Question Lithium ion batteries

[sheridany]

Question of the day. When will lithium ion batteries be available on all Newmar DP? It is now standard on the KADP for 2021.
Is it worth it?

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

If past practice is any indication, a new feature usually works its way down the model list a year at a time. There are times, however, when Newmar has introduced a feature at the top end and subsequentially made it standard across the board within a year or two. My WAG is probably 3-5 years for the whole lineup with the possible exception of the Kountry Aire and Ventana.

Is it worth it? If it became standard, it would be. As an option, it would depend on the price they set. For me, it is a bit too early to tell.

TJ

 

[Joe Hogan]

We have installed 600 amp of LiFEpo4 in the CS. I find them to be a good (not economical) upgrade. Runs front A/C and residential fridge for up to 5 hrs with solar help. AND they charge relatively fast, with no maintenance. We have found them to be less hassle than the conventional batteries. We camped for a week at the Balloon Festival last year and did not run the Generator once.

 

[BGMAC]

We have installed 600 amp of LiFEpo4 in the CS. I find them to be a good (not economical) upgrade. Runs front A/C and residential fridge for up to 5 hrs with solar help. AND they charge relatively fast, with no maintenance. We have found them to be less hassle than the conventional batteries. We camped for a week at the Balloon Festival last year and did not run the Generator once.

Did you just do the battery replacement or were there other things you had to add/change?

 

[Joe Hogan]

Did you just do the battery replacement or were there other things you had to add/change?

We did add 1300 watts of solar and a 3000 watt Hybrid inverter along with the 600 amps of LiFepo4 batteries. We have all the electrical power we want for our purposes, and then some. The front A/C we added a Soft Start so we can run that unit on batteries only for a considerable time if needed.

 

[redbaron]

@JoeHogan - that really sounds like all I would ever need on mine. Did you do anything to the battery bay to protect the batteries?

 

[Richpatty]

Following....as I am looking to replace my 8 lead acid batteries with 8 battleborn in 2021...

Always like to see lessons learned.

 

[Joe Hogan]

@JoeHogan - that really sounds like all I would ever need on mine. Did you do anything to the battery bay to protect the batteries?

The battery bank is Two 300 amp packs, both with internal BMS. One pack is exposed to the elements in the stock tray, and the other in a basement locker. I have noticed that the Pack exposed to the elements does get hotter right after we stop as the engine and exhaust are in close proximity. If I do this again I would put all the battery packs in a basement compartment.

 

[Richpatty]

Thanks Joe. My plan is to insulate the battery compartment (at least the best I can) and see how that goes. It is not near the engine, so not too worried about heat and we don’t tend to travel in the extreme cold, so not too worried about that either. I could add a small heater if needed.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Here is a picture of my installation.