Are Lithium Batteries Good for Boondocking?

When you are away from a campground or hookups, boondocking is a great way to take your RV to the remote locations that you want to explore.  After all, isn’t getting away from it all why you bought the RV in the first place?

Boondocking requires that you are able to sustain the food and supplies required to live and enjoy your RV experience without the amenities that an RV park provides.  Whether you are simply spending the night in an urban parking lot or headed out for a multiday National Forest adventure, having a good battery is essential in being able to keep the electricity inside your RV running.  In this article, we will outline the advantages of having a lithium iron phosphate battery for boondocking.

Advantages of Lithium Batteries for Boondocking

Most RV’s come with lead acid batteries.  Whereas this is a cheaper option, if you are planning to do a lot of boondocking, having a lithium iron phosphate battery is going to be a much better choice.  Below, we will showcase the many benefits of lithium batteries for boondocking.

Increased Use Capacity

If you are not able to run off of a campground’s power or immediately recharge your battery, you will want a battery that will last as long as possible.  Traditional lead acid models only allow for 55% of the total amp hour capacity to be used before it could become damaging to the battery.  With lithium iron phosphate, users are able to access 100% of the amp hours and it takes 35% less power to charge the battery if you use a generator to charge it , allowing for a huge increase in the amount of electricity available for a single charge.

Faster Charging

If you are headed out for a boondocking adventure, the last thing you will want to do is sit around and wait for your RV’s battery to charge.  Lithium batteries charge to full capacity in between 1 to 3 hours, whereas lead acid batteries take between 8 and 12 hours.  If you have a solar panel system installed to increase your boondocking potential, having a lithium battery will drastically cut down on the amount of sunlight hours and solar panels more than 35% needed for the system to fully charge.

Lower Cost, Longer Life Expectancy

RV’s are a big lifestyle investment, so the products that you put inside should be carefully considered.  Although lithium iron phosphate batteries are more expensive than lead acid batteries, their increased life expectancy actually allows them to have a lower overall cost per cycle.  Lead acid batteries operate on average for between 3 to 5 years at a cost per cycle of roughly 67 cents about 300 cycles.  Lithium batteries typically last between 15 to 20 years, resulting in a cost per cycle of merely 31 cents about 2500 to 5000 cycles.

Less Maintenance

If you’re out enjoying the open road or the confines of nature, the last thing that you will want to worry about is the maintenance of your battery.  Lead acid batteries require the constant maintenance of water levels, as well as potentially causing headaches with corrosion.  Lithium batteries do not require any water level maintenance, nor do they release the gases that tend to cause corrosion in lead acid batteries.

Discharge Protection

If you are boondocking and powering your electric devices, excessive discharge could lead to damages in your battery.  Lithium batteries come with a built in battery management system (BMS) that helps protect against vulnerability to high discharge.  Lead acid batteries are much more likely to become damaged or unusable due to unexpected discharge levels.

What is the Best Lithium Battery for Boondocking?

If you have decided that a lithium battery is going to be better than a lead acid battery for boondocking, then it is time to explore your options.  If you are planning to spend multiple days boondocking in your RV, you may want to consider charging and bringing along a few battery backups to increase your time spent camping.  Rhinovoltz creates a few efficient and reliable lithium iron phosphate batteries that are perfect for boondocking in your RV.

Are Lithium Batteries Good for Trolling Motors?

If you are considering a lithium battery for your trolling motor, then you are on the right track.  There are a ton of options out there for different marine batteries, but the most popular products that people are choosing are generally best deep cycle batteries are either lead acid or lithium.  In this article we will outline the advantages that we feel make a lithium iron phosphate battery the best battery for trolling motors.

Advantages of Lithium Batteries for Trolling Motors

Lithium iron phosphate batteries boast an all around better experience than lead acid batteries. When compared to lead acid batteries, lithium batteries actually come at a better, lower cost per cycle.  If you are considering a lead acid battery because it is cheaper in price then a lithium model, then you probably haven’t considered the longer lifespan and overall better performance. Below we will outline all of the reasons that lithium iron batteries are the best choice for trolling motors.

Lightweight

When you are out on the water, every bit of weight counts in order to maximize the life and performance of your trolling motor battery.  For 100 amp hour models, the average lead acid battery weighs about 60 lbs.  A similar sized lithium battery, on the other hand, only weighs roughly 24 lbs.  By more than halving the weight of your battery, your trolling motor will be able to perform better and use less energy.  As a bonus, you’ll have an extra 36 lbs of room for your daily catch!

Less Maintenance

If you are tired of checking the water levels of your lead acid battery, switching to a lithium iron phosphate battery will put an end to your sorrows as there is no maintenance required.  If you set out on your marine adventures early in the morning, the fewer chores you must complete, the better, so lithium batteries seem like an obvious choice.

No Corrosion

Lithium batteries do not release hydrogen gas, which causes corrosion of lead acid batteries, especially in marine settings.  Installing a lithium iron battery on your trolling motor will also greatly reduce the amount of time you will have to spend cleaning battery corrosion to ensure battery longevity.

Longer Lasting Life

Most trolling motor owners replace their lead acid battery every 3 to 5 years.  Lithium batteries tend to last between 7 to 8 years.  This extraordinary difference actually brings the cost per cycle of lithium batteries below that of lead acid batteries.  Typically, the cost per cycle of a lead acid battery is $0.67, whereas a lithium iron phosphate battery’s cost per cycle is closer to $0.31.

Faster Charging

We’ve all done it: forget to charge your trolling motor battery before a big fishing trip.  Lithium iron batteries help reduce this pain point.  Lithium iron batteries typically charge to full capacity in between 1 to 3 hours.  Compared to a lead acid battery which has an average charge time of between 8 and 12 hours, the difference is undeniable.

More Potential Usage

Once your battery is charged and you are using your trolling motor, a lithium will outperform a lead acid battery every time.  In addition to operating on average at a 25% more efficient level, lithium iron batteries are able to use their entire amp hour storage without causing any damage to the system.  Lead acid batteries can generally only use around 55% of the total amp hour storage.  This added capacity can lead to less time charging your battery and more time out on the water.

What is the best lithium battery for a trolling motor?

There are many great lithium  batteries available for trolling motors of all sizes.  Rhino Voltz creates long lasting, highly efficient lithium iron phosphate batteries that are perfect for trolling motors backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  You can explore our entire selection of lithium batteries in our online store.

Lithium Ion Batteries: The Best Batteries for Solar Storage

In order to maximize the efficiency and value of your solar panel system, choosing the right battery for solar storage is crucial.  Whether you are looking to back-up your home solar power system in case of a grid failure or you are building an off-grid or mobile solar system, the battery that you install is extremely important.  With so many options available on the marketplace today, we would like to make one thing clear:  lithium iron phosphate batteries are the best option for storing solar power. 

Advantages of Lithium Batteries for Solar

The two main types of batteries that are used to store solar energy are lead acid batteries and lithium  batteries.  There are a few key advantages to using lithium iron phosphate batteries that are especially relevant to storing solar energy.

Faster, More Efficient Charging

Peak sunlight hours for generating solar energy are generally between 9 AM and 4 PM.  In order to maximize the available daylight, lithium ion batteries provide the fastest and most efficient charging available.  Lithium batteries are able to fully charge in 1 to 3 hours at a 95% efficiency rate, which is crucial for capturing enough solar energy to last through the night.  Compared to a lead acid battery which charges in 8 to 12 hours at a maximum efficiency of 70%, there is really no question that Lithium batteries will outperform its competition.  

More Usable Amp Hours

Perhaps the most important distinction between lithium iron vs. lead acid batteries for solar is the amount of usable amp hours stored within the system.  If you are using a lead acid battery, then you are only able to use roughly 55% of the battery’s charged capacity without causing damage to the system.  That means that in order to maximize the life of your battery, you can only use about half of its rated capacity during each charge.

With a lithium battery, you can safely use 100% of the batteries amp hours.  With solar energy, every bit of electricity counts, especially on cloudy days or in areas with less sunlight.  Therefore, choosing a lithium ion battery is the only way to maximize the amount of solar energy you can store and, more importantly, use to power your electric devices. 

Longer, Safer Life with No Required Maintenance 

A huge advantage of lithium iron batteries, and a large reason most people are adopting the technology, is the increased lifespan over lead acid batteries.  Replacing a lead acid battery every 3-5 years is a huge pain point for most people, so it is a pretty big deal that lithium batteries are built to last 7 to 8 years.  

Another big convenience is that over the course of those 7 to 8 years, lithium iron batteries also require significantly less maintenance.  Unlike corrosion-prone lead acid batteries that require close attention be paid to water levels, lithium batteries do not have a water level to maintain and are much less susceptible to corrosion.  

In terms of safety, lead acid batteries also release constant gases that can be picked up by a carbon monoxide detector, whereas lithium batteries do not. For this reason, lithium batteries are much safer to store indoors than lead acid batteries.  If your solar energy system is powering your home’s interior, being able to bring the storage unit inside will help with both temperature control and ease of mind.  

Less Cost Per Cycle

The one reason most people are still choosing to use lead acid batteries is because they are significantly cheaper to purchase than a lithium iron phosphate battery.  Unfortunately, however you get what you pay for.  Due to the longer lifespan of lithium batteries, the cost per charge cycle is actually significantly cheaper than that of lead acid batteries, despite lithium batteries having a higher initial cost.  Averages can be calculated to about 67 cents per cycle in a lead acid battery, versus a mere 31 cents per cycle in a lithium ion battery.

What is the best lithium battery for solar power storage? 

Finding the best lithium iron battery for your solar power storage is largely dependent on the size of your desired capacity and your budget.  With RhinoVoltz lithium iron phosphate batteries, we make it easy for you to choose a great, long lasting lithium iron battery for solar.  You can shop our complete selection of lithium batteries here.