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.