Lithium Battery Dispelling a Few Myths

[Jim]

Over the past three days, there have been three instances where people witnessed Lithium battery fires and mistakenly believed that the batteries in our vans pose the same danger. I've just written an article that should help ease their concerns and address a few other misconceptions. Please feel free to comment on the article if you spot any errors or think it needs further information. Thank you!

3½ Lithium Motorhome Battery Myths

Debunking 4 common myths about the Motorhome Lithium Battery. Discover why you should invest in one for your motorhome.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Swifter]

Spotted this earlier and linked it to the original threads . Good read , very interesting ,as are some of the other articles

 

[Diabalo]

Good article and link all good due my AV keeping my system safe.

 

[jumar]

Thanks Jim. Must say I agree with your findings...I'm a 100% convert to the needs of Lithium...we are off grid Motorhomers....not Free spirits or Freeloaders. We just don't need an outside power source other than what's naturally available...The flexibility our Lithium has provided is remarkable....only yesterday my 160aH battery was 44% but with a shortish drive to relocate to our next overnighter and a wee bit of sun, we were back to 100%
Of course the DC2DC puts in 30amp whilst travelling...but the skies were not as clear as normal....checking just now after a night parked up..we are have dropped to 96%, but the sun is up, that gets the job done.

 

[Grianan]

Thanks for article. I’m using iPhone and no adverts.

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[Shrimp]

Found it interesting and and saw no dodgy ads on your link.

 

[our poppy llll]

Over the past three days, there have been three instances where people witnessed Lithium battery fires and mistakenly believed that the batteries in our vans pose the same danger. I've just written an article that should help ease their concerns and address a few other misconceptions. Please feel free to comment on the article if you spot any errors or think it needs further information. Thank you!

3½ Lithium Motorhome Battery Myths

Debunking 4 common myths about the Motorhome Lithium Battery. Discover why you should invest in one for your motorhome.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Very interesting article. It would be nice if the dealers who sell MHs could advise what MHs can simply switch and which would need additional equipment and if they listed a cost to make such a change.
Many people buy an expensive piece of kit to go and explore the world around them and having power in the form of electric and gas is paramount to this plan.
Having a lot of Electric needs while being off grid in a MH is a little like having the constant worry of running out of power in an electric car.
Your article certainly opens the mind to these modern alternatives, a little like solar charging panels changed peoples ideas on battery charging. Today we simple expect motorhomes to have solar chargers. Maybe the future is lithium. Time will tell. It is articles like this that encouraged me to join this forum.

 

[MillieMoocher]

Interesting article Jim, and no adverts here when I read it on iPad.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Good article, precise and no waffle

 

[bigtwin]

Please feel free to comment on the article if you spot any errors or think it needs further information.

The only thing that caught my eye Jim was this statement:

The BMS will activate the heating element when the internal temperature is too low, enabling charging even in freezing conditions.

I’m not certain if some batteries do as you’ve written but some (perhaps all?) are not configured in that way. My understanding is that the heaters are not powered by the battery but rather by the charging source (and consequently their is no detriment to the available stored energy withing the battery). The BMS controls the input charge to feed the heater(s) until such time as the battery is able to safely accept the charge current.

Perhaps someone else can clarify if some batteries behave as you’ve described.

Ian

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[Gromett]

The only thing that caught my eye Jim was this statement:



I’m not certain if some batteries do as you’ve written but some (perhaps all?) are not configured in that way. My understanding is that the heaters are not powered by the battery but rather by the charging source (and consequently their is no detriment to the available stored energy withing the battery). The BMS controls the input charge to feed the heater(s) until such time as the battery is able to safely accept the charge current.

Perhaps someone else can clarify if some batteries behave as you’ve described.

Ian

The BMS controls the heater. It will only switch it on when the battery is on charge. Otherwise there is no point to it.

 

[Gaston aires]

I read both yours and Eddies article. Firstly No weird adverts but very interesting subject as I have just converted to a lithium under seat replacement battery. It’s a Fogstar 230 AH drift battery replacing 2 x lead acid sorts. Our van is a 2016 Wiensberg and as so Was on the cusp of having a true lithium setting on the Shaudt electro lock. The MPPT solar controller did have a lifePO setting. After Fogstar gave me advice I set the Shaudt to gel settings and MPPT to lithium and no other features like B2B were installed. Bottom line is after a couple of 5 day sessions without EHU it performed extremely well
almost recovered charge to around 95% of maximum through 2 solar panels (the weather was by no means sunny all the time) which is just what Fogstar said it would do. We are using electric kettles hairdryer and toaster’s through a pure sinewave inverter.
Very pleased and glad we made the switch to lithium.
Phil

 

[Jim]

The only thing that caught my eye Jim was this statement:



I’m not certain if some batteries do as you’ve written but some (perhaps all?) are not configured in that way. My understanding is that the heaters are not powered by the battery but rather by the charging source (and consequently their is no detriment to the available stored energy withing the battery). The BMS controls the input charge to feed the heater(s) until such time as the battery is able to safely accept the charge current.

Perhaps someone else can clarify if some batteries behave as you’ve described.

Ian

Ones I've seen that have a heating element have it powered by the Charge Supply, but its the BMS that is controlling everything. It activates the heating element. But I will re-visit it and see if it can be worded better. Cheers

 

[bigtwin]

The BMS controls the heater.

That’s what I said. The key point that I was making was that the energy comes from the charge source not, as could be inferred from the wording in the article, from the stored energy in the battery.

It will only switch it on when the battery is on charge.

Agreed and, again, that’s what I said. The wording in the article can be interpreted as stating that the BMS switches the heaters on in anticipation of receiving a charge.

Ian

 

[Gromett]

The wording in the article can be interpreted as stating that the BMS switches the heaters on in anticipation of receiving a charge.

I don't read it that way. But if you did, perhaps other may as well?

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[nigelivy]

That's a good article, Jim.

 

[RogerIvy]

Great article Jim!