A couple plug and play options I'm considering for 300-500AH @24V Bank

[gilliganphantom]

Okay so I'd prefer a plug and play battery. I'm a confident and capable beginner, but my goal is to find a great value battery over building my own.

Here are my battery bank goals:

300-500AH @ 24V
Under $6,000
BMS (considering installing my own low temp warning device)
Must fit within 22.5"x27.5" area so taller is better

Option #1: 300AH 12V Kilovault Battery x 2 = 300AH @ 24V, $4,800 + $300 shipping, + Tax
https://www.altestore.com/store/dee...t-lithium-solar-battery-p41011/#KLV3600HLX-V2

This option gets me 300AH at $6K from a reputable dealer with at least some warranty.

Option #2: 300AH @ 24V Millertech Battery = $4,000 + $100 shipping + Tax?

MillerTech 300Ah 24V PREMIUM Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) Smart Ba

**This product is a low stock item and may be back ordered. Please contact us ahead of time at ldsreliance@gmail.com to verify stock. It does not ship free and must be shipped via freight so give us your address for a price quote** MillerTech lithium batteries are lightweight, non-toxic, and...

ldsreliance.myshopify.com

Same power, one battery, significantly cheaper than the Kilovault. Apparently has a 5 year warranty but I don't really feel like this is a reputable company (could be wrong). Looks like they'll dropship a battery from China to me and maybe provide some support, but with $2K in savings maybe I can solve some of my own problems.

They also make 450AH @ 24V for $6K which would be really sweet but it doesn't fit in my space.

Option #3: 500AH @ 24V for $4,400 + free shipping + tax?

945.0US $ 25% OFF|Waterproof 24v 250ah Lifepo4 Battery No 200ah 300ah Lithium Battery For Bicycle Inverter Solar Rv Ev Agv Ups Golf + 20a Charger - Battery Packs - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Wow 500AH would be amazing and this would apparently come in around the same price as the Millertech. I'll be buying it straight from a company and I'm assuming no warranty.

So what do you guys think about those 3 options? I know there are many more so drop your favorites or what batteries you're considering buying.

Justin

 

[Bob B]

Only a 60 day warranty seem unusual .... The 200 AH looks like an even better deal. 400 AH for $3400

 

[gilliganphantom]

I didn't even see that 60 day warranty. It really is a gamble ordering from Aliexpress, right? I wonder if buying it with a credit card would give you any security. Good catch I'd rather buy the 2x 200AH for 400AH for $3,400. I could actually fit one more and bump it to 600AH one day. Also noticing a 24V 400AH for $3,400 which is one standalone battery. It's 56KG. Is this all too good to be true? You'd have to pay $7,600 for this many battle born's.

 

[Woodworks]

Check this on Amazon. It is also on Alibaba, search shunbin. Comes with 30 amp charger also.

Amazon.com: Lifepo4 100ah 200ah 300ah 400ah 24V Lithium ion Battery for Solar System/Motor Home/Boat/Golf Carts car battery (24V 400ah ×1pcs): Automotive

Buy Lifepo4 100ah 200ah 300ah 400ah 24V Lithium ion Battery for Solar System/Motor Home/Boat/Golf Carts car battery (24V 400ah ×1pcs): Automotive - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

There are two other listings on Amazon from the same seller the 12v batt now has 5 reviews.
Has temp control and they will customize the BMS. This is the best deal I've found out there

 

[svetz]

Option 3 is coming in around $400/kWh, if you do feel like gambling check out some of the batteries others have listed on the forums, I've seen some folks have lists between $200 and $300 kWh. I'm pretty sure at least one was on Amazon, so a bit safer than an unkown exporter.

Update: Well done @Woodworks ! Saw your post just after I posted! That's definitely one of the ones I was thinking of.

Update 2: If you're planning on incrementally adding more batteries later, you might also like Incrementally adding DC batteries

 

[cotter]

If you could go to 48V you may find pricing from Torque Power for around $290/kW-hr and shipped from North Carolina. They sell on eBay and also on their website buylithium.com.

i am on the fence looking to give it try for a 48V MPP all in one 5 kW inverter.

 

[gilliganphantom]

Thanks for your contributions guys. So we have 400AH @ 24V from Amazon for just $3K (wow that's by far the best price I've seen)

Amazon.com: Lifepo4 100ah 200ah 300ah 400ah 24V Lithium ion Battery for Solar System/Motor Home/Boat/Golf Carts car battery (24V 400ah ×1pcs): Automotive

Buy Lifepo4 100ah 200ah 300ah 400ah 24V Lithium ion Battery for Solar System/Motor Home/Boat/Golf Carts car battery (24V 400ah ×1pcs): Automotive - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

And then if you can make 48V work you can buy 8 of these and get 200AH @ 48V for $3,032 with free shipping and possibly even no tax.

Buy Lithium is under construction

RV and Lithium Batteries since 2015

buylithium.com

It also does have low temperature shutoff. I can't fit 8 of these but I could buy 6 of the 125AH @ 12V and have 375AH @ 24V for $4,800 which pretty much knocks out the kilovault. It has a 5 year warranty and some sort of a bluetooth connectivity. I'm definitely going to consider this one! For $1,800 more than the Amazon one you clearly get a bit more, but 25AH less. Has anybody bought any of these batteries or any others that can chime in?

 

[Bluemalibu]

I bought two of those 4oo ah batteries @gilliganphantom , but in their 12v flavor as they are still maneuverable at 83 lbs. They reported the 24v version to be 145 lbs.

They were delivered FedEx Express in five days, and I am thrilled to death with these things! Just incredible batteries in strong stainless steel cases, at the same cost as raw cells elsewhere.


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/2466/fUp80q.jpg

 

[airforceones25]

And then if you can make 48V work you can buy 8 of these and get 200AH @ 48V for $3,032

Buy Lithium is under construction

RV and Lithium Batteries since 2015

buylithium.com

It also does have low temperature shutoff. I can't fit 8 of these but I could buy 6 of the 125AH @ 12V and have 375AH @ 24V for $4,800 which pretty much knocks out the kilovault. It has a 5 year warranty and some sort of a bluetooth connectivity. I'm definitely going to consider this one! For $1,800 more than the Amazon one you clearly get a bit more, but 25AH less. Has anybody bought any of these batteries or any others that can chime in?

This option looks really intriguing to me but can someone help me understand discharge rates? Are the discharge amperage ratings lower simply because of the higher battery voltage? Sorry in advance. I’m a total newb when it comes to electrical. Ha

 

[Craig]

You can discharge at 50 amps per cell in parallel so if you had 10 cells you could discharge 500 Amps for extended periods and it looks like 1100 amps for 3 seconds

 

[gilliganphantom]

I bought two of those 4oo ah batteries @gilliganphantom , but in their 12v flavor as they are still maneuverable at 83 lbs. They reported the 24v version to be 145 lbs.

They were delivered FedEx Express in five days, and I am thrilled to death with these things! Just incredible batteries in strong stainless steel cases, at the same cost as raw cells elsewhere.


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/2466/fUp80q.jpg

Thanks so much for chiming in. I really appreciate your vote of confidence. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on either 1 or 2 300AH @ 24V batteries from this company which would easily fit in my 22.5x27.5 space or possibly 1 or 2 400AH @ 24V batteries which would be an extremely tight fit with little space for wiring.

My reason for buying one at a time would just be because with few Amazon reviews it's hard to be entirely sure of this product. Spending all the money at once makes me a little uncomfortable. I'd add the second battery within a year.

I like the idea of having two 24V batteries. If one fails, we'd still have half of the capacity to temporarily get by on in the other. Then again 1 24V battery means almost no wiring, but realistically so does 2 24V batteries vs 8+ Battleborns. So that being said I'm leaning towards 2 x 24V 300AH batteries for $4,600.

I'm going to do one more test before I buy. Since I'm plugged into a 50 Amp RV outlet at our house, and we can live in our bus and leave the house vacant, I'm going to turn off all breakers in the house for 24 hours, except for the refrigerator so I don't have to clean it out. I'll put my killawatt meter on that refrigerator. Then we'll live in the bus for 24 hours, cooking 3 meals in the bus with our induction cooktop, and running our mini split fan, 12v fan, and one 120v fan pretty much the whole time to simulate how we'd live in say 90 degree weather. We won't try and conserve energy. Then I'll read my house meter before and after, and subtract the killawatt hours from the house meter. This is the simplest and quickest way I can think of to measure our energy use in the bus. From these results I'll know for sure if I should spring for 600AH @ 24V or maybe even 800AH @ 24V.

 

[Bluemalibu]

That sounds like a great real-world test run @gilliganphantom , let us know how it works out!

 

[gilliganphantom]

That sounds like a great real-world test run @gilliganphantom , let us know how it works out!

So a couple of things deterred my test. #1 couldn't find my kilawatt. #2 didn't feel like turning off our wifi, #3 we had cleaners in the house using vacuums, and a roku tv was left on for most of the day, and all in all I feel there was a decent amount of phantom draw from the house and maybe the bus. However no HVAC was used in the house or bus, the house has a gas water heater, and the electric water heater was left on in the bus all day. 17 KWH's were used in a 24 hour period between the house and the bus.

However this still leads me further to my decision. Realistically 2 24V 400AH batteries are not going to fit in my electrical closet easily so that's out. I feel like at $4,600 for 24V 600AH with two 300AH batteries I can reasonably afford that much battery bank, and having two will be very nice if one fails and we have to get by with half capacity for potentially several weeks, instead of 0 battery. So that's what I'm going with. My last decision is do I buy one now, and another later, or just buy the two now. It's a lot of money so I'm going to let it churn for another little while.

 

[KateLee]

@gilliganphantom I appreciate this thread seeing as I am also looking to get good value in batteries! I found this battery (Link below) and though it's not as cheap as the ones you have posted they do say they will match other sellers prices. Though looking at the specs it seems that the others are saying the batteries will last 2000+ cycles the Pacific Sun System batteries say they are 4000+ cycles which is more standard. The bms has "temperature monitoring" but I'm not sure if that means they have cut offs but I assume so. According to them they have been in the Lithium battery business since 2010 which I assume means they feel confident in their product for whatever it's worth. Maybe take a look. I'm leaning toward them but still not not totally convinced. But my reluctance is that there are no reviews. But it seems to me that with the standard 4 year warranty it might be a safe battery to invest in. Even though it may not be the cheapest option it's pretty cheap compared to other batteries in its class.

24 Volt 200 Amp Hour LIFEP04 Lithium Battery | Lowest Price on Lithium Batteries

24 Volt 200 Amp Hour LIFEP04 Lithium Battery, True 200AH Rating, replace that old Gel or AGM battery, this will be the last battery you buy!

pacificsunsystems.com

 

[Delta-V]

Check this on Amazon. It is also on Alibaba, search shunbin. Comes with 30 amp charger also.

Amazon.com: Lifepo4 100ah 200ah 300ah 400ah 24V Lithium ion Battery for Solar System/Motor Home/Boat/Golf Carts car battery (24V 400ah ×1pcs): Automotive

Buy Lifepo4 100ah 200ah 300ah 400ah 24V Lithium ion Battery for Solar System/Motor Home/Boat/Golf Carts car battery (24V 400ah ×1pcs): Automotive - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

There are two other listings on Amazon from the same seller the 12v batt now has 5 reviews.
Has temp control and they will customize the BMS. This is the best deal I've found out there

Well, I pulled the trigger on the 24V 400AH battery from Shunbin at Amazon. Thanks for the find, Woodworks! Although, I'm still somewhat skeptical spending $3,000 USD without a solid sense of confidence of what I'll be receiving. Guess we'll see if it was worth the gamble or not.

Amazon.com

I placed the order late evening Sun 20 Oct 2019, received email early Fri 25 Oct 2019 battery was shipped, includes UPS shipping tracking number. Tracking shows 2 packages shipped, one is 2.5KG (~6lbs), the other is 68KG (~150lbs). My guess is the quick charger was shipped separately. Estimated Arrival: October 31 - November 8. Tracking shows they shipped from Hong Kong (on its way to Florida). The charge is pending on the credit card.

Using Svetz's cost estimation (above), 25.6V (24V nominal) x 400AH = 10.240 kWh / $2999 = $293 per kWh. Within the $200 - $300 per kWh pricing range others have been finding. Not too bad when it also includes a metal battery case, built-in BMS, and 24v 30A quick charger. Of course, we'll have to see how well it works. I'll post a status update once I receive the order.

 

[bulrush]

but with $2K in savings maybe I can solve some of my own problems.

Some items from Asia get stuck in customs or just plain lost. If customs loses your package, the vendor will try not to refund your money. I suspect some items get stolen at customs too. This is why I don't order expensive items from overseas.

 

[Firering]

Wouldn't Amazon intervene if the item gets lost (stolen)?

 

[gilliganphantom]

Well, I pulled the trigger on the 24V 400AH battery from Shunbin at Amazon. Thanks for the find, Woodworks! Although, I'm still somewhat skeptical spending $3,000 USD without a solid sense of confidence of what I'll be receiving. Guess we'll see if it was worth the gamble or not.

View attachment 1450

Amazon.com

I placed the order late evening Sun 20 Oct 2019, received email early Fri 25 Oct 2019 battery was shipped, includes UPS shipping tracking number. Tracking shows 2 packages shipped, one is 2.5KG (~6lbs), the other is 68KG (~150lbs). My guess is the quick charger was shipped separately. Estimated Arrival: October 31 - November 8. Tracking shows they shipped from Hong Kong (on its way to Florida). The charge is pending on the credit card.

Using Svetz's cost estimation (above), 25.6V (24V nominal) x 400AH = 10.240 kWh / $2999 = $293 per kWh. Within the $200 - $300 per kWh pricing range others have been finding. Not too bad when it also includes a metal battery case, built-in BMS, and 24v 30A quick charger. Of course, we'll have to see how well it works. I'll post a status update once I receive the order.

Thanks for telling us here! I'm still treading water. I was going to order today but now I might as well wait till you get yours. Would you mind updating us?

 

[Bob B]

Looks like you could easily take that apart to see how well it is constructed inside. I am considering doing that to the 100AH battery I just got.

I could impove the internal construction if it is not good .... maybe change the buss bars to copper if they aren't already .... You would be taking a lot bigger risk doing that than me because of the much larger investment.

 

[Delta-V]

Update! I just received the 24V 400Ah battery today. I ordered it 20 Oct, it was shipped 25 Oct, I received it 1 Nov (12 days). Shipped from Hong Kong to Japan to Alaska to Kentucky to Florida. No added costs (ie. no customs fees), $2999 with free shipping was the total. A signature was required, so I opted to pick it up at the local UPS warehouse as it's on my way home from work.

This is a heavy battery, 151 lbs (~68.5 Kg) was written on the box.

2 boxes were sent, the large box is the battery, the smaller box is the 24V 30A charger. They were packed very well, completely taped up. The battery was packed in a foam cooler.

26.9V displayed out of the box (26.73V per multimeter). The battery box measures 24" L x 11" W x 10.5" H.

After opening her up, looks to be 16 200Ah cells, 8S2P configuration (24V at 400Ah). The charger looks to be two 24V 15A chargers wired in parallel to make it 24V 30A.

At first glance, I'm happy with it. It's pretty much what I was expecting for the value. I've got the battery temporarily hooked up to my improvised solar powerwall setup. It's currently running my desktop computer with 2 monitors, a stereo, and a pedestal fan (~200 Watts per hour) after I swapped it out with my smaller LiFePO4 battery. No issues so far. I'll be doing a capacity test over the weekend and checking the cells and such as well. I'll provide updates as I go.