otrfun wrote:
Microlite Mike wrote:otrfun wrote:
Lastly, lifepo4 cell/battery manufacturers ship their units with a 30-50% SOC for a reason. It's the ideal SOC for a lifepo4---for the short and long-term. Yes, 30%-50% may be an ideal SOC for long term storage but since April 1 2016 international regulations regarding air shipments of Lithium batteries restricts the SOC to 30% or less.
FWIW, my solution to the storage issue is to just go camping regularly and since I primarily boondock, batteries are constantly being cycled. I just follow Battleborn's recommendation when I return from a trip. "Charge to 100%, disconnect, and just charge again after 6 months of inactivity" (which has yet to occur).
With 200 ah of storage and a daily average consumption ~50 ah, I will complete a full charge cycle every 4 days. If I were to "Full Time Boondock that would amount to 91.25 full cycles per year. Battleborn advertises 3,000 to 5,000 cycles from their batteries. This amounts to 32 to 55 YEARS of battery life based on cycles alone.
Most LiFePo4 batteries in RV's will most likely outlive their owners and possibly those who inherit the RV and batteries.
Reality Check, LiFePo4 batteries are also subject to internal chemical degradation like Lead/Acid chemistry batteries. Even with the most careful charging practices they will most likely age out somewhere after 10-12 years which is why the best warranties max out in that range.
Some of the discussion here is a somewhat, in-the-weeds debate about ways to maximize cycle life. Some of the SOC and charge voltage monitoring required to implement some of the charge profiles (for only a nominal increase in cycle life) is probably overkill for the average user. Only someone who places a higher priority on cycle life vs. usability would find it worth their time.
I only mentioned the 30-50 cycle as an extreme example of how to maximize lifepo4 cycle life--just to make a point. Rather doubt it's worth anybody's time to actually implement it because it would reduce the ah capacity of the battery to a ridiculously low level.
As for your comment about air shipment of lifepo4's at 30% or less SOC, I'm not sure how this fits into the current discussion. Maybe you can clarify.
Bottom line, as I mentioned in an earlier post (and as you also somewhat alluded to), the average user can get by without having to resort to any special charge profile and still obtain many, many years of use from their lifepo4.
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