Jump to content

E Power 400ah lifepo4 battery


bus1728

Recommended Posts

Hi,

Would there be any fellow Kedron owners out there be able give me their experiences with this battery and their setup? My wife and I are looking to replace our 3x120ah agms in our 2014 XC3 with lithium possibly using The E Power setup but can't find any feedback. Could anyone please give their feedback.

Kindest Regards

Paul and Belinda 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our experience is with Enerdrive batteries so I hope the following advice is relevant.

 

We have a 520ah set up, installed here in SA by T1Lithium, a national 'guru' of Lithium.  It is nothing short of a miracle.

 

Previously we had an array of 4 x 120ah AGM batteries, and our solar is 4 x 120 watts on top of the van, a 100watt portable panel and two x 100 ahs on the roof of the car.  The car panels run the Engel in the car through a dedicated AGM battery.

 

You can opt for a 'drop in' system or a system such as ours which has the capability of being tweaked if a cell dies or any other problem occurs.  The drop in system will not allow for any tweaking by a novice.  Well, that is my limited understanding of the situation.

 

The advantage of lithium is that it re-charges much more efficiently than AGMs and can be discharged toa much lower level.  Ours is set to discharge to no more than 15% of the total capacity.  If we took so much out of the batteries that only 15% remained, the system cuts itself off to prevent any damage to the batteries.

The other advantage is the weight saving.  We saved 70kgs of weight.

 

Feel free to ask further questions.

Chris

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Paul and Belinda , we like Chris also had TI Lithium install our system. 600 amp with 580 w existing solar . Terry told us that while he installs a lot of 400amp systems he has had people coming back saying they wish they had another 200 so we bit the bullet and are very happy with the set up and happy with lots of power . Ok the cost was high but now long forgotten and have had great after sales service from Terry he knows his stuff . 

One thing we still need to buy is a portable solar panel . 

As Chris said these batteries can be drawn down to 15 percent causing no damage but you do need a good charging system including a dc to dc charger .

As far as pricing goes every system will be different according to size, what you currently have and how much labor to install. 

John 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As John and Jo have commented, the price will depend on what you currently have in place.  Terry was able to set the system up with our current charger and Inverter, as well as some other minor items.

 

It took a few days but he would not have been working on it all the time....I think he rests a bit between bouts of work!

 

This is not cheap, you understand.  You will probably be looking at over $7000, depending on the size of system.

 

BUT you save money by having this system installed.  For example:

 

We don’t elect to use powered sites at parks very often, choosing cheaper non-powered.

We can freecamp indefinitely if we choose, topping up water in various ways away from caravan parks

We use less gas as we are using the electric kettle, toaster and coffee machine rather than the gas cooktop.  One 9kg gas bottle last about five months.

 

We only stay at a caravan park if we are sightseeing for a few days or visiting nearby friends.  I much prefer the freedom of a spot on a river or up a gorge somewhere than crammed into caravan parks.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there Paul 

 

We recently replaced our 5 year old AGM batteries in our ATV for two. I am writing this so you can compare lithium battery systems so that when the time comes you make an informed decision that suits your needs.

 

We replaced our 3 AGM 120 watt batteries with 4 Victron 90 watt lithium batteries. We also replaced the original Kedron installed AC battery charger with a Enerdrive 60 watt charger suited for lithium batteries. We also replaced the original 25 amp Redarc DC to DC charger with a Victron buck boost 50 amp DC to DC charger. Plus some other components to link the whole thing together to form a 'system'. We kept the original roof mounted solar system (130 watt panels x 4, plus a 80 watt panel). Out of $10 grand, I had just enough change to buy a burger and coffee at Maccas!!!!!!!!!!

 

Our usage I similar to what Chris has said. We opt for unpowered sites, and use our 1800 watt Zantrex pure sine wave inverter to supply 240 volt throughout the van. We use the toaster, electric jug etc. one night we even used our electric blankets all night. However, we do monitor our battery status daily or several times a day. The 50 amp DC to DC charger is the key to success because it charges the batteries with a quick regulated charge. And with 600 watts of solar, we never seem to run out of power.

 

We used Springer Solar here in Brisbane to do the work, and are very happy with the work they did. From what I see on different forums and from comments others have made,  Terry at T1 has a very good reputation. Paul, whatever lithium battery system you choose, if it has the capacity you need and has a bit in reserve, caravanning is so much easier.

 

Good luck

 

Peter

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Everyone.

Thanks very much for your informative replies. To give you a little more information on our circumstances, we are a family of six, We only go to caravan parks when we have too and love free camping. Unfortunately it is a constant struggle with keeping our power up. My wife and I have discussed upgrading to Lithium. I know a bloke is not suppose to stress over the lack of power. But on numerous occasions we have just about walked away due to our frustration and disappointment. Well I bit the bullet and been given a quote from EV Power in WA for 400ah which I thought was reasonable. But my wife Belinda would like me to investigate into the Enerdrive system which is only 300ah. Living on the Gold Coast, Enerdrive are only up the road if anything goes wrong. I would love to talk to Terry but sadly we won't be going down to SA in the near future.  

 

Kindest Regards

Paul and Belinda

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Paul and Belinda

 

Given the option, I would go for the biggest system, ie the 400 amp system, you can afford. The reason we didn't go with EV Power is the distance from Brisbane.

 

There is no use spending big money on a system that 'might do' compared to a lithium battery system what 'will do'. Considering your family of six, go for system more than what your current needs are (children grow and does their screen time) and what you can afford. I feel that if you go with a 300 amp system system, and with a family of 6, you maybe at the limits of the system, and that would defeat the object of want you want to achieve. The simple fact is, the more power you have, the more you use, and with a family of 6 you would more than the two of us.

 

The Enerdrive people do put out a good system, that is why Kedron are using it. Why not contact Springers Solar at Capalaba for a quote,

 

Cheers 

 

Peter 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...