Best Lithium Battery

[Norma Lake]

Any recommendations for a lithium battery for an Elddis CV20 (2020). We do wild camping and feel that solar panel isn't enough to keep the battery topped up. Thank You!

 

[Two on Tour]

If your solar panel is not keeping the battery you have at present topped and that battery is not on it's way out, then a lithium battery will likely not fair any better with your solar panel.
You may well have to change you EHU battery charger if you go with lithium if it does not have a lithium charging profile.

 

[Norma Lake]

Thank you. The battery is new. The leisure battery is siting with a good reading so not sure why the solar panel is not great.

 

[Two on Tour]

I think it's normally a 100 watt solar panel fitted to the CV20 and at this time of the year with the low angle of the sun at this time of the year, you will struggle to get enough output from a panel of that size to recoup what your drawing from you leisure battery even on sunnier days.
If your solar panel was factory or dealer fitted, then they would have likely fitted the cheaper option PWM solar charger rather than the more efficient and more expensive MPPT solar charger.

We are mainly of grid and have over 400 watts of solar on our roof to get us by with the sun at this time of year.

 

[Lenny HB]

Main advantage of Lithium is being able to charge quickly for that you are going to need loads of solar as Paul pointed out.

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[Lenny HB]

Thank you. The battery is new. The leisure battery is siting with a good reading so not sure why the solar panel is not great.

If the battery is charged you won't see hardly any output from the solar panel just a low current float charge. Run the battery down by at least 25% then you will be able to see what the solar is doing.

 

[BillyKontiki]

Any recommendations for a lithium battery for an Elddis CV20 (2020). We do wild camping and feel that solar panel isn't enough to keep the battery topped up. Thank You!

Battery from KS. Energy 100ah Bluetooth + Victron 30 amp b to b charger you can stay away as long as you want as long as you have diesel.

 

[cmcardle75]

Any recommendations for a lithium battery for an Elddis CV20 (2020). We do wild camping and feel that solar panel isn't enough to keep the battery topped up. Thank You!

In winter, solar is generally not enough. You can get away with it in shoulder season with plenty of panels and an MPPT. Lithium can help because it is much more electrically efficient. You can also get a lot more capacity into a given space/weight. It also plays nicely with high powered B2B chargers, so you can get a substantial charge when just driving around. Lead acids prefer lower charge rates.

However, there are far too many variables to be recommending specific products. You need to be clear about your usage profiles. How much driving every day? How long off grid? Where in the world? What seasons? What heavy loads do you have? Compressor fridge? Diesel heating? Inverter? Hair dryer? Electric cooking appliances? Massive gaming laptop? TV once in a blue moon or 10 hours a day? Tank heaters in cold weather?

 

[TinaLes]

Piece of string & can of worms spring to mind on this topic.
As said above, you need to know your average daily amp hour usage, once known you can work out the most suitable way of replenishing it, via solar, B2B, or a mains charger. But Lithium charging is a different regime to lead acids, so some further research will be needed.
Don't believe without checking that there is a simple plug & go solution for a Lithium, if you want it to last.
LES

 

[Swifter]

I would recommend my 100ah leisure battery from Ultramax . It cost me under £390 ( very competitive for lithium ) early testing results are extremely positive.

Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 Battery Manufacturer UK | UltraMax Batteries

Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 battery manufacturer in the UK. High quality, flexible customization, lithium iron phosphate LiFePO4 batteries designed and manufactured in the UK

www.ultramax.co.uk

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[the1andonly]

These guys know what they are talking about. Having just completed my lithium installation it is not going to be a simple drop in a new battery. My instalation started as a dealer 120w install with pwm controller and weedy wiring. Upgrade even in a piecemeal fashion but with the end goal in mind. 1st job is know what you need. How much space have you got for solar / batteries where to fit a b2b and other bits what mods will be required to existing wiring controls etc. Lots of questions to suss first. First thing you need will be deep pockets.

 

[Norma Lake]

In winter, solar is generally not enough. You can get away with it in shoulder season with plenty of panels and an MPPT. Lithium can help because it is much more electrically efficient. You can also get a lot more capacity into a given space/weight. It also plays nicely with high powered B2B chargers, so you can get a substantial charge when just driving around. Lead acids prefer lower charge rates.

However, there are far too many variables to be recommending specific products. You need to be clear about your usage profiles. How much driving every day? How long off grid? Where in the world? What seasons? What heavy loads do you have? Compressor fridge? Diesel heating? Inverter? Hair dryer? Electric cooking appliances? Massive gaming laptop? TV once in a blue moon or 10 hours a day? Tank heaters in cold weather?

Thanks, much appreciated. Once you start to think about your usage that can of worms gets bigger and the string longer!