Lithium batteries - Page 2

deschambault · #31 06-23-2021, 11:50 AM

A couple of points. You do not need a battery tender with lithiums as they actually store best at about 40% of charge and have an extremely low discharge rate. 3 100ah batteries in series will give you 100ah of 36 volt power and you can use about half of that with lead acid batteries. Replacing them with 50 ah of lithium batteries will give you about the same useable power. The other advantage to lithium is it will take a charge at much higher rates if you have a charger that will output higher amps. This doesn't matter to me as I just plug in the onboard charger overnight and either battery type comes up charged in the morning. If you don't mind buying a Chinese made battery, you can get a 110ah Enerwatt battery from Solacity for about $900. Buying the Chinese made product was the downside for me but then again most stuff you buy seems to be Chinese origin.

cube · #32 06-23-2021, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EZM

Sorry - should have been more clear - I run 3 group 31 batteries - and it's 100AH for EACH of my 3 group 31 Lead Acid InterState = 300 AH

It would cost me roughly $1000 to replace all three batteries to give me 300AH in Lead Acid

So to get 300 AH out of Lithium - It's 3 Lithium Batteries isn't it? That's $4500 ...

That's what I was saying ... AH is what determines how much juice you have.

In my case the weight (of the heavier lead acids) I have in the front of the boat is a benefit to me not a concern - and because I run an on board charger, and store it in the garage all winter, those batteries never need to be wrestled in our out of the bow - they never need to move ....

Looking the ad you posted - the Lithium battery is WAY LARGER (almost 6 inches longer) compared to standard group 31's - so they wouldn't even fit in the boat .............

Bottom line is simple for me - until the prices come down - and the size of the battery comes down - they are no benefit to me .. at least not as a primary "stay in place" battery mounted "permanently" in my boat.

The beauty of LION batteries is weight - so in an application where you are lugging batteries in and out - maybe the value is there ...but not as permanent stay in place battery.

The lighter lithium's will also save you gas as every extra pound in a boat has fairly large effects on fuel economy above hull speed. So you would save a bit of money and generate less greenhouse gasses if you went lithium in case you were looking for a case to justify such a move. It is kind of like putting solar on your house though in that it will not pay for it's self ever probably.

My biggest worry about lithium batteries that I can afford is fire. If they ever get going your boat and in case your case garage and possibly house is just gone.

AlbertanGP · #33 06-23-2021, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cube

generate less greenhouse gasses if you went lithium.

You do realize the environmental impact of lithium right? That's like saying your Tesla is saving the world as you plug in to charge it every night from a coal-fired service provider. Then there's the fact that recycle rates for lithium batteries are down in the single digits and most end up in a landfill...

Sorry, I'm just tired of BS environmental nonsense.

deschambault · #34 06-23-2021, 02:46 PM

Exactly right, lithium is nicer in that it weighs less and holds more charge. I doubt there is any environmental advantage to it especially when you consider how and where lithium is mined. By the way, a lithium battery in size 31 is the same size as a lead acid battery in size 31.

OL_JR · #35 06-23-2021, 04:04 PM

Does anyone have any experience with the ablithium batteries mentioned above? Quick look at the price and specs seem almost to good to be true relative to some other brands.

AlbertanGP · #36 06-23-2021, 04:34 PM

They seem legit when I talked to them. If the stuff I wanted wasn't on backorder I would have ordered from them.

Dark Wing · #37 06-23-2021, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OL_JR

Does anyone have any experience with the ablithium batteries mentioned above? Quick look at the price and specs seem almost to good to be true relative to some other brands.

Yup I bought the 100ah for my trolling motor . It took a while for my order to come in but other than that everything seems okay . They are manufactured in China so your taking a gamble with the quality .

Penner · #38 06-24-2021, 06:47 AM

Side question. For your main battery (starting motor, sonar) are you guys running a standard automotive battery or a deep cycle?

58thecat · #39 06-24-2021, 06:49 AM

Man some have a lot of money tied up in batteries eh....now toss in the cost of the items they run and the boat that keeps it all afloat....wow

I bought a lawn tractor type battery to run my fish liar....it then can be if needed put in the tractor or quad etc in a pinch....I get about three days out of it before a full charge is required.....I will admit the helix 7 requires/eats more juice than the old fish liar.....

AlbertanGP · #40 06-24-2021, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penner

Side question. For your main battery (starting motor, sonar) are you guys running a standard automotive battery or a deep cycle?

Deep cycle. You're not starting your boat at -40*C. A deep cycle has more than enough CCA.

deschambault · #41 06-24-2021, 08:14 AM

I have an automotive battery for starting only and a size 31 deep cycle as house battery to run electronics etc.

warriorboy10 · #42 11-06-2021, 07:56 PM

Anyone find Energizer Lithium AA at a decent price lately?

nimrod · #43 11-06-2021, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warriorboy10

Anyone find Energizer Lithium AA at a decent price lately?

Vancouver battery, is where I bought mine

Coiloil37 · #44 11-07-2021, 03:04 AM

Why are you guys getting ripped so hard for lithium batteries? I can get Australian made 135AH prismatic cell, liFePO4 with a three year warranty for $569 and free shipping. 120AH is $499 and a 105AH is a shade over $400. Go down to the baby 50AH and they’re under $300. If you needed a set, two 120 AH would run $978 shipped. Lucky for me their shop is five minutes away so I get a bit of a discount from those prices if I pick them up.

I just put a new AGM house bank in the boat but I’m tempted to do it again and go lithium to drop some weight. Dropping 20+ kg’s per battery is probably worth the price of admission even though the boat weighs three tons.

Have any of you used them to start the outboard? I’m thinking of wiring them in parallel on startup and then having the loads split after the engine is running but I’m not sure how they would handle the draw. Probably a question for the battery shop.

deschambault · #45 11-07-2021, 06:51 AM

I would love to use them as starting batteries but Mercury specifically calls for 1000 CCA AGM batteries for starting. I believe the initial charge from the boat alternator can cause the BLM on a lithium battery to shut down and if that happens the boat will go from speed to zero and you might hit the windshield or worse. There are lots of people who do use them with no problems but I believe it voids the warranty. Mine are right at the back of the Crestliner so it would definitely help performance to remove a bunch of weight.