lithium battery (1 Viewer)

Jan 22, 2009
75
64
banbury
Funster No
5,436
MH
c class
Exp
2
Looking around the show at the nec and came across this at the Road Pro stand, looked good until I saw the price £1,669.00. They had a show discount price £200 lower. Like the fact thats its light weight and should last longer (13kg for a 100ah)A bit of poking around on internet finds the same style at £619, so how the hell can they justify that price
Broken Link Removed
and the Battery Masters version
 
  • Like
Reactions: SMB
Jun 30, 2011
7,189
19,910
Barnard Castle, UK
Funster No
17,128
MH
Concorde Concerto
Exp
Since 2007
I can see these really catching on in a few months/years when the price comes down.

What does it mean though in the second link, comes with its own charger, can't you just connect them to your own van charger as a normal battery?

Paul.
 

pappajohn

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 26, 2007
43,207
48,801
Dark side of the moon
Funster No
172
Exp
Since 2005
I can see these really catching on in a few months/years when the price comes down.

What does it mean though in the second link, comes with its own charger, can't you just connect them to your own van charger as a normal battery?

Paul.
Most certainly not.
lithium/lithium ion have a completely different charge method in the same way flooded lead/acid and gell/glass mat batteries have to be charged differently.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

SMB

Apr 26, 2013
1,230
1,347
Spain
Funster No
25,710
MH
Coachbuild
Exp
Fulltiming since February 2013
Just bought new Banner batteries for my MH so by the time they are ready to be replaced I hope these will have gone down in price significantly, they sound great in terms of...everything
 

pappajohn

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 26, 2007
43,207
48,801
Dark side of the moon
Funster No
172
Exp
Since 2005
Simple Guidelines for Charging Lithium-based Batteries
  • A portable device should be turned off while charging. This allows the battery to reach the threshold voltage unhindered and reflects the correct saturation current responsible to terminate the charge. A parasitic load confuses the charger.
  • Charge at a moderate temperature. Do not charge below freezing.
  • Lithium-ion does not need to be fully charged; a partial charge is better.
  • Chargers use different methods for “ready” indication. The light signal may not always indicate a full charge.
  • Discontinue using charger and/or battery if the battery gets excessively warm.
  • Before prolonged storage, apply some charge to bring the pack to about half charge.
  • Over-discharged batteries can be “boosted” to life again. Discard pack if the voltage does not rise to a normal level within a minute while on boost.

Almost every type of battery neds a specific type of charger.

Looking at the data above, a li-ion battery would not be good for leisure uses......as per bullet point #1 above.

Overcharging will kill the battery dead.
If overcharged there is a very real danger of the battery exploding.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

pappajohn

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 26, 2007
43,207
48,801
Dark side of the moon
Funster No
172
Exp
Since 2005
So looking at point 1, why are Road Pro trying to flog them to us
Probably because folks expect them to be good from a reputable dealer.

Why do folks buy the latest iphone6 at £600 or £700 when most smart phones do almost the same things at less than half the price.....must have and gullibility.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Snowbird

LIFE MEMBER
Apr 24, 2009
11,818
22,345
Liverpool.
Funster No
6,422
MH
Fifth wheel.
Exp
Since 11-05-2000
I have 2 scooters with lithium batteries. One of the battery packs will not hold a charge, I have been quoted £350 to replace. Headless to say am not bothering. PJ is correct, they do have a special charger with a button to fully discharge before charging. Unfortunately am having no luck in revitalising the dud.
 

pappajohn

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 26, 2007
43,207
48,801
Dark side of the moon
Funster No
172
Exp
Since 2005
Looking around the show at the nec and came across this at the Road Pro stand, looked good until I saw the price £1,669.00. They had a show discount price £200 lower. Like the fact thats its light weight and should last longer (13kg for a 100ah)A bit of poking around on internet finds the same style at £619, so how the hell can they justify that price
Broken Link Removed
and the Battery Masters version

Yes that is cheaper.......but its only 20ah.
 

TheBig1

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 27, 2011
17,509
42,755
Dorset
Funster No
19,048
MH
A class
Exp
many many years! since I was a kid
I have 2 scooters with lithium batteries. One of the battery packs will not hold a charge, I have been quoted £350 to replace. Headless to say am not bothering. PJ is correct, they do have a special charger with a button to fully discharge before charging. Unfortunately am having no luck in revitalising the dud.
with the majority of battery packs, only the outer casing is different and often conceals a standard or series of battery cells inside. if your dud battery wont work, nothing lost taking it apart. plenty of places to buy Li-Ion cells cheaper and with a bit of soldering would be good as new

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Snowbird

LIFE MEMBER
Apr 24, 2009
11,818
22,345
Liverpool.
Funster No
6,422
MH
Fifth wheel.
Exp
Since 11-05-2000
with the majority of battery packs, only the outer casing is different and often conceals a standard or series of battery cells inside. if your dud battery wont work, nothing lost taking it apart. plenty of places to buy Li-Ion cells cheaper and with a bit of soldering would be good as new
I took the pack to a friend who runs a battery business in Liverpool. He stripped the pack down and at first was of the opinion that he could do as you say. When he contacted his supplier he hit a brick wall. This guy used to be fairly high up at Lucas batteries and when made redundant started on his own. I gave up at that point.
 

JimboT

Free Member
Nov 6, 2013
273
185
Welwyn Garden City
Funster No
28,912
MH
A class
Exp
I'm a newbie
We have been using Lipo Life and li- Ion batteries in the radio controlled industry for the last 5 years and yes they are lighter more power powerful and they can deliver motor power.
But they can be unstable when charging (just look at F1 cars !) if they drop below a voltage they wont recharge.
The life is not as great as lead acid (your mobile phone batteries drop off after 12 months) don't last as long.
To get 12v you will have four 3.7v batteries and the charger will have to monitor these and keep them in balance splitting charge.
In the radio control world we charge these in fire bags or pockets.
Would i have one on charge in my motorhome no chance!(might have 10 packs in my fire bag in my garage)
Jim
 

Jaws

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 26, 2008
23,821
71,974
Thetford Norfolk
Funster No
4,189
MH
C class, Chieftain
Exp
since 2006 ( I think ! )
So looking at point 1, why are Road Pro trying to flog them to us

Almost daily I come across similar with motorcycle batteries.
There are VERY few bikes with charging circuits suitable for gel type batteries, yet when folk go to buy a battery they are told by the retailer that a gel battery is an upgrade and far better..
Charging circuit damage and early battery failure results.
Halfrauds sales people are notorious for this..

As Brian said.. Profit.. no other reason ( apart from absolute ignorance on the part of the sales people )

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Dec 12, 2010
5,368
21,187
Cumbria
Funster No
14,651
MH
C Class
Exp
since 2011
Was talking to a mobility scooter dealer recently and he was bemoaning the fact that inevitably they will move more and more to lithium technology. OK lead acids are heavy but they are pretty forgiving if looked after. Like Jimbo said I wouldn't have one in my camper ( except for my tablet, 2 phones, electric bikes and my kindle :LOL: )
 
Aug 6, 2013
11,941
16,533
Kendal, Cumbria
Funster No
27,352
MH
Le-Voyageur RX958 Pl
Exp
since 1999
It may be that we're not comparing like-for-like: the descriptions may not tell the whole story. It is entirely possible that the charger is built into the Roadpro version. It would accept the input from the van charger and control it correctly for the LiPo battery. It would also be possible, when the battery is on charge, to allow the van domestics to run from the van's own charger whilst keeping the LiPo battery separate and still charging it from the van's charger.

LiPo batteries used for RC models are basic batteries and contain no smart electronics to do essential cell balancing (to keep weight to a minimum) and are usually charged very quickly. Controlling the charge relies heavily on the user understanding the requirements. Electric cycle batteries (for example) have complex control and balancing electronics built into the battery case and whilst the charger is designed for LiPo it can be less clever than might be assumed.

RoadPro (I'm not and never have been a customer) have a very good reputation based on the fact that their products are designed specifically for MH & caravan unique requirements. I would be surprised if the same didn't apply to their LiPo batteries.

And the price scares me too - it's well on the way to the price of a fuel cell. :Eeek:
 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Funsters who are viewing this thread

Back
Top