haha nice sensationalizing news article.. you do realize that every computer, mobile phone and other portable device use Lithium also.. the news article talks about extreme testing and crash testing..
other then the "explosiveness" anyone used them in there car? even as just axillary battery would be alright, the power to weight / size ratio far out does the lead acid, as well as life span.
Yep good for electronics but I wouldn't use one in a vehicle. Your alternator is designed for a wet cell lead acid battery. You can get a wet cell cheap and their ROI is much better than a Lithium but hey it is your $$.
Just something to think about when upgrading to dual battery system. Also the extra weight of a dual battery system. You could fit 2 or 3 times as much battery power on the same tray. Let alone installing an extra tray.
Hi Bob and at this stage in time, these batteries are not really that RV friendly.
There is a lot more development needed be for they will be of any real use to RVers.
One problem is that they need a constant higher charging voltage and while they can charge very quickly and safely, they also have a high State Of Charge voltage which makes them incompatible with lead acid batteries.
You will need a special set up to both charge your other batteries and you will need a special means to separate the batteries when the motor is off because of the higher SoC of these batteries and they stay at the higher voltage until they are at about 80% discharged.
This high SoC means ordinary isolators and DC/DC devices will actually remain on after the ignition is turned off.
All I can suggest it that you do a lot more research before you buy.
- If your in the bush you would replace it with what ever you could find. The same as you would if your lead acid died.
- I'd be more worried about a naked flame or a crash then heat.
One of the reasons I started researching this idea was that new Kimberly Karavan now has lithium.. "We are packaging the 375W Super Thin Solar Panels with 168 Ahrs of Lithium Batteries ( a 113kg weight reduction)"
Maybe I'll find out what cells they use, that way I'll have starter spares
How about LIFePO4? They're heaps more stable, although heaps more expensive. They have the potential to build a 400A/h battery that weighs the same as my 180A/h battery. A starting battery that weighs 1/3 the weight of my current battery. Depth of discharge is heaps better than conventional PbSO4 batteries and the weight saving is a huge advantage, not to mention the reduced risk of internal cracking of body panels, etc. Been chatting with these blokes below who can build a suitable battery for my application, but they're not cheap. However for me the benefits far outweigh the cost.
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