event it did go bad. But it didn't and I can return it for a full refund.

[campin]

Originally Posted by Danno

Lithium batteries are excellent where weight savings are crucial. Dropping $1500 on a couple batteries for a TT makes no financial sense to me.

From what I’ve read, if you factor in discharge capacity, weight and longevity...lithium performance is superior and cost less

@YellowDuc. I’m considering this battery...appreciate the feedback!

[Danno]

Originally Posted by campin

From what I’ve read, if you factor in discharge capacity, weight and longevity...lithium performance is superior and cost less

@YellowDuc. I’m considering this battery...appreciate the feedback!

It all boils down to one's needs.
For me, I don't need the extra capacity because we Boondock a maximum of 4-5 days and my single 100 watt panel keeps up to our demands easily. If I was to boondock for a couple weeks at a time, I may rethink my setup, but if I did it would be to increase the output of the solar panels. YelloDuc is in a different situation where he may not be able to keep his batteries topped up due to lack of sunlight, so the Lithium batteries will be good for his situation.

[campin]

Originally Posted by Danno

It all boils down to one's needs....

Very true.
I need solar that will allow me to boondock for months (no shore power or generator). Cheers

[rbreding]

Or if you are mechanically inclined you can build your own lifepo4 bank.

I was able to build a new 560ah bank for $1100 including the BMS.

[Danno]

Originally Posted by rbreding

Or if you are mechanically inclined you can build your own lifepo4 bank.

I was able to build a new 560ah bank for $1100 including the BMS.

I can't get the LiFeP04 cells here in Canada. All I can get are LiIon cells, and even trying to get those shipped to me is a pain. Too bad LiPo is so dangerous, or I would use those.

Where did you get yours?

[Danno]

Originally Posted by campin

Very true.
I need solar that will allow me to boondock for months (no shore power or generator). Cheers

Depending how much capacity you need, you can technically do that with one battery and one small solar panel.

[rbreding]

Originally Posted by Danno

I can't get the LiFeP04 cells here in Canada. All I can get are LiIon cells, and even trying to get those shipped to me is a pain. Too bad LiPo is so dangerous, or I would use those.

Where did you get yours?

I ordered my 8 cells directly from China back in April.

I'm not sure why you can't get them as I have seen plenty of people getting these cells shipped directly to Canada.

[YelloDuc]

Originally Posted by rbreding

Or if you are mechanically inclined you can build your own lifepo4 bank.

I was able to build a new 560ah bank for $1100 including the BMS.

Wow! That's quite a lot of amp hours for the money. I am electronics challenged. It's all greek to me, so I learned what I could doing quite a bit of research, but in the end decided to just go with these batteries. Is this the first time you've attempted building a battery? Have you used your battery out camping yet? I would love to hear more about your process and application.

[YelloDuc]

Originally Posted by Danno

Too bad LiPo is so dangerous, or I would use those.

Where did you get yours?

I am aware lithium batteries can be hazardous, but I haven't heard anything bad about the current LiFePO4 batteries having issues? What have you heard? I did leave my batteries outside in locked boxes on the tongue, just to be safe.

[rbreding]

Originally Posted by YelloDuc

Wow! That's quite a lot of amp hours for the money. I am electronics challenged. It's all greek to me, so I learned what I could doing quite a bit of research, but in the end decided to just go with these batteries. Is this the first time you've attempted building a battery? Have you used your battery out camping yet? I would love to hear more about your process and application.

I hadn't built one before either so my first. It's inaugural trip was 4 weeks long and performed flawlessly. My setup can even run my 15k btu AC off batteries on my multiplus. Max runtime of 3 hrs constant. Plan is to switch the AC to a mini split then I can run it unlimited off the solar and overnight.

[YelloDuc]

Wow! That's impressive. Interested to hear how it does in the future.