Tag: battery

Li Time 12v 230Ah Plus Lithium RV | Off Grid | Solar LiFePO4 Battery

Posted on by HOBOTECH Tom
LITIME 230AH

Li Time 12v 230Ah Plus Lithium RV | Off Grid | Solar LiFePO4 Battery

LITIME 230AH

 

 

 

 

 

 

–>WATCH THE REVIEW HERE <–

The brand Li Time, previously known as Ampere Time, has released a new 230ah lithium drop in lead acid replacement battery for RV’s, off grid backup systems, and DIY solar projects that’s both smaller and lighter than their previous 200ah version and comes standard with low temperature charging protection. But is it any good? Let’s find out!

Specs:

  • Battery Capacity, Voltage, Cell Grade, & Cycles: The Li Time 230ah Plus is a 12.8v LiFePO4 battery rated 230ah or 2944wh with a lifespan of 4000 cycles at 100% DoD

  • Size/Weight: 19”L x 6.7”W x 9.5”H at around 45 lbs. I was actually quite surprised by the size and weight as it’s inches smaller in every dimension and weighs about the same as their 200ah.

  • BMS rated amps: They upgraded the BMS in the Plus model to handle 200A of charging and discharging and at 12.8v that’s 2560w

  • Series/Parallel ability: This battery can be placed in up to a 4s4p configuration which stands for up to 4 in series and up to 4 in parallel for 51.2v operation up to 920Ah for a total of 47kWh of power. That’s the equivalent power to run the average American home for about two days.

  • Case Quality / IP rating: As for the case, it’s typical ABS plastic that is virtually air tight giving it its IP65 water and dust resistance rating. You can use it outdoors in the rain without fear of it shorting out.

  • Protections (cold/hot): The Plus in the model name means that it has been upgraded with a better BMS that has both high and low temperature protection. We’ll test this in a bit.

  • Features (handle, hardware, etc): It comes with an easy to read color user manual, M8 hardware, and plastic bolt covers for safety as well as nylon carrying handles.

  • Warranty: 5 years from Li Time / Ampere Time

Testing 

  • Battery Capacity Test (time lapse): 235ah

  • BMS Discharge Rate: (rated 200A) shuts down @250A <5s; can run 230A for 10m; max surge 450A~1s; auto recovery in ~20s; no overheating

  • BMS Charge Rate: 150A ~6m as tested

  • Charge below freezing test: (32F-41F) will not charge below 32F, recovers at 41F

  • Overheating test: product won’t overheat

So what do I think:

  • I think these batteries just keep getting better each year. I still recall my review of the Ampere Time 200ah model just one year ago and it was so much bulkier, didn’t offer low temperature protection, and had a measly 100A BMS for 24 cents per watt hour. This new bigger and better models is only 20 cents per watt hour with my discount code which will talk about here in a moment. This battery is a fantastic buy especially since it’s physically smaller than competing 200ah batteries but you’re getting 235 usable amp hours instead.

Use Case:

  • Use Case & inverter sizing:

    • First, it seems apparent that I need to explain what these batteries are for because I had some folks answer a recent poll stating they didn’t understand their use case. If you know what these batteries are for then feel free to skip the next few minutes.

    • Okay, so first … it’s a battery. It does what a battery does. It stores and releases electrical energy. While its chemistry is based on lithium and iron, it still works virtually the same as the 150 year old lead acid battery tech we all grew up with. The main difference is that inside a lithium battery is a circuit board that controls how much power can come in, or go out and how much the cells can charge and discharge. This is called the BMS or battery management system. Its primary function is to protect the battery, and you, from damage.

    • These batteries are primarily used in RV’s, trailers, boats, van builds in place of lead acid batteries. Lead acid is very inefficient, heavy, requires regular maintenance, and can become quite dangerous as they give off toxic explosive gasses. Explosive gasses are the last thing you want in a motor vehicle, especially one you camp or sleep in.

    • These batteries are also used for off grid solar builds or home backup battery systems again in place of lead acid batteries. Lithium batteries can be fully discharged without damage unlike lead acid’s limitation of 50% discharge, essentially making them double the capacity of lead.

    • We’re currently at the crossroads where the effective cost of budget brand lithium batteries match or even beat name brand lead batteries. Once you factor in lithium batteries last 10 times as long as lead, require no maintenance or ventilation, are safer than lead, it makes basically no sense at all to even consider a lead battery for much of anything except starter batteries in vehicles. Starter batteries still have the advantage of pumping hundreds of more amps than lithium in sub freezing conditions. However, there are already trolling batteries on the market designed for spinning electric motors and I give it 1-2 years tops before we have automotive lithium batteries as the norm.

    • So if you’re using one of these as a RV house battery or for an off grid solar or backup power build, how big of an inverter can you run? Each 230ah Plus can handle 2500w of output. With two setup in parallel, that’s 5000w. So effectively the largest 12v inverters available can be powered with just a pair of these lithium batteries.

    • The reverse is also true. If you are using an inverter-charger combo you can effectively charge each battery at 2500w or 200A so a pair in parallel could handle 400A of charging. You’ll never find a 12v charger that outputs 400A unless it’s some kind of multi thousand dollar industrial job. So again, a pair of these batteries can handle just about anything.

    • If you’re interested in inverters or solar controllers to use with these batteries, I do have some models on my product page at hobotech.tv.

  • Product Price with current discounts:

    • So this bigger, better 230ah Plus model is only $592 (or 20 cents per watt hour) when you use the link and discount code in the description of this video. In fact, LiTime is offering a pair of discount codes that will work until the end of the year across the board on all of their products. So if you’re looking for a smaller or larger version of this battery the codes will still work for the discount.

How to buy: