Glad to hear such positive comments on the Lion Energy UT1300, I just upgraded my wetcell to the UT1300, was THE only lithium battery I found after much searching that would fit in the very tight compartment in my class B motorhome. Happy with the performance in the couple of months that we’ve had it.
Jared, Thank you for this video. We watched it a few days ago (again) and consequently decided to go with the Lion. We got a great deal from Costco on two, and with a discount from you got a third directly from Lion (thank you!). We are also planning on putting in the MultiPlus compact, but thought we had hit an issue when the manual said our battery bank should be at least 350ah, and we will only be 315. BUT I did a search of why that is and Victron answered the question. Because of your video regarding the Lion being able to discharge at 150A I was able to fully understand what Victron was saying, and that we will be fine. Now to go back and review your video on DC to DC chargers. Thanks again!
I am building my system almost identical to yours. I choose Lion energy batteries due to the specs that you shared as well as the price. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and I find myself going back and rewatching your videos over.
Thanks Jared. Saw your battery video earlier and liked the safari 1300. You are absolutely correct. everyone's needs are different. not every rv needs a large bank of battleborns and every component victron makes. Your videos have been very helpful in our system planning
This is outstanding news. For several years I was planning to switch to BB batteries but ended up buying the Lion Energy 1300 2-pack from Costco for $1399. Glad to hear your reasons why you switched from BB to Lion Energy. I'm planning to buy 2 more Lion Energy 1300 batteries and putting them side by side in a steel tool box mounted to the front of our travel trailer where the old Tojan T-145 batteries used to be.
Thank you! This is perfect timing for us. We were about to but Battleborns and have them installed in September. And, like you. 3 of these will fit. FYI Costco has 2-packs for $1400 for members. Now to get the bigger inverter and find a good installer.
Ray from Love Your RV also did a review on these batteries a while back. He also said they checked out well, also does off grid stuff as well as a pretty in-depth dive on solar setups. Great information. Keep the great videos coming. Have a great day and stay safe. 😊
Great Review, Jared!!! I've been 'stalking' the Lion Energy battery story since 2018 (See: Will Prowse testing), and- have been nothing but super impressed with how they handled 'problems'. Truly transparent, and- now they build an awesome prismatic cell battery that is slightly overpriced. US engineered, built under contract in China, the US operation does repair and customer service as primary service offered. Great cells, BMS, wire sizing, layout, etc... Nothing but kudos for everything (except terminals- needs more threads!!!) Super light, dimensionally small for 105AH output- exceeds all expectations in every way! I adore Battleborn, but- genuinely love Lion Energy for so many great reasons. My biggest surprise was that you DIDN'T get a 4th battery- total shocker, Jared. I'm not sure that I could've resisted alll that 'extra'; power, peace of mind, capacity.... thanks for sharing the issue and solving it with a great solution.
Good job. Just remember that when your inverter power is at max power you only have about 2 hours of battery life. This means that your 300ah battery bank could run one rooftop AC for only about 3 hours. We have been FT for the last 4 years in an older 35ft Class A motorhome, boondocking for most of this time. We started with 2, GC-2 FLA batteries that our coach came with, but we found this was inadequate for our needs. We mounted a 620w solar array on the side of our MH that virtually lifts itself into place with gas struts. Being able to adjust the angle precisely for our latitude and month enables us to produce 25-30% more power than flat mounted panels - even more in winter, when the sun is lower on the horizon. But most of this energy went to waste as our batteries filled up too soon and went into float mode early in the day. In January, we installed a custom built 560ah LiFePo-4 battery, made with 8, 280ah prismatic cells. These are the same type of cells that your Lion Safari 1300 battery has, but with almost 3 times the capacity. We used a Heltec 330amp continuous (1,200amp surge) BMS and a 5a active balancer, to be able to start our onboard 5,500watt generator and keep everything safe and balanced. One of these would be more than enough for a 3,000-watt inverter, but you could set them up as 2, 12v batteries (about like having 2 Battleborn 270ah Gamechangers) and use 2 Heltec 330a BMSs for two 3000-watt inverters, if you were so inclined, for about $100 more. We built our 12v battery with grade "A" LiFePo-4 prismatic cells having an 8,000-cycle mfg. projected life at 80% DOD or 6,000 cycles at 100% DOD. This means that if we cycled them 100% every single day, 365 days a year, they would last over 16 years! It only cost us $1,500 to build it, including the BMS. The main reason we chose to go with these cells rather than a pre-made battery is, like you, we had space limitations. They fit perfectly under the steps of our motorhome where our old pair of GC-2 golf cart batteries used to reside, saving 35lbs compared to our old FLA batteries in addition to having over 5 times the capacity. We cut a 1" hole in one of our step risers and installed a tiny computer CPU fan which circulates interior cabin air into this space, and we insulated the battery compartment to keep this space close to room temperature to both protect our batteries from freezing and extend their life. So far, our system, including the liftable array, wiring, breakers, a new Progressive Dynamics 80a Li compatible converter/charger, 600w PSW inverter (which runs our entertainment center and PC), an Epever 50a MPPT controller, and a Renogy battery to battery charger (to protect the alternator, allowing it to charge both coach and chassis batteries while driving) cost us about $3,600. We designed and built everything ourselves. It would have probably cost double to pay someone else to build it. Right now, we are limited by the fact that we must still run our generator to power our microwave and rooftop AC unit. It's about time to start building phase 2 which will virtually eliminate the need to run our generator, except for emergencies. We mounted our solar array on the side of our MH to leave our roof clear to rack 8 BlueSun 460W bifacial solar panels in a single row down the center across the length of our 35ft Class A MH. If you're not familiar with bifacial panels, the front side of these is rated at 460 watts and up to 25% additional wattage output from reflected light on the back side, for a total of 575 watts each, depending on how they are mounted. We will be racking them about 13" off the roof to clear our front AC shroud and vents. This clearance should conservatively produce another 10% output off the back of these bifacial panels too, from sunlight reflected off our white roof - even more during off-peak hours and in the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky. It will give us a good bit of shade too, to reduce the heat load from our air conditioners. Our MH isn't as tall as a fiver, so we will be able to keep the RV height to 12' 2" at its highest point to minimize clearance issues. We will be using an all-in-one 48V, 3kW, 120V PSW Inverter, 80a controller and 60a ac battery charger by MPP for the bulk of our 120v needs with a dedicated, 2,000w, 220v PSW inverter to power a 12k Btu mini-split heat pump. Our 48v battery bank will use 16, 310ah prismatic cells (15.9Kwh.) So together with our 560ah (7.1 Kwh)12v bank, we will have a total of 23Kwh of batteries onboard which is roughly the equivalent of 18, 100ah Battleborns! We will be replacing our old rear 12k btu rooftop Dometic AC with a 30.5 SEER, 12k Btu Blueridge mini-split heat pump. This second phase will cost around $9.5k, which is pretty reasonable for a system of this size, including the mini-split. Heck, just the Battleborn batteries needed to produce an equivalent amount of power would cost us over $14,000. Our 2nd phase will provide 24/7 off-grid air conditioning and supplemental heat from the heat pump and allow occasional usage of our front rooftop AC to cool things down for peak afternoon demand, as well as give us whole house 120v ac power. The total solar capacity of both arrays, while hard to estimate accurately with bi-facial panels, should be roughly the equivalent of 4,600 watts of single sided panels. It will give us total off-grid electrical independence with little to no back-up generator usage.
I got a pair of the Lion Energy batteries last year for the same reason - size. I got a great deal from Costco and did a video on them. So far , so good and extremely happy with the purchase.
THANKS for the information. I was checking on line with other youtuber's and found costco had a 2 pack for 1399. In CO, with tax, it was less than 738 with free shipping. I went with 4 just for the great review you all gave.
Good video and hopefully the switch will enable you to do more out in the wild. We are just about ready to purchase 2 Battleborn batteries to replace our failing Interstate house batteries. Wish I lived near you and would make you an offer on your old BB batteries. Keep us in the loop open how the new batteries work out for you.
Hey canadians! I bought 3 lion energy batteries directly from lion last year, shipped up across the border by them all at a better price than getting the battleborn from ontario to alberta, the only place in canada at the time that was selling them. The lion batteries are lighter too, and lion has awesome customer service! Ray from love your rv had tested them, perfect timing when I was struggling trying to find reliable lithium in canada. Cheers 🍻
Battleborn - beefier terminals, stronger case, about 7 pounds heavier, and UL listed. More money though. Will Prowse did a comparison about 4 months ago on his TH-cam channel if you’re interested.
The good thing is time will tell and I will definitely let it be known if I have any problems or setbacks but so far they are living up to what is advertised. Will did a great job tearing into it and I believe it passed his torture test the same as it did my own test. The main thing I think he didn't like was the case and the terminals which I have had no problems with at all in a real world use. I'll definitely keep every one updated on them but I can't say I don't like them when they perform better than I expected and better than advertised.
All I know is we have a bad habit of draining batteries overnight with TV, charging, occasional lights and fan usage. Standard lead or AGM batteries don’t like to be discharged completely and we were replacing batteries frequently. Switching to Lithium was a no-brainer and my only regret was not doing it earlier.
I rely on Will Prowse's expertise on most things so I watched his comparison a few times. The only negative he pointed out that concerned me was the smaller terminals which I can deal with by not tightening down too hard. Not being water proof doesn't matter since they won't be exposed to the elements. Case doesn't matter since they will be well protected. What I do love is the Lion Energy's ability to take a 150 amp continuous discharge.
Last month I was kind of shocked when i was prowling around the Costco website an to my surprise they had these on sale as a 2-pack for $1598 which comes out to $799 each so I grabbed two of them. Ray also gave theme a thumbs up.
I'm thinking about buying a third Lion battery. Nice to see you in Utah! I live 15 min from Lion Energy's Warehouse. Hope you have fun while you are here.
We did the same thing this spring and were able to fit three of the Lion Energy Batteries in our OEM battery storage area. We could not fit any of the other Lithium batteries in the area. So far so good. Thanks for the additional information on the safety testing. Looking forward to seeing your reports on the batteries after some hours of use.
Even the Lion Energy batteries are relatively HUGE compared to the aluminum cells available now. I built a 7.7KWH (equivalent to 6 x BB batteries) that are TINY, for $2000 with a much higher quality BMS than BB. But it's not an easy "drop-in" as you need to build it yourself.
DONT BUY My 1300 lion energy Battery just blew up! And fried my entire electrical system. But I was told by lion energy that there's no way that the Battery could go over 15volts. But yet the battery exploded and there own sales rep/dealer I took my rv to seen it at 19volts. And he even told lion energy over the phone. But lion energy said that is not possible. So basically there saying there own lion energy rep is lying. And they can't explain why the battery exploded if it can't go over 15volts. Seems a little fishy to me. Also it was a refurbished battery I bought directly from LION ENERGY at the RV show. But they still say it's not there battery Lion energy will not take responsibility for there battery exploding and frying my entire electrical system in my rv. They seen the pictures I sent them and spoke with there sales dealer that sells there batteries and he told them the battery got up to 19volts. But lion energy said that's not possible! Also the battery exploded in front of the lion energy sales rep/dealer. Lion energy is not reputable! And I have 5 lion energy batteries and 4 of them were brand new and the only one that exploded was the refurbished one I bought directly from them
Very good info, love your videos. Battle born is heavier and larger because they use cylinder cells instead of pouch or prismatic. The cylinders are metal add wight and require more volume. The cylinder cells will dissipate heat faster which is great. Heat reduces the life of lithium batteries. Lion will do 150A but I wouldn’t do that too often fearing it would degrade the batteries. Battle Born is a US company which I would prefer to do business with. Tough dilemma... Space, performance, cost. You have inspired me many times keep up the good work.
Still freaks me out when I see batteries placed on their side. Shows how I am use to Lead/Acid batteries. Thanks for the education. Great channel. how are the batteries performing after 9 months? Lion energy uses a 3D printer. Wonder what for? Engineering prototypes I trust.
I have seen 100ah at Costco in the USA for $690 or was it $680. I think the last sale ended in July 2020. Something to look for if your looking for in the future.
Thanks for the video.. I just bought a new travel trailer and I'm trying to figure out what batteries I need. The one they sent me home with ain't gonna cut it. I have a 21ft travel trailer with 190W solar panel mounted on top. I plan to get another portable solar panel for the solar on the side... not sure how many watts to get. I don't need to run a ton of high powered stuff, but I don't want to be stressed out every day wondering if my battery will make it thru the night. I'd appreciate any recommendations.
It's generally not a good idea to mix and match brands/models of batteries. Not all batteries have identical requirements, and you want all of your batteries to age/wear evenly.
A lot of people don't realize that when you connect batteries in parallel they self load balance.... if batt A was 12.6v and batt B was 12.4v in theory they would each balance to 12.5v... the lower battery drawing volts from the higher battery. while that doesn't seem like a big deal... mixing brands/ratings of lithium is a bad idea. Each batteries BMS would be fighting each other...
Have you ever considered building a rack for batteries to place them on the undercarriage? Given the low maintenance and lightweight materials I would consider a undercarriage for multiple batteries. Placing the rack above the axle should provide the ground clearance. Just a thought. (BTW, I don’t do any boondocking and stick with shore power)
You have great videos. Sooo many, this Q may be for different forum. Can a battery disconnect (factory installed) be used instead of installing a dedicated breaker for the charger at the panel? When plugging in AC/shore power cable to an inverter to avoid the voltage/charging loop?
Great Info!! Thanks for educating me. I'm reasonably certain that my existing charger will work on these batteries, but will not charge them to their full capacity. It makes very little sense to me to spend so much $$$ on batteries and then not fully utilize them. Can you recommend a replacement charger for our rig? One specifically designed for these Lithium batteries. Again, great site and thanks in advance for the assist.
They just opened a new Costco here in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Sales rep from Lion energy was there with some really fantastic deals on the 1300 and other products. He was selling a ton of product. I have 3 of the 1300. Great battery. I have bought a lot of stuff on your recommendations. Just put in the Progressive Industries surge protector last week. Keep up the good work.
I have a Rockwood Mini Lite 2205S on order and I changed the refrigerator to the 12 volt only model. With this change it comes with a 190 watt solar panel a charge controller and a 1000 watt inverter. I also added a second 190 watt panel. Should I up grade the batteries buy a genorator or just go with two (2) of the lead acid batteries for this system? We plan on 3 to 5 days without shore power. I have no idea what charge controller and inverter they will install. Do you know what Rockwood may install?
It looks like lion energy uses the same 105Ah packs that I used to build my own 210Ah system a year and a half ago. They seem to be quality cells and It's still working great (but we're not full time). If you really wanted I bet you could get 600-800Ah in that space by building your own bank and wiring your own BMS.
Good morning Jared! Love your channel! You are extremely knowledgeable and a great source of information. Question for you. We purchased the Lion Safari 1300 batteries with your code - Thank you for the savings! Do you have a video on programing the Victron Multiplus 3000 for these batteries? The manual has some specs, but the multiplus is looking for more. Absorption voltage? Float voltage? Absorption time? I've been reviewing your videos but have not found one on programming the multiplus.
What size inverter are you using to pull power from 4 lithium’s to run your AC, I want that set up as well. Really trying to figure out how to make it work if I can. Thx
Ed Daeges not long. We have 600ah of BattleBorn batteries and the 3000 va Victron inverter/charger, along with 1600 watts of solar on the roof, and an EasyStart 364. If we have fully charged batteries, we can run the ac for 2-3 hours before we’re down to a point I don’t want to go below. Of course it varies based on outside temp, as that impacts how much of the time the compressor is on. Our typical use might be to close up the RV at bedtime, and run the ac for 60-90 minutes to cool down, then shut it off. Also, something to consider, is will you be able to recharge the batteries the next day. If it’s going to be sunny, maybe no problem, but if it’s a cloudy day, and your batteries are pretty depleted, you may not be able to catch up.
Couple problems with these batteries. First they are not UL listed and I doubt they would pass all the required tests due to the case and internal wire size. Second, they are not sealed, but screwed together. The You’re Welcome are a good battery for a stationary battery bank, but I would be hesitant to use them in a boat/RV due to the vibrations and possible moisture getting inside the batteries.
Hey great videos learning a ton, we are complete rv rookies and your videos are really taking a lot of the stress out . We have just purchased are first rv and I’m not exactly sure what to do when we go pick it up . What to test , what to look for stuff like that . Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your help Logan 🇨🇦
Has anyone drawn the 1800-2000 watts continually and checked the temperature of their wires? I have 2/0 wires and a 2000 watt Inverter Charger. My terminal on my inverter gets to be 160F, and my wires all the way back to the battery bank are at 130F on the outside. Heat checked with a temperature gun for the wires, and with a temperature sensor on the ring terminal of the inverter. Just curious what the normal is?
One of the major differences between the Battle Born and LionEnergy is the cell format. BB uses cylindrical cells, and LE uses pouch cells. I realize that space was at a premium with your rig, but more compact is not necessarily better when it comes to two same size (AH) batteries. Seems cylindrical cells are better for a number of reasons.
Yes they have a different structure to the battery cylindrical for battle born and prismatic for Lion Energy. I believe Renogy uses pouches for some of their lithium batteries. Cylindrical and prismatic have their pros and cons.
We have been using Herewin batteries for 2 years with no issues. Recently found out about SOK Batteries selling 100 Ah for 620 each. With discount for multiple batteries. Posted a video on our channel the other day. About the 2KW system we installed on our motorhome.
Saw you setup. Nice, like the fan. SOK $620 on their website. That is delivered, no tax. They claim 150 Amp and saw where someone on TH-cam verified it. They have a monitor with 350 amp fuse for $25 ($45+ on Amazon very highly rated)
Thank you so much for sharing all of your knowledge with everyone, it's greatly appreciated! I currently own a 2015 Coachmen Concord 300 DS Class C and would like to know if I would benefit investing in 2 of the Lion Energy batteries when I don't have solar?
Morning Jared - love your channel! You've had these Lion Energy batteries for a year now; any thoughts? Any updates on how they're performing? Would you do it all over again if given a chance to have "do overs"?
Very interesting, but I had hoped you were going to get into the difference in the technology of the two manufacturers - HOW do they have more power available with a smaller form factor?
Great question, the difference is the Lion Energy batteries are a prismatic cell and the Battle born is a bunch of cylindrical cells. The prismatic is more efficient with the space it takes up and energy density so it is not as heavy.
Love your videos! So helpful. My question has nothing to do with batteries. When you changed your bathroom faucet, what piece did you put into the faucet?
I had the victron 12v. 24v is way better. Drops the amps by half. Major heat reduction. You need to go to higher voltage and get those amps down, you'll be way better off.
Been thinking about that, I am having trouble running a 12 v system from batteries configured in a 24, 36, or 48 v configuration. Are you using some form a a switching bridge to provide 12 v out?
Jarrod Help!! I couldn't find a video from you on RV brakes and controllers. I recently installed an electric Curt controller. I notice when towing only that the controller seems to randomly make clicking noises. Almost like it might be calibrating or something. Any idea why or what the clicks are??? Thanks so much for your help.
Always enjoy your informational videos. Keep up the great work! One question; do you have any worries about heat in hotter climates with Lithium? Everyone seems to be worried about the cold but from what I've read is that excessive heat can damage the batteries.
dumped my lead acid for Lion Energy UT1300 months ago. Went from 2 Lead acid to 2 UT1300 and will never look back. Took about 75 lb off the hitch and allows us to boondock for a few day with just 100W of portable solar. Only thing to worry about, if mounted in a vented battery box (we are but will be going to weatherproof box soon), I'm not sure how well sealed they are for water. Right now, I've sealed the box vent with silicon, but it does pick up some moisture during heavy rains. We haven't seen problems due to this, but do watch it.
Austin you’ll need the proper inverter converters and a soft start capistor installed on your AC, you may get an hour or two out of them. Just a guestimate
Great video as always, thanks so much for what you do for the RV community! We have a 20 year old 31 foot fifth wheel with no inverter and one traditional lead-acid battery. Just bought a Jackery 1000 to make coffee and toast when boondocking on travel days. Would like to be able to run the propane heat during cooler weather, but worried I'd kill the battery...can I swap out our lead-acid for a Lion and charge it using the truck or would that wreck the alternator? Thanks, Chuck Spargo
Typically on a towable Rv situation installing a lithium battery on your RV will not harm the alternator on your truck because of the resistance in the wire and the length to get back to the battery. We ran that way over a year with now alternator problems at all. If you do upgrade to lithium, I would recommend to have a plan to replace the converter for a lithium converter charger. The original one will not harm the lithium battery usually but will not fully charge it up.
We have a 2020 R-Pod 189. We are wanting to do some boon docking. It will just be my wife and I. We need something to last for about 4 days and nights without hookups. I have 1 Lion Energy 1300 battery and a 200w Renogy solar suitcase. Do you think 1 battery should work or do I need a 2nd battery?
Question for anyone. Can I replace lead acid batteries with these? Or does the charger need to be replaced also? The two lead acid batteries just won’t cut it anymore. Looking at these will give me more run time. Tks
So, what can you do with the new battery bank? Can you run an RC on a hot day? I'm considering a lithium battery bank myself, and am trying to figure out if it is worth it. If I can run one or even both ACs that would be a HUGE game changer.
The good thing about this TH-cam channel is I will definitely let it be known if I have any problems or setbacks and how real world use goes but so far they are living up to what is advertised. Will did a great job tearing into it and I believe it passed his torture test the same as it did my own test. The main thing I think he didn't like was the case and the terminals which I have had no problems with at all. I'll definitely keep every one updated on them but I can't say I don't like them when they perform better than I expected and better than advertised. Don't get me wrong I think Battle Born Batteries are excellent and have no problem recommending those as well but I haven’t been able to find where these have failed and or the warranty not honored. I guess I will be a good public test.
I installed 2 Battleborn Batteries today along with a DC to DC charger. I noticed once I installed the battery cables and all power was back on, the 1000 Watt Pure Sine Inverter has been running. Is this normal?
If I were to buy to lithium batteries and a couple years later add 2 more can I do that? I know your not supposed to do that with Flooded it AGM bc they are not the same strength per se (older).
Assuming they were the same brand/specs, my GUESS would be yes. The best thing to do would be to contact the customer service dept of either Lion Energy or Battleborn and see what they say. Another concern is whether a compatible battery will be available due to product improvements.
Love your channel. Very informative. Whats your take on Chins 12V 300ah LiFeP04 Deep Cycle Battery w/built in 200A BMS 2000-5000 cycles? Says they're good for 2560W. New to RVing and working on an older fixer upper. Trying to be as efficient as possible. Thanks in advance
Would these Lion Energy batteries allow us to go "off grid" with our residential refrigerator? Could I do that with two or would I need more than that?
I can't speak for lion batteries in particular, but it all comes down to a mathematical problem. The short answer would be yes with enough amp hour capacity to make it through the night and solar panels to recharge and provide the power you need durind the day it can be done. My 5th wheel is set up with the 6 volt set up Jared mentioned six 6 volt batteries and 615 watts of solar. Mine uses around 150 amps of capacity overnight, leaves me around 85 percent full in the morning and the sun and solar do the rest the next day. I have the new 12volt refrigerator pulls around 8 amps continuously. My fridge has been on at times for 3 weeks, not plugged in to shore power, down at the lake while I'm back home 150 miles away keeping my food cold until I return with no problems. Hope this helps.
I'm wondering how the Lion battery can be 8lbs lighter (25%), occupy less space, and provide more power output than the Battle Born 100A@12V battery, when the chemistry is the same LiFePo technology. Do you know how that was done? I'm wondering if they can handle the heat as well as Battle Born.
A reply from Lion about this states: "We use prismatic cells so they don't take up as much room in the case as cylindrical cells. The prismatic are more energy dense and allow for them to fit in a Group 24 case."
Tom Spurlock which as I recall was what Will said. He also talked about replacing a dead cell. Easier to do on the battleborn. Another point he made was about vibration and humidity. He actually opens the battery cases and checks the interior components.
@@rreveler6705 If you compare specs, the Lion is a little more sensitive to heat, compared to the Battle Born battery. It will only take a charge up to 113F, and the BB will take a charge at up to 134F. It's presumed the BMS shuts off the battery when exceeding these temps. This could be a problem if you live in AZ.
I'm confused about one aspect of your choice to add a 3rd battery in combination with your 3000W inverter (I admit to not being well versed on this subject.). When you say that the Lion Energy battery is rated at 105A capacity, but can output at 150A Continuous; in the end, your matching of # of batteries to your 3000W inverter is based on capacity rating and not the 150A Continuous capability of each battery, correct? Otherwise, you seemingly do not have enough inverter capability if matched to batteries with up to 4500W Continuous of output. So how important is the 150A number since it's not a consideration when evaluating the capability of your inverter?
What a coincidence, I just put three into my travel trailer connected to a 3000 watt PSW inverter. At the time Costco's price couldn't be beat. 700 dollars
I'm still confused that if he knew he was only getting two batteries why would he get such a huge inverter. Who in their right mind would try to pull 300 amps off a battery for even a short amount of time? That's welding amps being used.
As far as an additional cost I would probably just do an extra battle born as it's a great battery as well but I am sold on these Lion Energy ones. They have not disappointed in any way.
what is the use of these house battery's? I typically always use generator due to the need of the AC. Would an inverter you have & battery's be sufficient enough to run one AC unit on a on-off temperature setting?
He can get 250A out of his invertor so yes. They key though, is do you have the ability to keep the batteries charged. You need a lot of solar capacity to keep up with the daily use of an air conditioner.
Are these Lion energy batteries made in America? I looked on their website and didn't see anything, your video showed them testing and working on them but not actually building them. That has always been a selling point for me with Battle Born is knowing they're made in America 🇺🇸
I do know that Both companies are U.S. companies with over seas components. Battle Born does a portion of the assembly, I don’t know of a lithium battery truly made in the U.S.
@@AllAboutRVs I reached out to Lion Energy this morning and this is their response "We design our products as well as test them for quality assurance here in the US. We do manufacture them overseas." Sounds like their full manufacturing process is done overseas. At least Battle Born does most of their production here in the US, I've seen their assembly process in a couple TH-cam videos and they actually let another RV channel assemble their own batteries which was pretty cool to see. I prefer to support as many American jobs as I can so I'm definitely leaning Battle Born once my 8 year old Optima blue top battery bank finally dies in our 5th wheel. I'm all for competition in this segment since it leads to a better and more affordable product in the long run.
Glad to hear such positive comments on the Lion Energy UT1300, I just upgraded my wetcell to the UT1300, was THE only lithium battery I found after much searching that would fit in the very tight compartment in my class B motorhome. Happy with the performance in the couple of months that we’ve had it.
Jared, Thank you for this video. We watched it a few days ago (again) and consequently decided to go with the Lion. We got a great deal from Costco on two, and with a discount from you got a third directly from Lion (thank you!). We are also planning on putting in the MultiPlus compact, but thought we had hit an issue when the manual said our battery bank should be at least 350ah, and we will only be 315. BUT I did a search of why that is and Victron answered the question. Because of your video regarding the Lion being able to discharge at 150A I was able to fully understand what Victron was saying, and that we will be fine. Now to go back and review your video on DC to DC chargers. Thanks again!
I am building my system almost identical to yours. I choose Lion energy batteries due to the specs that you shared as well as the price.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and I find myself going back and rewatching your videos over.
Thanks Jared. Saw your battery video earlier and liked the safari 1300. You are absolutely correct. everyone's needs are different. not every rv needs a large bank of battleborns and every component victron makes. Your videos have been very helpful in our system planning
This is outstanding news. For several years I was planning to switch to BB batteries but ended up buying the Lion Energy 1300 2-pack from Costco for $1399. Glad to hear your reasons why you switched from BB to Lion Energy. I'm planning to buy 2 more Lion Energy 1300 batteries and putting them side by side in a steel tool box mounted to the front of our travel trailer where the old Tojan T-145 batteries used to be.
you sir....hats off to this costco tip.
@@chrisdavis5445 - I bought another 2-pack for Costco. They will arrive Wednesday.
Thank you! This is perfect timing for us. We were about to but Battleborns and have them installed in September. And, like you. 3 of these will fit. FYI Costco has 2-packs for $1400 for members. Now to get the bigger inverter and find a good installer.
Awesome negotiated discount....thanks so much....made the plunge
Ray from Love Your RV also did a review on these batteries a while back. He also said they checked out well, also does off grid stuff as well as a pretty in-depth dive on solar setups. Great information. Keep the great videos coming. Have a great day and stay safe. 😊
Excited to see Lion batteries instead of just Battleborn. Saw these at the CA RV show last year and really liked their price. Thanks for the review!
Great Review, Jared!!! I've been 'stalking' the Lion Energy battery story since 2018 (See: Will Prowse testing), and- have been nothing but super impressed with how they handled 'problems'. Truly transparent, and- now they build an awesome prismatic cell battery that is slightly overpriced. US engineered, built under contract in China, the US operation does repair and customer service as primary service offered. Great cells, BMS, wire sizing, layout, etc... Nothing but kudos for everything (except terminals- needs more threads!!!) Super light, dimensionally small for 105AH output- exceeds all expectations in every way! I adore Battleborn, but- genuinely love Lion Energy for so many great reasons.
My biggest surprise was that you DIDN'T get a 4th battery- total shocker, Jared. I'm not sure that I could've resisted alll that 'extra'; power, peace of mind, capacity.... thanks for sharing the issue and solving it with a great solution.
Good job. Just remember that when your inverter power is at max power you only have about 2 hours of battery life. This means that your 300ah battery bank could run one rooftop AC for only about 3 hours.
We have been FT for the last 4 years in an older 35ft Class A motorhome, boondocking for most of this time. We started with 2, GC-2 FLA batteries that our coach came with, but we found this was inadequate for our needs. We mounted a 620w solar array on the side of our MH that virtually lifts itself into place with gas struts. Being able to adjust the angle precisely for our latitude and month enables us to produce 25-30% more power than flat mounted panels - even more in winter, when the sun is lower on the horizon. But most of this energy went to waste as our batteries filled up too soon and went into float mode early in the day. In January, we installed a custom built 560ah LiFePo-4 battery, made with 8, 280ah prismatic cells. These are the same type of cells that your Lion Safari 1300 battery has, but with almost 3 times the capacity. We used a Heltec 330amp continuous (1,200amp surge) BMS and a 5a active balancer, to be able to start our onboard 5,500watt generator and keep everything safe and balanced. One of these would be more than enough for a 3,000-watt inverter, but you could set them up as 2, 12v batteries (about like having 2 Battleborn 270ah Gamechangers) and use 2 Heltec 330a BMSs for two 3000-watt inverters, if you were so inclined, for about $100 more. We built our 12v battery with grade "A" LiFePo-4 prismatic cells having an 8,000-cycle mfg. projected life at 80% DOD or 6,000 cycles at 100% DOD. This means that if we cycled them 100% every single day, 365 days a year, they would last over 16 years! It only cost us $1,500 to build it, including the BMS.
The main reason we chose to go with these cells rather than a pre-made battery is, like you, we had space limitations. They fit perfectly under the steps of our motorhome where our old pair of GC-2 golf cart batteries used to reside, saving 35lbs compared to our old FLA batteries in addition to having over 5 times the capacity. We cut a 1" hole in one of our step risers and installed a tiny computer CPU fan which circulates interior cabin air into this space, and we insulated the battery compartment to keep this space close to room temperature to both protect our batteries from freezing and extend their life. So far, our system, including the liftable array, wiring, breakers, a new Progressive Dynamics 80a Li compatible converter/charger, 600w PSW inverter (which runs our entertainment center and PC), an Epever 50a MPPT controller, and a Renogy battery to battery charger (to protect the alternator, allowing it to charge both coach and chassis batteries while driving) cost us about $3,600. We designed and built everything ourselves. It would have probably cost double to pay someone else to build it.
Right now, we are limited by the fact that we must still run our generator to power our microwave and rooftop AC unit. It's about time to start building phase 2 which will virtually eliminate the need to run our generator, except for emergencies. We mounted our solar array on the side of our MH to leave our roof clear to rack 8 BlueSun 460W bifacial solar panels in a single row down the center across the length of our 35ft Class A MH. If you're not familiar with bifacial panels, the front side of these is rated at 460 watts and up to 25% additional wattage output from reflected light on the back side, for a total of 575 watts each, depending on how they are mounted. We will be racking them about 13" off the roof to clear our front AC shroud and vents. This clearance should conservatively produce another 10% output off the back of these bifacial panels too, from sunlight reflected off our white roof - even more during off-peak hours and in the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky. It will give us a good bit of shade too, to reduce the heat load from our air conditioners. Our MH isn't as tall as a fiver, so we will be able to keep the RV height to 12' 2" at its highest point to minimize clearance issues. We will be using an all-in-one 48V, 3kW, 120V PSW Inverter, 80a controller and 60a ac battery charger by MPP for the bulk of our 120v needs with a dedicated, 2,000w, 220v PSW inverter to power a 12k Btu mini-split heat pump. Our 48v battery bank will use 16, 310ah prismatic cells (15.9Kwh.) So together with our 560ah (7.1 Kwh)12v bank, we will have a total of 23Kwh of batteries onboard which is roughly the equivalent of 18, 100ah Battleborns! We will be replacing our old rear 12k btu rooftop Dometic AC with a 30.5 SEER, 12k Btu Blueridge mini-split heat pump. This second phase will cost around $9.5k, which is pretty reasonable for a system of this size, including the mini-split. Heck, just the Battleborn batteries needed to produce an equivalent amount of power would cost us over $14,000. Our 2nd phase will provide 24/7 off-grid air conditioning and supplemental heat from the heat pump and allow occasional usage of our front rooftop AC to cool things down for peak afternoon demand, as well as give us whole house 120v ac power. The total solar capacity of both arrays, while hard to estimate accurately with bi-facial panels, should be roughly the equivalent of 4,600 watts of single sided panels. It will give us total off-grid electrical independence with little to no back-up generator usage.
I got a pair of the Lion Energy batteries last year for the same reason - size. I got a great deal from Costco and did a video on them. So far , so good and extremely happy with the purchase.
THANKS for the information. I was checking on line with other youtuber's and found costco had a 2 pack for 1399. In CO, with tax, it was less than 738 with free shipping. I went with 4 just for the great review you all gave.
Jared, love the videos, could you put the design of your battery box on this link. I really like the cleanliness look of it. Thanks
Good video and hopefully the switch will enable you to do more out in the wild. We are just about ready to purchase 2 Battleborn batteries to replace our failing Interstate house batteries. Wish I lived near you and would make you an offer on your old BB batteries. Keep us in the loop open how the new batteries work out for you.
I just can't wait for your RV information. The research is fantastic. Thank you...
Thanks, putting a list of things together for my next RV. Thinking about power a lot more now and adding more specific items to my list.
Hey canadians! I bought 3 lion energy batteries directly from lion last year, shipped up across the border by them all at a better price than getting the battleborn from ontario to alberta, the only place in canada at the time that was selling them.
The lion batteries are lighter too, and lion has awesome customer service!
Ray from love your rv had tested them, perfect timing when I was struggling trying to find reliable lithium in canada. Cheers 🍻
🇨🇦👏🏽🇨🇦 appreciate the conformation and information coming form Canada. Thank you
Great to know! I just sent Lion an inquiry if they ship to Canada. We're in Alberta too. Did you have to upgrade your RV charger?
@@jackklassen9921 No. I researched the model # of the converter that came with my 5th wheel, it was fine. 🍻
Battleborn - beefier terminals, stronger case, about 7 pounds heavier, and UL listed. More money though. Will Prowse did a comparison about 4 months ago on his TH-cam channel if you’re interested.
The good thing is time will tell and I will definitely let it be known if I have any problems or setbacks but so far they are living up to what is advertised. Will did a great job tearing into it and I believe it passed his torture test the same as it did my own test. The main thing I think he didn't like was the case and the terminals which I have had no problems with at all in a real world use. I'll definitely keep every one updated on them but I can't say I don't like them when they perform better than I expected and better than advertised.
Everyone has different needs, and you have to go with what fits your situation best. I appreciate you doing the review and video. 👍🏼
All I know is we have a bad habit of draining batteries overnight with TV, charging, occasional lights and fan usage. Standard lead or AGM batteries don’t like to be discharged completely and we were replacing batteries frequently. Switching to Lithium was a no-brainer and my only regret was not doing it earlier.
I rely on Will Prowse's expertise on most things so I watched his comparison a few times. The only negative he pointed out that concerned me was the smaller terminals which I can deal with by not tightening down too hard. Not being water proof doesn't matter since they won't be exposed to the elements. Case doesn't matter since they will be well protected. What I do love is the Lion Energy's ability to take a 150 amp continuous discharge.
Last month I was kind of shocked when i was prowling around the Costco website an to my surprise they had these on sale as a 2-pack for $1598 which comes out to $799 each so I grabbed two of them. Ray also gave theme a thumbs up.
Wow, I though the Battle Born batteries were the top! Thanks Jared! Your channel has the best information so far I have seen on youtube. Good job!
We love our Lion! Wish we had 2 more!!
I'm thinking about buying a third Lion battery. Nice to see you in Utah! I live 15 min from Lion Energy's Warehouse. Hope you have fun while you are here.
Thanks David
@@AllAboutRVs I did end up buying a third battery. Now I want 3 more. LOL
Well done again Jared, very helpful brother...
There is always the assemble your own option to. 24v 280ah under $1000 and a good BMS and we will be good to go.
Thanks for all you do, I enjoy the videos! Happy to comment if it helps too.
We did the same thing this spring and were able to fit three of the Lion Energy Batteries in our OEM battery storage area. We could not fit any of the other Lithium batteries in the area. So far so good. Thanks for the additional information on the safety testing.
Looking forward to seeing your reports on the batteries after some hours of use.
Even the Lion Energy batteries are relatively HUGE compared to the aluminum cells available now. I built a 7.7KWH (equivalent to 6 x BB batteries) that are TINY, for $2000 with a much higher quality BMS than BB. But it's not an easy "drop-in" as you need to build it yourself.
Good stuff! 👊🏼 I've been curious about those Lion Energy Batteries... -chad
Thanks Chad.
DONT BUY
My 1300 lion energy Battery just blew up! And fried my entire electrical system. But I was told by lion energy that there's no way that the Battery could go over 15volts. But yet the battery exploded and there own sales rep/dealer I took my rv to seen it at 19volts. And he even told lion energy over the phone. But lion energy said that is not possible. So basically there saying there own lion energy rep is lying. And they can't explain why the battery exploded if it can't go over 15volts. Seems a little fishy to me.
Also it was a refurbished battery I bought directly from LION ENERGY at the RV show. But they still say it's not there battery
Lion energy will not take responsibility for there battery exploding and frying my entire electrical system in my rv. They seen the pictures I sent them and spoke with there sales dealer that sells there batteries and he told them the battery got up to 19volts. But lion energy said that's not possible! Also the battery exploded in front of the lion energy sales rep/dealer.
Lion energy is not reputable! And I have 5 lion energy batteries and 4 of them were brand new and the only one that exploded was the refurbished one I bought directly from them
When you said, "I do not have space for one more battery", I looked at your rig and compared it to mine....
Very good info, love your videos.
Battle born is heavier and larger because they use cylinder cells instead of pouch or prismatic. The cylinders are metal add wight and require more volume. The cylinder cells will dissipate heat faster which is great. Heat reduces the life of lithium batteries. Lion will do 150A but I wouldn’t do that too often fearing it would degrade the batteries. Battle Born is a US company which I would prefer to do business with. Tough dilemma... Space, performance, cost.
You have inspired me many times keep up the good work.
Really enjoy the information and research you do! Thank you! Hello to the family!
Still freaks me out when I see batteries placed on their side. Shows how I am use to Lead/Acid batteries. Thanks for the education. Great channel. how are the batteries performing after 9 months? Lion energy uses a 3D printer. Wonder what for? Engineering prototypes I trust.
I have seen 100ah at Costco in the USA for $690 or was it $680. I think the last sale ended in July 2020. Something to look for if your looking for in the future.
good looking upgrade - seems like a great idea
Thanks for the video.. I just bought a new travel trailer and I'm trying to figure out what batteries I need. The one they sent me home with ain't gonna cut it. I have a 21ft travel trailer with 190W solar panel mounted on top. I plan to get another portable solar panel for the solar on the side... not sure how many watts to get. I don't need to run a ton of high powered stuff, but I don't want to be stressed out every day wondering if my battery will make it thru the night. I'd appreciate any recommendations.
Great information Jared thanks for sharing.
Other than space could you not have connected the battle born and lion energy batteries together?
It's generally not a good idea to mix and match brands/models of batteries. Not all batteries have identical requirements, and you want all of your batteries to age/wear evenly.
A lot of people don't realize that when you connect batteries in parallel they self load balance.... if batt A was 12.6v and batt B was 12.4v in theory they would each balance to 12.5v... the lower battery drawing volts from the higher battery. while that doesn't seem like a big deal... mixing brands/ratings of lithium is a bad idea. Each batteries BMS would be fighting each other...
Have you ever considered building a rack for batteries to place them on the undercarriage?
Given the low maintenance and lightweight materials I would consider a undercarriage for multiple batteries. Placing the rack above the axle should provide the ground clearance. Just a thought. (BTW, I don’t do any boondocking and stick with shore power)
You have great videos. Sooo many, this Q may be for different forum. Can a battery disconnect (factory installed) be used instead of installing a dedicated breaker for the charger at the panel? When plugging in AC/shore power cable to an inverter to avoid the voltage/charging loop?
What is the order in which you build the off grid power components? What to buy first and what would the last ?
What wired do you use to connect the batteries
Couldn’t u have been able to add them to the collection and have five batteries to run both battle born and lion together
Great Info!! Thanks for educating me. I'm reasonably certain that my existing charger will work on these batteries, but will not charge them to their full capacity. It makes very little sense to me to spend so much $$$ on batteries and then not fully utilize them. Can you recommend a replacement charger for our rig? One specifically designed for these Lithium batteries. Again, great site and thanks in advance for the assist.
They just opened a new Costco here in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Sales rep from Lion energy was there with some really fantastic deals on the 1300 and other products. He was selling a ton of product. I have 3 of the 1300. Great battery. I have bought a lot of stuff on your recommendations. Just put in the Progressive Industries surge protector last week. Keep up the good work.
Costco members: go to the web site and search for "Lion Energy"...great price for a limited time is seems!!! Looks like they will ship.
Awesome information 👍😊 always enjoy your videos and lots of helpful tips always 😎🌎🏔🌳🐾🐾🐾 thanks for sharing and safe travels
I have a Rockwood Mini Lite 2205S on order and I changed the refrigerator to the 12 volt only model. With this change it comes with a 190 watt solar panel a charge controller and a 1000 watt inverter. I also added a second 190 watt panel. Should I up grade the batteries buy a genorator or just go with two (2) of the lead acid batteries for this system? We plan on 3 to 5 days without shore power. I have no idea what charge controller and inverter they will install. Do you know what Rockwood may install?
Thank you for all the great information Jared! Are you still happy with the Lion batteries? I'm ready to do this upgrade to our Outdoors RV.
Hey I was trying to get the lion energy lithium battery and the discount code wasn't working on their website that you have linked. Any help?
It looks like lion energy uses the same 105Ah packs that I used to build my own 210Ah system a year and a half ago. They seem to be quality cells and It's still working great (but we're not full time). If you really wanted I bet you could get 600-800Ah in that space by building your own bank and wiring your own BMS.
Yep.
Do you still recommend lion
Good morning Jared! Love your channel! You are extremely knowledgeable and a great source of information. Question for you. We purchased the Lion Safari 1300 batteries with your code - Thank you for the savings! Do you have a video on programing the Victron Multiplus 3000 for these batteries? The manual has some specs, but the multiplus is looking for more. Absorption voltage? Float voltage? Absorption time? I've been reviewing your videos but have not found one on programming the multiplus.
I picked up 4 of these from Costco for 699 each months ago on my build. Love running my AC during the day to cool the RV down.
What size inverter are you using to pull power from 4 lithium’s to run your AC, I want that set up as well. Really trying to figure out how to make it work if I can. Thx
@@brianheugly 3000 watt victron multiples. I run one AC and have 1400 watts of panels on top, so its good during the day.
Interesting, looking forward to your future reviews.
how long would your air conditioner be able to run with the 3 batteries?
Ed Daeges not long. We have 600ah of BattleBorn batteries and the 3000 va Victron inverter/charger, along with 1600 watts of solar on the roof, and an EasyStart 364. If we have fully charged batteries, we can run the ac for 2-3 hours before we’re down to a point I don’t want to go below. Of course it varies based on outside temp, as that impacts how much of the time the compressor is on. Our typical use might be to close up the RV at bedtime, and run the ac for 60-90 minutes to cool down, then shut it off. Also, something to consider, is will you be able to recharge the batteries the next day. If it’s going to be sunny, maybe no problem, but if it’s a cloudy day, and your batteries are pretty depleted, you may not be able to catch up.
Couple problems with these batteries. First they are not UL listed and I doubt they would pass all the required tests due to the case and internal wire size. Second, they are not sealed, but screwed together. The You’re Welcome are a good battery for a stationary battery bank, but I would be hesitant to use them in a boat/RV due to the vibrations and possible moisture getting inside the batteries.
Hey great videos learning a ton, we are complete rv rookies and your videos are really taking a lot of the stress out . We have just purchased are first rv and I’m not exactly sure what to do when we go pick it up . What to test , what to look for stuff like that . Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for all your help
Logan 🇨🇦
Has anyone drawn the 1800-2000 watts continually and checked the
temperature of their wires? I have 2/0 wires and a 2000 watt Inverter
Charger. My terminal on my inverter gets to be 160F, and my wires all
the way back to the battery bank are at 130F on the outside. Heat
checked with a temperature gun for the wires, and with a temperature
sensor on the ring terminal of the inverter. Just curious what the
normal is?
Check your ground. 2-0 should be fine for 2000 watts.
One of the major differences between the Battle Born and LionEnergy is the cell format. BB uses cylindrical cells, and LE uses pouch cells. I realize that space was at a premium with your rig, but more compact is not necessarily better when it comes to two same size (AH) batteries. Seems cylindrical cells are better for a number of reasons.
Yes they have a different structure to the battery cylindrical for battle born and prismatic for Lion Energy. I believe Renogy uses pouches for some of their lithium batteries. Cylindrical and prismatic have their pros and cons.
We have been using Herewin batteries for 2 years with no issues. Recently found out about SOK Batteries selling 100 Ah for 620 each. With discount for multiple batteries. Posted a video on our channel the other day. About the 2KW system we installed on our motorhome.
Saw you setup. Nice, like the fan. SOK $620 on their website. That is delivered, no tax. They claim 150 Amp and saw where someone on TH-cam verified it. They have a monitor with 350 amp fuse for $25 ($45+ on Amazon very highly rated)
@@danieldorchester5221 I forgot to show it, but that's the monitor we have. Works just fine even without the bluetooth.
Thank you so much for sharing all of your knowledge with everyone, it's greatly appreciated! I currently own a 2015 Coachmen Concord 300 DS Class C and would like to know if I would benefit investing in 2 of the Lion Energy batteries when I don't have solar?
Will this new setup allow you to run the a/c?
Thank you!
Costco has these batteries on sale till Sep 13, 2020 with free shipping (ONLINE SALE)
Morning Jared - love your channel! You've had these Lion Energy batteries for a year now; any thoughts? Any updates on how they're performing? Would you do it all over again if given a chance to have "do overs"?
Very interesting, but I had hoped you were going to get into the difference in the technology of the two manufacturers - HOW do they have more power available with a smaller form factor?
Great question, the difference is the Lion Energy batteries are a prismatic cell and the Battle born is a bunch of cylindrical cells. The prismatic is more efficient with the space it takes up and energy density so it is not as heavy.
@@AllAboutRVs That clarifies it! Lion is as efficient at space utilization as you are - thanks!
Let us know how the Lion Batteries work and hold up after 1/2 a year, then a full year, please.
Absolutely!
Love your videos! So helpful. My question has nothing to do with batteries. When you changed your bathroom faucet, what piece did you put into the faucet?
I had the victron 12v. 24v is way better. Drops the amps by half. Major heat reduction.
You need to go to higher voltage and get those amps down, you'll be way better off.
Been thinking about that, I am having trouble running a 12 v system from batteries configured in a 24, 36, or 48 v configuration. Are you using some form a a switching bridge to provide 12 v out?
Can I change to lithium battery using my stock electrical components
Not necessarily. You need to make sure your charger is compatible. I repacked both my AC and DC2DC chargers when I upgraded
Jarrod Help!! I couldn't find a video from you on RV brakes and controllers. I recently installed an electric Curt controller. I notice when towing only that the controller seems to randomly make clicking noises. Almost like it might be calibrating or something. Any idea why or what the clicks are??? Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Jared. It's been about 1-1/2 years since this video. So are you still happy with the Lion Energy batteries?
Yes still very happy with them, no complaints or problems.
Always enjoy your informational videos. Keep up the great work! One question; do you have any worries about heat in hotter climates with Lithium? Everyone seems to be worried about the cold but from what I've read is that excessive heat can damage the batteries.
What size battery cables are you using to link the batteries and run to the inverter?
We are using 4/0 (0000)
dumped my lead acid for Lion Energy UT1300 months ago. Went from 2 Lead acid to 2 UT1300 and will never look back. Took about 75 lb off the hitch and allows us to boondock for a few day with just 100W of portable solar. Only thing to worry about, if mounted in a vented battery box (we are but will be going to weatherproof box soon), I'm not sure how well sealed they are for water. Right now, I've sealed the box vent with silicon, but it does pick up some moisture during heavy rains. We haven't seen problems due to this, but do watch it.
can you power ac system with these?
Austin you’ll need the proper inverter converters and a soft start capistor installed on your AC, you may get an hour or two out of them. Just a guestimate
Will these work well with the Go Power IC 2000 inverter/charger ?
They print with the company I work for, cool!
I just bought 2 of these Lion UT1300 (105Ah@12V) batteries from Costco online for $1400+tax. Free shipping. Deal ends Sept 13, 2020.
Great video as always, thanks so much for what you do for the RV community! We have a 20 year old 31 foot fifth wheel with no inverter and one traditional lead-acid battery. Just bought a Jackery 1000 to make coffee and toast when boondocking on travel days. Would like to be able to run the propane heat during cooler weather, but worried I'd kill the battery...can I swap out our lead-acid for a Lion and charge it using the truck or would that wreck the alternator? Thanks, Chuck Spargo
Typically on a towable Rv situation installing a lithium battery on your RV will not harm the alternator on your truck because of the resistance in the wire and the length to get back to the battery. We ran that way over a year with now alternator problems at all. If you do upgrade to lithium, I would recommend to have a plan to replace the converter for a lithium converter charger. The original one will not harm the lithium battery usually but will not fully charge it up.
@@AllAboutRVs Thanks!
We have a 2020 R-Pod 189. We are wanting to do some boon docking. It will just be my wife and I. We need something to last for about 4 days and nights without hookups. I have 1 Lion Energy 1300 battery and a 200w Renogy solar suitcase. Do you think 1 battery should work or do I need a 2nd battery?
Question for anyone. Can I replace lead acid batteries with these? Or does the charger need to be replaced also? The two lead acid batteries just won’t cut it anymore. Looking at these will give me more run time. Tks
To charge them fully you will need to most likely replace the converter.
All About RV's thank you very much for that information.
Newbie here, can you run your AC only on solar with your setup.
So, what can you do with the new battery bank? Can you run an RC on a hot day? I'm considering a lithium battery bank myself, and am trying to figure out if it is worth it. If I can run one or even both ACs that would be a HUGE game changer.
Hold onto those battle born batteries. You will likely need them. Watch Will Prowse channel about the two.
The good thing about this TH-cam channel is I will definitely let it be known if I have any problems or setbacks and how real world use goes but so far they are living up to what is advertised. Will did a great job tearing into it and I believe it passed his torture test the same as it did my own test. The main thing I think he didn't like was the case and the terminals which I have had no problems with at all. I'll definitely keep every one updated on them but I can't say I don't like them when they perform better than I expected and better than advertised. Don't get me wrong I think Battle Born Batteries are excellent and have no problem recommending those as well but I haven’t been able to find where these have failed and or the warranty not honored. I guess I will be a good public test.
I installed 2 Battleborn Batteries today along with a DC to DC charger. I noticed once I installed the battery cables and all power was back on, the 1000 Watt Pure Sine Inverter has been running. Is this normal?
How are they holding up?
Fantastic, I am even more impressed now than I was when I did the video. Performance has been outstanding.
Where is that boondocking spot at 8:20? Looks beautiful!
If I were to buy to lithium batteries and a couple years later add 2 more can I do that? I know your not supposed to do that with Flooded it AGM bc they are not the same strength per se (older).
Assuming they were the same brand/specs, my GUESS would be yes. The best thing to do would be to contact the customer service dept of either Lion Energy or Battleborn and see what they say. Another concern is whether a compatible battery will be available due to product improvements.
Rik TY
I've been told you can do that with Lithium but I wouldn't wait any longer then 2 years
Love your channel. Very informative. Whats your take on Chins 12V 300ah LiFeP04 Deep Cycle Battery w/built in 200A BMS 2000-5000 cycles? Says they're good for 2560W. New to RVing and working on an older fixer upper. Trying to be as efficient as possible. Thanks in advance
Would these Lion Energy batteries allow us to go "off grid" with our residential refrigerator? Could I do that with two or would I need more than that?
I can't speak for lion batteries in particular, but it all comes down to a mathematical problem. The short answer would be yes with enough amp hour capacity to make it through the night and solar panels to recharge and provide the power you need durind the day it can be done. My 5th wheel is set up with the 6 volt set up Jared mentioned six 6 volt batteries and 615 watts of solar. Mine uses around 150 amps of capacity overnight, leaves me around 85 percent full in the morning and the sun and solar do the rest the next day. I have the new 12volt refrigerator pulls around 8 amps continuously. My fridge has been on at times for 3 weeks, not plugged in to shore power, down at the lake while I'm back home 150 miles away keeping my food cold until I return with no problems. Hope this helps.
Are you selling your battleborn batteries?
I'm wondering how the Lion battery can be 8lbs lighter (25%), occupy less space, and provide more power output than the Battle Born 100A@12V battery, when the chemistry is the same LiFePo technology. Do you know how that was done? I'm wondering if they can handle the heat as well as Battle Born.
Cheaper case, different cell formulation. See Will Prowse TH-cam channel for more info on both batteries.
A reply from Lion about this states: "We use prismatic cells so they don't take up as much room in the case as cylindrical cells. The prismatic are more energy dense and allow for them to fit in a Group 24 case."
Tom Spurlock which as I recall was what Will said. He also talked about replacing a dead cell. Easier to do on the battleborn. Another point he made was about vibration and humidity. He actually opens the battery cases and checks the interior components.
@@rreveler6705 If you compare specs, the Lion is a little more sensitive to heat, compared to the Battle Born battery. It will only take a charge up to 113F, and the BB will take a charge at up to 134F. It's presumed the BMS shuts off the battery when exceeding these temps. This could be a problem if you live in AZ.
I'm confused about one aspect of your choice to add a 3rd battery in combination with your 3000W inverter (I admit to not being well versed on this subject.). When you say that the Lion Energy battery is rated at 105A capacity, but can output at 150A Continuous; in the end, your matching of # of batteries to your 3000W inverter is based on capacity rating and not the 150A Continuous capability of each battery, correct? Otherwise, you seemingly do not have enough inverter capability if matched to batteries with up to 4500W Continuous of output. So how important is the 150A number since it's not a consideration when evaluating the capability of your inverter?
What a coincidence, I just put three into my travel trailer connected to a 3000 watt PSW inverter. At the time Costco's price couldn't be beat. 700 dollars
So, if you had room for a third Battle Born battery, would you stick with that or are you now sold on your new batteries?
I'm still confused that if he knew he was only getting two batteries why would he get such a huge inverter. Who in their right mind would try to pull 300 amps off a battery for even a short amount of time? That's welding amps being used.
@@jerrydensmore2887 250 amps, not 300.
As far as an additional cost I would probably just do an extra battle born as it's a great battery as well but I am sold on these Lion Energy ones. They have not disappointed in any way.
Is your Battery storage box heated or just the inverter heats it
We have that bay heated.
what is the use of these house battery's? I typically always use generator due to the need of the AC. Would an inverter you have & battery's be sufficient enough to run one AC unit on a on-off temperature setting?
He can get 250A out of his invertor so yes. They key though, is do you have the ability to keep the batteries charged. You need a lot of solar capacity to keep up with the daily use of an air conditioner.
How are your batteries working ?
They are working great. Zero complaints.
For a limited time Costco website has a Lion Energy Safari UT1300 2-pack for $1400. Member offer expires 9/13/20
Hi, looking into switching over to lithium and just wondering now that you have had the lithium batteries for awhile what are your thoughts on them?
Absolutely fantastic. I have zero complaints and they have performed exceptionally well.
Are these Lion energy batteries made in America? I looked on their website and didn't see anything, your video showed them testing and working on them but not actually building them. That has always been a selling point for me with Battle Born is knowing they're made in America 🇺🇸
I do know that Both companies are U.S. companies with over seas components. Battle Born does a portion of the assembly, I don’t know of a lithium battery truly made in the U.S.
@@AllAboutRVs I reached out to Lion Energy this morning and this is their response "We design our products as well as test them for quality assurance here in the US. We do manufacture them overseas."
Sounds like their full manufacturing process is done overseas. At least Battle Born does most of their production here in the US, I've seen their assembly process in a couple TH-cam videos and they actually let another RV channel assemble their own batteries which was pretty cool to see.
I prefer to support as many American jobs as I can so I'm definitely leaning Battle Born once my 8 year old Optima blue top battery bank finally dies in our 5th wheel. I'm all for competition in this segment since it leads to a better and more affordable product in the long run.