Expert's you are..Your views on the falling prices of Lithium

[veteran]

Not new to Motorhomes having " made " my first in the late 60s..
But totally at sea..( as many of we over 80s are)..about solar,batteries et al.
Until now..I have spent my time on sites with EHU..my only " wild camping " being in lay byes "and very occasionally abroad on campsites..
I would like n ow like to go wild....sorry the sight of me wild is awful..
At last question..should I go for solar..or invest in lithium..and lithium prices are bound to fall dramatically this year

4

able to

 

[EuroTrotters]

Stick with a decent American gel for now. Trojan batteries have been superb . Just wish they made one to fit a Range Rover

 

[Lenny HB]

If buying a new van I would fit Lithium but I couldn't justify the cost of changing the 3 Gels in my current van as they do everything I require of them.
Although Lithium have fallen in price I can't see any more big drops for a couple of years due to so many raw material shortages at the moment.

 

[Raul]

Solar is a must, regardless of battery choice. Lead is still going to stay for a little while. I’m looking at a trend started 10 or so years ago with solar. Used to be £1-£1.2 per watt. Now you can get new £0,3-£0,25 per watt tier1 class A panels. Used panels in good condition are dirt cheap. Lifepo4 back then was about £1000-£1200 per kWh. Now £450-£650 per kWh for high end, with as low as £300 for midd level quality. In my opinion, the prices have almost bottomed up. With EV on the horizon and limited raw materials, supply and demand will dictate future price: it will go up, unless new technology will surface.
The good news is, once the EV becomes more common, so the second hand used battery packs.

 

[HectorsHoose]

I would definitely start with solar. With two AGM batteries that will easily cover you for several days of use off grid. You can always change to lithium later if you want to spend large amounts of time or permanently want to be off grid. We have just upgraded & with the cost of having 3 x 100 watt panels fitted plus fitting a battery to battery charger & the lithium battery ourselves it still came to £2000+ so it’s not a cheap undertaking but for us it’s worth it as we tour Europe for months, almost exclusively off grid.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Wh05apk]

The most important questions are what batteries do you currently have, what condition, how long do you intend to "wild", and what's your use?
On my batteries, even without solar, I can last 3-4days quite easily, could you do the same, then find somewhere with an ehu to recharge?

 

[Richard n Ann]

First thing to consider is how much electric do you use. Don't use electric kettles/toasters/coffee machines and microwaves, there are always gas alternatives.

Then go for enough solar, try and keep your existing battery for now. It only has to last from sunset to sunrise, any battery can manage that.

During the day our 150w solar charges the battery as well as runs everything in the van. Even in winter a nice white sky will give a useful couple of amps.