Isaac-1
Senior Member
RV LIFE Pro
Given the ongoing improvements and reduction in cost of all aspects of converting to LiFePo4 batteries, why is it week after week we repeat the debate of should I switch to LiFePo4? When ever increasingly to me and many others that have made the switch it seems the question should be more like, Is there any case why people should stick with lead acid?
I made the switch to LiFePo4 almost 3 years ago, at a cost of right at $2,000, while roughly doubling my amp hour capacity (going from 215AH to 400AH at 12v), I managed to do it for this amount thanks to some well timed sales, and buying some cosmetically discounted batteries from a US seller of imported batteries (the specs printed on the batteries were incorrect). Of this $2,000 price tag, $1,500 of it was for the batteries themselves, the rest was wiring to relocate the batteries and a DC-DC charger/ MPPT controller, today I can buy identical spec batteries online for under $750, which is HALF the price I paid 3 year ago, I can't say the same about anything else in our era of inflation. The charge controller /DC-DC charger is selling for about the same price as 3 years ago, it is currently selling for a few dollars more, I am not going to look up the incidental stuff, terminal lugs, battery cables, etc. as I suspect they are all in the same ballpark, minus inflation adjustment. So all totaled the battery setup that cost me $2,000 after careful shopping 3 years ago, could now be bought for right at $1,250.
All this for a system using batteries with a 5 year warranty (many brands are now offering 10 year), and a 10-20 year estimated service life with 5,000+ charge cycles, compare this to lead acid where at best you get a 3 year warranty which is often a 3 year prorated warranty, and only 1 year full replacement, which lasts maybe 500 charge cycles if you are lucky, can easily be killed unless constantly monitored, float charged, and watered, and in the real world tend to have a service life of 3-5 years. 4 Trojan T-105 6V batteries are currently being advertised by various sellers with local pickup for around $180 each ($720 for circa 430 AH of capacity at 12V, which is essentially price parity with LiFePo4).
All of this makes me beg to ask, Why would anyone buy Lead Acid Anymore? We are at price parity with Lead Acid on the batteries, have already beaten price parity for AGM which seem to start at about $1,000 for 430AH at 12V.
p.s. In 3 years of use the total of the maintenance I have done on my LiFePo4 batteries is checking to make sure the terminal lug bolts are still properly torqued, and occasionally checking the status of the battery in the bluetooth app. No water to mess with, no terminal corrosion to mess with, they just sit there and do their job, they are happy to sit at any state of charge, no need to constantly float charge, they just work.
I made the switch to LiFePo4 almost 3 years ago, at a cost of right at $2,000, while roughly doubling my amp hour capacity (going from 215AH to 400AH at 12v), I managed to do it for this amount thanks to some well timed sales, and buying some cosmetically discounted batteries from a US seller of imported batteries (the specs printed on the batteries were incorrect). Of this $2,000 price tag, $1,500 of it was for the batteries themselves, the rest was wiring to relocate the batteries and a DC-DC charger/ MPPT controller, today I can buy identical spec batteries online for under $750, which is HALF the price I paid 3 year ago, I can't say the same about anything else in our era of inflation. The charge controller /DC-DC charger is selling for about the same price as 3 years ago, it is currently selling for a few dollars more, I am not going to look up the incidental stuff, terminal lugs, battery cables, etc. as I suspect they are all in the same ballpark, minus inflation adjustment. So all totaled the battery setup that cost me $2,000 after careful shopping 3 years ago, could now be bought for right at $1,250.
All this for a system using batteries with a 5 year warranty (many brands are now offering 10 year), and a 10-20 year estimated service life with 5,000+ charge cycles, compare this to lead acid where at best you get a 3 year warranty which is often a 3 year prorated warranty, and only 1 year full replacement, which lasts maybe 500 charge cycles if you are lucky, can easily be killed unless constantly monitored, float charged, and watered, and in the real world tend to have a service life of 3-5 years. 4 Trojan T-105 6V batteries are currently being advertised by various sellers with local pickup for around $180 each ($720 for circa 430 AH of capacity at 12V, which is essentially price parity with LiFePo4).
All of this makes me beg to ask, Why would anyone buy Lead Acid Anymore? We are at price parity with Lead Acid on the batteries, have already beaten price parity for AGM which seem to start at about $1,000 for 430AH at 12V.
p.s. In 3 years of use the total of the maintenance I have done on my LiFePo4 batteries is checking to make sure the terminal lug bolts are still properly torqued, and occasionally checking the status of the battery in the bluetooth app. No water to mess with, no terminal corrosion to mess with, they just sit there and do their job, they are happy to sit at any state of charge, no need to constantly float charge, they just work.
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