Even Moar Lithium!! Upgrade to 11.52kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery - How to Build an Overlander

[@kittadyne]

"Kind of a rushed video" - I think it's great; consice, no filler, & funny without forcing it: "Today's tomorrow" 😄 "I'm pretty sure that this is a bad idea & that it will not work but if you're seeing this it worked flawlessly" 😄😄 Thanks for making videos worth watching & not just following the algorithm. 👍

[@Everlanders]

Comment of the Day 🏆

[@igorkvachun3572]

@@Everlanders YES! 👍

[@WillProwse]

That robotic hand freaked me out man haha I had to fast forward to make sure you werent missing a arm!

[@Everlanders]

Everyone loves that Easter Egg... 😍

[@13yearsaprepperr.jtilbury.51]

same here as an amputee i just had to check ,, batteries and a titanium hand = BOOM !

[@rkw221]

Hey Will...THIS is what I'm very interested in doing. Would never have thought of building a custom bank w/o finding your vids. This sure helped me visualize and expand my idea. cool you follow this account too.

[@rkw221]

@@Everlanders Thank very much for the example. Showed me what Will has been showing us in practice with an actual installation. Helps!

[@meowzic]

Likewise lol

[@kadachiman7234]

I appreciate your comments on battery safety as many do not understand the currents that can be involved. I was working on a solar system the other day where the battery banks had a short circuit current of 14.5K Amps...not the kind of place you want to drop a metal spanner.

[@evopwrmods]

Still the Best Self Built Overland YT Channel !

[@sporktar]

If you still have issues with the batteries moving around without an enclosure maybe you can try a ratchet strap around the whole pack to keep strain off of the bus bars and terminals. I love the solar content, great video!

[@sailingavocet]

We just built our own battery bank on our sailboat (we liveaboard) using 180 amp hour, 3.6-volt CALB cells, and a DALY BMS, wiring the cells in a 4s2p orientation. So stoked on the upgrade! We charge our lithiums in 2 different ways. We send the power from our 120 amp Balmar alternator on our engine to our 100 amp-hour sealed lead-acid starter battery. From there a Renogy 60 amp DC-DC charger takes the load from the alternator and puts it in a lithium profile and in turn charges the lithium batteries. It was a fun build!

[@Everlanders]

So you have no solar it's all? It costs about $1.30 to extract a kilowatt of electricity from diesel, even worse for gasoline...

[@sailingavocet]

@@Everlanders We do have solar as well

[@WillProwse]

Hell yeah!!!!! thats awesome man! You rock

[@Everlanders]

Thanks William! We really wanted your opinion on our setup, thought we could colab a video on it...

[@WillProwse]

@@Everlanders Oh for sure! I saw your email and was super super busy. I was even filming until 3 am last night :( Just email me whenever you are around san diego or carlsbad and we could meet up.

[@raazdesign]

Using spray foam as a mold in place form was a nice idea, going to steal that one!

[@livingworkingoutsidebox]

Now you've got me binge watching your solar videos

[@Everlanders]

Score!!! 💯Points for me!!!

[@Specky12]

Cheese and rice, that must be the biggest Overlander leisure battery out there. You're not far off a small EV traction battery. I was pleased with our 200ah pack. Great work.

[@sellC1964]

Impressive! I'm also a bit envious! Quick word of caution - Take your wedding band off when working around your electrical system to prevent a molten ring of lava from damaging your finger.

[@TheGideonp1]

He needs AVE to give him some of that cool Japanese clear electrical tape, or that pink PTFE. LOL

[@TheGideonp1]

Before you can be old and wise you have to be young and dumb... and who doesn't want like a Frodo Baggins ring story, YOLO. Just gonna send it!

[@grantmyers7593]

That is a lot of amp hours in a small spot. Great use of space. and I will have to remember the foam in the garbage bag trick.

[@Sterlingfinish]

Nice work. Clean install. Informative without nonsense filler. Greta job. Got another subscriber because of it.

[@funny-video-YouTube-channel]

That is a lot of powaaar. Can use mica heaters in every room with that. Nice robot hand @10:30

[@sandpirateskn]

Nice install. Love the red LED's to show off the new batteries.

[@Darkart123]

Great job with your descriptions. Again built to last! It's the little details you share with us that helps keep us safe. Thank you again.

[@smallg327]

Thanks - excellent content. Note: each cell is about 5.6 kg

[@expeditionvehicleadventure2141]

Great job on the parallel vs series explanation. Love the spray foam idea. You guys rock, hope to see you again out at Overland Expo East

[@TheGideonp1]

It's like watching AVE but without the cussing. Love this channel, and the rig is beefy. Be safe during the mosquito apocalypse up there in Canaderp.

[@johnbeckman8916]

_ Aaaaaahhh yes! I miss the cussing too. 😃

[@darcyfunk]

@@johnbeckman8916 yes more cussing and misprenunced wurds please

[@judd_s5643]

AVE has a patent on KZbin cussing! I’ve heard he will license it to others. Grin..

[@johnbeckman8916]

@@judd_s5643 • Well, I didn't know that but he certainly has perfected it! Others wade into that pond risking TOTAL embarrassment due to the inevitable comparison. 😎

[@5408rap]

The work you two do is nothing short of incredible. Just re-watched the one on your mattress spring system that I will order. AND, you are CANADIAN! Eat your heart out, Donald.

[@GoingOffGrid101]

beast mode camper!!! I will be upgrading my 4Kwh to 10 Kwh this year :) thanks for the videos loved it.

[@scottfranson4215]

. Again built to last! It's the little details you share with us that helps keep us safe. Thank you again.

[@Everlanders]

You bet! Glad you're enjoying them.

[@Kee_Didnt]

Awesome! Can't wait to hear how it works out for you.

[@robertsulley]

After @10:14 I had to consider why I hadn't noticed your mechanical hand before!

[@Everlanders]

I've had it for years...

[@mrhupen]

That foam inside a bag is a really awesome idea! Great thinking!

[@jim4556]

if you have the ability, packing foam is sold in bags you crack, they then exspand to fit whatever they are packed against and turn into a fairly ridged foam block. this is how they pack prebuilt gameing computers to secure the GPU during transit

[@forthrightnight]

Please keep making videos. Very enjoyable. I like how you preface everything with "as you probably know..." I don't know shit compared to you, but I'm sure a lot of the viewers do. Thanks for explaining it. Cheers from B.C.

[@davidc1961utube]

Hockey tape, it’s Canadian for duct tape! You totally lucked out on that eBay find in that they were about the same level of “used”, they were cheap, and 12 MOAR fit in there like you designed the space to hold exactly that many. (Did you?) The red lights are totally Vegas, Baby! There is no better intro than “I’m pretty sure this is a bad idea...” to spur interest. Well done, and no schmoo for the lovely assistant to remove this time!

[@Everlanders]

The batteries fitment was not planned, it just worked out!

[@davidc1961utube]

@@Everlanders It's nice to see good things happening to good people sometimes!

[@jeremybrooks6473]

Great idea with the foam

[@thesurvivalist.]

Upgrades, I only have 4.1Kw including my Kodiak. Going to rearrange my 3kw cells, into 3 parallel stacks, then series connect them into 4 packs for a total of 12volts.

[@seansteede]

Fantastic idea with the gap filling foam! Love your rig and videos.

[@SuperVstech]

If you have ever taken anything to UPS to have them pack and ship... this is what they do.

[@pdx25rsti]

I'm curious how your batteries are working 7 months later. I just bought 16 271Ah 3.2v liFePo4 cells. I was going to hook them up similar to how you've done it with 4 cells in parallel for 1084Ah @ 3.2v then series them into 12v @ 1084Ah. The manufacturer, however, suggested that instead, I make 4 12v @ 271Ah packs and then parallel them into the 1084Ah. This is because with 4 12v packs each with their own BMS I can have better control over each individual 3.2v cell.

[@goofeybutreal4398]

Thanks for this video and the series vs parallel. Subscribed.

[@khankhattak.]

put a fan air circulation. the battery dont produce fumes but vent is always good.

[@Everlanders]

No, we won't be installing a vent...

[@nosnerd1967]

You could just tell he is just.plain.smart. Hope I get to meet you one day and shake your hand

[@danny60473]

Random thought. For the rainy and dark day would a vertical wind turbine would be great . Just a thought. Love your channel!

[@Everlanders]

Not for us, we have enough battery to last a long time without solar... And more than enough solar to recharge quickly when we have sun, kzbin.info/www/bejne/raC9eWtres57hLs

[@russsherratt6919]

Nice job Jason. Appreciate the explanation on why y'all went with more batteries. Clean install. Didn't realize how much I missed your mechanical helper until I was trying to figure out WTH is that. Hi to the Mrs. For me. Russ

[@n1spirit]

Mechanical helper? Is THAT what that weird "hand looking" thing with the shirt sleeve/cuff was????? At first I just thought "oh, he's pointing at something" -- then I looked more closely and thought "WTH is he pointing WITH?" (it kind of put me of the mind of the arm of a monkey that'd been cut off, stuffed and wired to look like a hand." hahaha

[@nebulight]

BALLER! I had those batteries on my watch list and one day they were gone. Glad then went to a good home!

[@Everlanders]

Sorry not sorry 😬

[@codyphillips48]

great vid always waiting to see what the next project is on truck

[@Rennix13]

Great video, wish i could get them batteries sent to Ireland, I will have to do with my AGM,s for now ! Keep up your videos, your a good tutor....

[@jimthvac100]

Great video, Lol I gave you a thumbs up as soon as I seen you demonstrate the expanding foam in a bag trick, that was a great idea.

[@paulabery771]

I love this content, every video you post I learn something. Awesome job.

[@DIYJIM]

do you have a video on how you wired your solar and what components you bought. it looks like the size i would like to make

[@Everlanders]

Our solar and battery install videos are all here: kzbin.info/aero/PL0uBLqOOwG8hv9HRxGZvnesMBrUVyiQKf

[@wrybread]

3 years later, how are those batteries holding up? I'm about to build an LFP battery pack, starting to navigate the wild west of battery cell purchases. And love the red LEDs! I might have to steal that touch. And that use of expanding foam was next level.

[@Everlanders]

5 Years, 9 Countries, 1.6 Megawatts in and out... 99.6% Capacity Remaining

[@wrybread]

@@Everlanders frickin awesome. My 4 Trojan T105's are finally starting to go after 8+ years (not a bad run!), and I'm so looking forward to moving to LFP. May I never have to pour distilled water into a battery bank in a cramped converted generator cabinet again, ha.

[@pau1phi11ips]

@@wrybread 2 years in with a 24V 280Ah pack and seen a slight degradation, less than 5%. It does a full cycle daily though. 6.3 MWh has gone through it.

[@martinrobinson2996]

As always a very professional finish, thank you

[@blakemx11]

I'm thinking of starting a KZbin channel myself, I love how you make a vast amount of knowledge normally only accessible to people in one particular industry available to anyone who is curious and committed enough to take on projects like this. What would be your advise or even your personal process on gathering info and then conveying it on camera with hitting all your points and not missing something?

[@Mr_natenut]

Hi sir, have u perhaps made a how to tutorial video on how to use a raspberry pi to switch of the invertor at a set voltage or percentage?

[@Everlanders]

Yes, our inverter is switched by the Raspberry Pi based on the state of charge collected from the SBMS, kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZvMo4iPnM2EiaM

[@Mr_natenut]

@@Everlanders thank you sir!!!!!!!!

[@turkeyphant]

10:47 what happened to your hand?

[@Everlanders]

Nothing, what are you referring to?

[@mazda2284]

man id hate straps for such a big bank , in audio we use bars , some are fancy machined bars with terminals built in and everything

[@3000gtwelder]

Awesome idea with the foam!

[@Everlanders]

Yeah, thanks, I was just in there stringing another wire, and it's held up great!

[@davehubbard6075]

Love how you did your system you make it look easy. Is there any way you could do a step by step on your solar layout I'm wanting to do a very similar setup in mine that you did in yours as far as the batteries and your solar charge controller. I have room in mind for up to 12 of the 100ah batteries. Trying to get figured out what all I need and could really use some pointers.

[@GTLee9]

How come the fuse in the center of the two aluminum buss bars?

[@Everlanders]

This is common in EV conversions... It's there in case the battery itself is shorted out in some catastrophic event.

[@craigwallet]

Very neat install. Love the expanding foam topper 👌🏼. Are you going to install a heating mat on this one? I’m also interested why you just use solar to charge the battery pack. I have a 200Ah Winston pack in my van and charge it from one large solar panel (circa 300W) and a DC-DC battery charger, which outputs just over 60A when the engine is running. It works well for me as we tend to only stay in one place for 2-3 days and the weather in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 isn’t known for long periods of sunshine ☀️. Keep up the good work, love your videos. Slanj from bonnie Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍🏼

[@Everlanders]

Thanks, no charging off the engine, Extracting electric power from Diesel costs $1.20 to $1.60/kWh so we charge of the sun from our 1500 watt solar array.

[@Everlanders]

Oh, no heater on this one. Living in here fill time, we hope to keep the inside above freezing at all times.

[@cdanilsson]

Very nice upgrade! Almost too good fit with all them cells, was it planned or was it pure luck? Wish I had that kind of space in my rig, working hard on finding a way to mount 8x100Ah cells for my 24V system. A couple of comments, hope you don't mind even if I (coming from a similar background) can clearly see you know your stuff very well. :) I would like to point out that while the orientation you use is probably ok, mounting that kind of LiFePO4 cell with the large side down is usually advised against by the manufacturer because of the distribution of the electrolyte. Also they should not be mounted with the safety valve facing downwards, for obvious reasons. Having done some work for one of the major Lead Acid stand-by battery manufacturers I would recommend you use a torque wrench for the battery terminal bolts instead of the ugga-dugga. Both because over-torquing and stripping the insert is a horrible experience, and because even a slightly too low clamping force you will make a surprisingly big difference at high current draw. With you using an induction cooktop and a 12V system, well you know... Finally, from bench testing my cells with the fuse mounted the same way you have (between two (blocks of) cells) I had a noticeable voltage drop across the fuse, leading to the BMS believing one of the cells was higher/lower on charge/discharge. This was with an 150A ANL fuse and only a couple of amps current. Have you checked that it won't throw off your cell balancing? Anyway, keep up the good work!

[@Everlanders]

Mostly luck...

[@petefinn4914]

Loved it mate...watched from start to finish!

[@flintsmith4771]

That fuse used as a bus bar in the middle of the battery looks sleek, but won't it explode your SBMS if the fuse ever opens?

[@Everlanders]

Nope, BMS is fine.

[@rosspoulter6913]

Fire retardant expanding foam is also available.

[@HandyC]

Hahahaha where did that mechanical hand pop up from!! I had to rewind for a sec there as I thought you were an amputee and I hadn't noticed LOLOL

[@Everlanders]

You're welcome! 🤣

[@thedjdubbieexperience4147]

Hey whatsup great job man love the video I watched it a couple timesI'm thinking about doing this one of my projects for next year do you have any thoughts on that can I do this can I do this with a 12-volt system

[@Everlanders]

Mine is a 12-volt system... So I don't understand your question.

[@thedjdubbieexperience4147]

@@Everlanders I am planning on ordering some cells like those... How much can I connect in parallel..

[@Everlanders]

An infinite number...

[@jim4556]

i heard this type of battery cell needs significant clamping force on the large flat sides of the battery. I was told that they expand and contract with charge state and that without clamping they would physically be damaged by this. so people install them with 2 boards clamped by all thread to some spec provided by the manufacturer.. is this true??

[@Everlanders]

No, our cells are in ridged cases and CALB confirmed there is no clamping needed.

[@unbekannternutzer8506]

You said that the batteries are super firm. Please make sure to leave some space in all directions, because lithium batteries expand over time. This was something Samsung might not have considered with their note 7

[@Everlanders]

You're referring to Lithium Polymer, totally different beast, LiFePo4 are much safer in that regard.

[@somethingsomeone5440]

Nice job! No corners cut

[@henkisa]

true craftmenship tanks for the video

[@n1spirit]

What is that weird "hand looking" thing with the shirt sleeve/cuff depicted around 10:14 in????? At first I just thought "oh, he's pointing at something" -- then I looked more closely and thought "WTH is he pointing WITH?" (it kind of put me of the mind of the arm of a monkey that'd been cut off, stuffed and wired to look like a hand." hahaha. Great job with the video; I always enjoy watching y'alls projects as well as those of Will Prouse (different channel, both very explanatory). Safe travels!

[@Everlanders]

I'm a bit self conscious of my looks...😞

[@marktheunitedstatescitezen185]

On my 5KVA pure sine wave inverter has Pv input 3000 watts can I jock up my generator to that which puts out 2,000v

[@Everlanders]

2000 volts is a lot of volts

[@boriskarloff6356]

Hey Jason, what was between the hand made bus bar on the lower terminals? Some electrical component, didn't quite catch it. Best regards to you two always.

[@Everlanders]

The 250 amp fuse that broke.

[@caribouprecision8213]

Would you care to share why you opted not to tie into the alternator as a charging option?

[@Everlanders]

Extracting electricity from diesel with a vehicle's alternator will cost $1 to $2 per kilowatt hour, $10 to $20 to charge our batteries... 2. At 50 amps would take 18 hours running the engine to charge completely. 3. The very low resistance of lithium batteries means you would need a dedicated DC to DC charge controller, otherwise the high current demand of these batteries would melt the alternator... I chose to run purely off of solar, in fact we often disconnect our alternators regulator connector and power the chassis electrical demands from our Solar and Lithium Bank. Getting about 15L/100km now...

[@caribouprecision8213]

@@Everlanders I guess I always figured I'd run both just to have the alternator charge while under way, although since watching your videos my solar and battery plans have doubled.

[@PentaxLife]

Very nice still in Mexico how about a battery update?

[@Everlanders]

No Change, Capacity tests still show 11.24kW - Dumping excess solar into the water heater... kzbin.info/www/bejne/laaThoWrqLGrpM0

[@runcrescent3344]

When the battery discharges they get hot. When putting all these cells together, wouldn't be a problem? Thanks

[@Everlanders]

False... Lithium batteries do not get hot when charged or discharged, the temperature changes by one degree even under very high loads.

[@marktheunitedstatescitezen185]

I have 48v lithium battery bank 3.2v x 15 250Ah

[@meowzic]

You series connect all the individual cells to each super pack?

[@Everlanders]

4 Series 5 Parallel

[@michaelblock3998]

Brilliant use of the foam/bag!!

[@Everlanders]

Thanks!

[@redman2751]

These batteries don’t like heat correct? How do you manage to keep them cool when not using the vehicle or are you always using the vehicle? If so what will you do if you have to park it for an extended time frame?

[@Everlanders]

We're living in here and traveling full time, and while the datasheet says 131°f, 55°c the temperature sensor in the bank has yet to read over 35°c it's just a huge thermal mass. But I suppose we could just run the AC if it gets much warmer than that, if we're not in here the solar is doing nothing anyway.

[@corywikel4417]

Are you sure those can be mounted horizontally? I've got 32 calb 180ah and I'm pretty sure the manufacturer docs stated vertical only but I need to double check. Either way, nice to see someone not buying the drop-in batts at ridiculous prices. Good job

[@Everlanders]

"These lithium rechargeable batteries can be mounted in any direction except upside down"

[@caribouprecision8213]

Ive watched both the battery install videos, why did you opt for this specific cell form factor and voltage vs typical RV type units?

[@Everlanders]

Half the price per kilowatt hour...

[@raven9965]

foam in a bag, that was a great idea.

[@Everlanders]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Thisisausername719]

how does you BMS work? Mainly curious how you protect them from charging when its too cold, and how you balance and monitor the supper cell voltage? Love the videos, great work

[@Everlanders]

The SBMS100 does this all automatically.

[@Thisisausername719]

@@Everlanders Ah very slick!

[@VegasGuy89183]

Great video. Very creative way of making a professional installation. I would like to know how you got such clean cuts for your acrylic panel. My cuts always melt the Plexiglas back together behind the cuts.

[@Everlanders]

I didn't have any problem... A good Diablo Blade, pushed hard and fast so it doesn't heat up... If you're still having issues you could try cutting incrementally deeper passes. Alternatively you could cut it 1/8th inch larger than you need it and then trim off that last 1/8th inch in one pass.

[@VegasGuy89183]

@@Everlanders Thank you for the quick reply. Sounds like you used a table saw. Maybe that's the secret. I've always done it with a jig saw with terrible results.

[@Everlanders]

Oh, yes, table saw... Carbide teeth are wider than the blade and thus the blade doesn't rub and heat up the material causing it to melt.

[@alphahelix91]

Where do all the lithium salt boxes come from, and how long do they last without a metal separator but corrosion polymer fine filled ?

[@gustersongusterson4120]

How are these cells still holding up? They fit like a glove!

[@Everlanders]

98% tested last month.

[@billhamilton2366]

could you pleas post the e-Bay site for the battery cells. Thanks.

[@KS-wr8ub]

Using expanding foam as a filler above the battery’s, wow 🙌! That is out of the box thinking right there 👍 I remember you had a Keenovo heat pad in the original battery box, what’s the reason you didn’t install some heating solution in this setup, apart from the obvious lack of space? Or is it because you went south? I think I’ve seen you log som data, did you log if the previous battery heater ever was needed? Great videos as always, I think you are great at sharing your knowledge. It’s a piece of technical art that rig!

[@Everlanders]

The heater worked great when we were in Canada and not living in it full time. But we're full time on the road in Mexico and Central America, and so it won't be needed for the next few years. Since they're inside the envelope of our living space, they stay at room temperature with us.

[@MmeHyraelle]

Its crazy to think you have over 10kwh of capacity crammed in there!

[@PentaxLife]

Very nice yes have to work with what you have great job.

[@cuanblane43]

Great install and informative video! Bloody great idea with that expansion foam too! One question though - can those prismatic cells be mounted on their side without damaging them? Cheers!

[@1sheinz]

They can be mounted in any direction, but should not be installed up side down, so safety vent works correctly.

[@Making_Adventure]

please do a update on this, soo manny people told me that this wouldent work so much so that i changed my plans to 24v but i would love to keep my system 12v if its possible without too many downsides

[@Everlanders]

Update on what? It's been working great for years, I just increased my capacity so it's greater for longer...

[@Making_Adventure]

Specifically the series parallel with so many batteries. I was told that it's not smart to do so because the bad batteries will drain the good ones

[@Everlanders]

True, But only in a completely un-monitored system that was never checked. Paralleled cells are the same as one larger cell, so yes, if one cell fails it would be the same as that whole supercell failing, But the BMS would detect that and shut the system down... You would see that supercell lagging behind the rest, and you could then isolate which it was and replace it. (Tesla Modules have 74 cells in parallel as an example. )

[@SpitOnYourPalm]

you are using 5 batteries in parallel for each "cell". Your BMS can not monitor that many cells individually (20 total), so what happens if 1 fails? fire?

[@SweetLou0523]

How that works is actually pretty uncomplicated: The bms sees each series string as one single cell as functionally that’s all it is. Once you series them, they charge and discharge at the same rate no different than if it was one single giant cell. The cells in series cannot go out of balance. Now, when you parallel those strings together, the bms then monitors the balance of each string to keep them in equilibrium. So, yes he started with 20 individual cells but as far as the finished product goes, once you series/parallel them there are only 5 cells total for the bms to monitor which is pretty standard faire for a bms to do.

[@Everlanders]

Yup... What he said 👆👆

[@MrTHEBRITINWA]

Excellent install.....and the batteries make and model # ? Please.

[@Everlanders]

CALB 180

[@MrTHEBRITINWA]

@@Everlanders cheers m8

[@MrTHEBRITINWA]

Silly me should have pulled down the blog, ha ha.

[@PaDutchRunner]

Is that ok to mix the aluminum with the copper for the busbars?

[@Everlanders]

If you look carefully you can see the batteries' negative terminal is copper and the positive is aluminum, so there is already copper to aluminum interfacing, I should really have some Noalox on these connections and intended to do it the next time I'm in there. As far as the aluminum being slightly less conductive than the copper, the bar I used is 5 times the cross section, so it will not be a point of resistance here.

[@SteveWrightNZ]

foam in bag is a good idea

[@RichardCrabbe403]

Very cool! That's a lot of juice!!

[@dathat555]

Will you be adding a heater as you did with the old battery box?

[@Everlanders]

No, for the time being we are living in here full time and they should say at a fairly livable temperature.

[@NewAgeDIY]

Question regarding temperature control. I see that you have added some thermal barrier on top of the battery box. What about the bottom of the battery stack. Will it get cold to the point that could be a danger to the batteries? Do you have that covered? Last question. I see that your have monitoring cables running off each battery, what information does it provided you with?

[@Everlanders]

The expanding foam on top was intended as a form fitting clamping fixture, not as thermal insulation. Our floor is a 3 inch thick composite panel much like the walls. With the batteries being housed inside our living space we found that the first 8 stayed at temperatures within spec without much extra effort.

[@markusviel6440]

Hi, thanks for the nice "Overlanders" + "Technik you need for the Trip" Channel . I was wondering how you monitor the upgraded Cells ( 20x ) now , as the Elektrodcus ist meant for 8s System max and you put the System in 12V ( 4x (5xSuperCells) ) . It looks from the Video that you are cabeling only every "SuperCells" and lack the Monitoring of the SingleCells . Did you experience Problems with that Config as you are not seeing the SingleCells ( Monitoring + Balancing ) any longer . Greetings to the Couple " aus dem Schwarzwald" ;)

[@Everlanders]

There is no problem running cells in parallel, every electric car has done this for years. Also, our "cells" in fact have several cells paralleled inside already... The copper busbars ensure the cells are exactly the same. If any one cell starts to get weak, it will pull the others down with it and the BMS will report that. Then you'd need to single that one bad cell out. (But ours are still at 98% after 4 years of hard use)

[@bang3212]

welcome back to Canada

[@vinhqngouoc]

Great set up however why aluminum busbars?

[@Everlanders]

Why not...? The battery terminals are aluminum...

[@cpatterson1021]

I just want to know one thing Where can i get a robot hand!!!!

[@nightfury1318]

How did the smaller battery pack handle the mini split? Granted you're probably in cooler weather but I'm gonna be running a similar setup in the hot south

[@Everlanders]

Cooler Weather? We're on the border of Guatemala at the moment... Running 8 cells (4S2P) is no different than 20 cells (4S5P) it just last for days instead of day.

[@nightfury1318]

That's good. I'd have to go back and see if you mentioned it but what R rating is your insulation?

[@harishrajamani4922]

Can u mention the battery brand n where to find them?

[@Everlanders]

CALB 180Ah cells... I've added some information in the video description.

[@aslids]

Where do you get these cells? What do you use for a BMS and to protect from over/under charging?

[@Everlanders]

As I said in the video... They are CALB cells, I bought the first 8 new, but these 12 I got on eBay... We use the SBMS100 as our BMS and Charge controller.

[@MrTHEBRITINWA]

What did you use for the “super cell” balance system please.

[@Everlanders]

SBMS 100

[@MrTHEBRITINWA]

Most grateful m8.

[@thebestblainejohnson]

Why parallel every terminal set between the 2 series blocks?

[@Everlanders]

So the supercells stay balanced and the BMS can monitor each supercell in it's entirety.

[@thebestblainejohnson]

@@Everlanders You guys do a lot of cold weather camping too. Use should be OK, but how do you prevent damage to the batteries if/when charging in sub zero temps. (Tesla heats them to avoid charge damage)

[@Everlanders]

I have the charge controller set to stop charging below 5°c, but the batteries are inside our living space, so if they are freezing we have bigger problems.