Demos & Review - Ampere Time 12V 200Ah (Self-Heating) Lithium Battery - Low-Temperature Charging!

[@結りね]

This 200 self-heating battery is able to be used for cold winter use, and that''s what I want in a battery. Awesome!

[@gbthecamper458]

Great review as always Ray. Wil Prose gave a good review on the build quality of this unit but was not looking at RV use.

[@LoveYourRV]

Thanks. :) Not sure if you saw the link but I did a few update videos about the battery www.loveyourrv.com/demos-review-ampere-time-12v-200ah-self-heating-lithium-battery/ I ended up with a defective one and also it had issues powering a cheap end inverter. Cheers, Ray

[@gbthecamper458]

@@LoveYourRV I’m actually getting ready to take a look at the update Ray. We’re looking at the new Cougar 23MLE which comes with several Solar prep versions and thus looking at viable options to the lead acid batteries. Keystone advertises great pricing but they seem quite expensive. I also noted that there were several changes to your equipment setup and looking forward reviewing. I copied your earlier setup and was quite pleased to be able to run my residential fridge. Like you I now also have a solar batter I charge with my DC-DC charger that can supplement my off grid needs. Thanks for the feedback.

[@LoveYourRV]

haha, yes my system is always evolving and changing as I test out and review new products. This winter I'm installing a pair of Xantrex 240Ah lithium batteries and a Xantrex 3000W inverter/charger. They saw my install on the boat www.loveyourrv.com/xantrex-freedom-xc-pro-marine-2000w-inverter-charger-review/ and asked if I'd like to try their stuff out in the RV. Looks well built so looking forward to using this winter.

[@gbthecamper458]

@@LoveYourRV I’ll be looking forward to that build as they are great products.

[@LoveYourRV]

*UPDATE - Battery Failure* www.loveyourrv.com/demos-review-ampere-time-12v-200ah-self-heating-lithium-battery/ Ampere Time USA website: www.litime.com/?ref=_J5LoyeHGgAJiK Ampere Time CA website: ca.litime.com/?ref=_J5LoyeHGgAJiK Amazon USA Link: amzn.to/3U6DAN4 Amazon Canada: amzn.to/3DT9fMO

[@SiddVic1]

Another great video Ray. Thank you for the frank review. Cheers

[@starktony8740]

I noticed they were on sale and after watching this video I decided to buy this battery

[@TheDefenderSisu]

I got one of those hive tools when I first saw it on your videos. Works great for a lot of stuff.

[@SEANRMZ]

Thanks, I was looking for the brand the exact one. I went with the Ree 200ah with heated cells and blue tooth app. It also had a 200amp rated discharge and only a few hundred more .

[@jeffreywhitmoyer860]

Just bought 3 of them and installed them this week. So far I'm impressed with the batteries and their support. It's good to find a Chinese company that tries to do it right, my experience is generally not good with Chinese stuff. I didn't get the heated battery, so will add heaters. The need to increase available current drove the purchase. I'm taking my older batteries and adding a 2nd system to run my digital darkroom/office.

[@DansGamingVan]

Running off solar? No issues with load being dropped when charging is stopped?

[@dirtroadsailing6418]

Probably a good solution for a lot of people, kind of plug and play where you don't need to worry about anything temperature wise. Just out of curiosity, what became of the "new" batteries that you got from Lion Energy? If I remember, you couldn't say anything about them because they weren't released yet, and that has to be close to a year ago.

[@LoveYourRV]

I picked them up at Lion Energy when I went through Salt Lake Utah in late March this year and asked about them in August, and a rep said it would be another month or two. No word since then. They are working well. I can see they are broadcasting Bluetooth signals, but no app yet. Maybe they are having supply change issues or still working on the app. I remember they told me the app would cover many of their products. They are big into home battery systems now.

[@opaandomascampingadventures]

Thanks Ray. Hope you work on commission. I just bought three of them!! It was finally time to get rid of 210# out of the forward bay since I added an Aux fuel tank.

[@LoveYourRV]

I do have some affiliate links, but a person would need to have clicked them to track the sale coming from me.

[@unclelala4216]

Hey Ray, I got a dilemma; I have a 2021 Cougar 24RDS fifth wheel with the solar package i400 which is 400 watts. I have a 200 AH lithium battery. I just discovered that Keystone installed a WFCO 9875 converter at 75 amps and it is not compatible with lithium batteries and only charges to 13.4 to 13.6 I believe. So I checked into replacing the converter with 3 dealers and they want too much for a compatible converter and the labour to install it… I’m thinking of installing a good compatible converter in the battery compartment, run 20 amp plug to it, put some heavy duty alligator clips on it and run it whenever I’m on shore power and hopefully I can install the new one when the OEM WFCO burns out. Can I do this? If I do this can you recommend a good lithium converter?

[@LoveYourRV]

Here is video about lithium batteries and chargers - www.loveyourrv.com/lithium-battery-charge-test-can-you-use-a-lead-acid-charge-converter/ This video shows how I typically recharge off grid with a second converter charger located beside the battery bank www.loveyourrv.com/2-year-update-safari-ut1300-lithium-batteries-and-energizer-gas-generator/ Last winter I installed an auto detect lithium/lead charger from WFCO www.loveyourrv.com/wfco-electronics-auto-detect-lithium-or-lead-acid-converter-charger/ it seems to work for the most part but I prefer the charger that is located next to the batteries for the fasted charging. Cheers, Ray

[@garryhammond3117]

Great review Ray! It looks like a great battery. - Thanks! - Cheers!

[@MrMindlink]

Great review, thanks for the information.

[@djaj423]

look forward to update as i am interested in one for a truck camper? can you recommend for small application. safe travels..

[@LoveYourRV]

So far it's working well. If it was me and have the room I'd go for the 2 smaller 100Ah batteries versus this big one amzn.to/3OHz31Z They each have 100 amp continuous discharge rating so when paralleled that's 200 amps. Most microwaves or coffee makers for example will draw over 100 amps DC to power via an inverter. Also if one quits your not dead in the water.

[@herb7877]

Just as an fyi … I installed 2 100ah Chins. Some say they’re the same thing as amphere (?). Really like them over my 6 year old 6v golf carts. Prices have really dropped from 6 years ago making them a good option.. 100 amp draw is a lot of power all at once let alone 200! Not sure I’d ever need that much power all at once?

[@LoveYourRV]

An inverter powering a typical microwave or coffee maker or hotplate at 1500W will draw a lot of juice. With inverter/wiring efficiency factored in that could be about 1800W from the battery. Amps = Watts / Volts so at, say, 13V draws 1800/13 = 138.5 amps from the battery bank.

[@herb7877]

@@LoveYourRV yes you are correct. I wasn’t thinking too clearly. I was just thinking about a 10 to 15 amp appliance and not going thru the necessary inverter process. Thank you

[@johnnorris7815]

I wonder if will start a motor home generator. Run a trolling motor? Also if motor home battery runs down could I push the switch on the dash to contact it the starting battery to jump the motor home. Battle born answered yes to all these if I use two 100 ah

[@LoveYourRV]

Trolling motors for sure, don't draw many amps, but starter motors do, so will depend on the instantaneous amp draw. That's why you see lead acid batteries rated at cold cranking amps; most are up around 500-600 CCA. Lithium batteries aren't good as starter-type batteries. The BMS design may restrict the amp draw to protect the cells. Combining them in parallel helps as the amperage is added together. For example, I have 4 Lion Energy UT1300 batteries with a max continuous amp rating of 150. 150 x 4=600, so not a problem. Most lithium batteries also have a max surge rating, often much higher for a few seconds. This Ampertime is 280 amps for the surge rating. Is that enough to turn over the motor? Hard to say. Likely best to have two. But usually, you'll find the manufacturers say the batteries aren't meant to be used as starter batteries. Cheers, Ray

[@GaryBoyd02]

Let's see how they do. They are getting a larger presence all the time it seems. I know Will had the BMS not working as per spec as well. But looks like they have solved the low temp problem but did the high temp shut off work properly on yours?

[@LoveYourRV]

I haven't tested the high temp sensor yet, but it was printed on it 65C and I imagine there is one inside the BMS board

[@mikeflanigan4896]

Thanks for the thorough review. I just installed one on our motor home a few days ago, but have not been out with it yet. Our battery is exposed, so wanted the self heating option.

[@DansGamingVan]

How has it been working? Any issue output randomly turning off while charging and discharging at same time?

[@mikeflanigan4896]

@@DansGamingVan no problem so far.

[@DansGamingVan]

@@mikeflanigan4896 dude thank you so much for the reply!! Have you been using it a lot, charging while discharging?

[@mikeflanigan4896]

@DansGamingVan in use for 4 months, however almost always plugged in. Haven't fully discharged etc.

[@DansGamingVan]

@@mikeflanigan4896 plugged into solar for charging?

[@kerry4951]

I just bought 2 of these off Amazon. They were on sale for $899 and they offered a $100 coupon off on one of them so I got one for $799 and one for $899. I felt that was a good deal. And I dont confuse myself with bluetooth so I wont miss that option.

[@DansGamingVan]

How have they been working? No issues with load being dropped/power flickering off when charging is stopped?

[@s.wilson5675]

Great video. I'm new to all this battery business. The Amazon advert at 42secs say "Built-in 200A BMS"? So I guess this would have the 200A you were hoping for with the one they sent you. Were you expecting a 200Ah battery to have 200A BMS? Easy to get confused and assume this if that's the case....... Me? I'm just totally confused! Once again, Great explanation.

[@LoveYourRV]

All the 100 Ah batteries I've reviewed have had 100 amp BMS boards in them. My Lion Energy Safari UT1300s which are 105 Ah even have a 150 amp BMS. So having a 100 amp BMS in a 200 Ah battery seemed a little light. It would mean if you wanted to run higher loads like say a microwave and stay under the 100 amp rating you'd need two batteries since average microwaves draw about 125 amps DC when powered through an inverter.

[@edmundcano521]

I have two. 100amp, in my TC and they seem to work well. good price also.

[@DennisWintjes2]

Thanks Ray! Like 164. I think the 100A limit is due to their cable sizing inside. If they are using 2 8AWG cables, isn't that 110A?

[@LoveYourRV]

Makes sense, but I imagine they can handle a little extra due to the short length and are attached to the terminals, and with larger external cables, some of the heat created will be drawn away. It would be interesting to see inside the 200A-rated model and see if the cables are larger or if they use more of them.

[@OnRappel]

So I have a 2015 Winnebago toy hauler with a onboard Onan 4kW generator. I'd like to upgrade my batteries to something like this, but I'm worried my generator won't work with it. Most of these companies advice not to try and start a generator with them. Thoughts?

[@LoveYourRV]

Definitely stay away from this brand then. It doesn't do well with surges above the 100 amp discharge rating. See my update videos - www.loveyourrv.com/demos-review-ampere-time-12v-200ah-self-heating-lithium-battery/ Some of the better surge amp rated brands like say Lion Energy may do the trick for you especially if you have multiple batteries paralleled but you'll pay more for them. But overall lithium batteries aren't good for powering starters. Cheers, Ray

[@amchen96]

Nice video. I am looking for a self-heating battery to build my solar system, I think AmpereTime will be my first choice.

[@stuartstuart866]

Wow, prices seem to be really dropping on lithium batteries. Ray, how much of the charging is controlled by the converter versus the battery BMS? I mean this as a general question, not specific to this particular battery. Thank you.

[@aguyandhiscomputer]

They really have over the last several years. $300 for a plain 100Ah lithium is crazy. Really no point in buying lead acid for power storage. On the charging part, I could be wrong but the converter is the main component. They have 3-4 stages and monitor the battery's voltage and adjust the charging accordingly.

[@LoveYourRV]

With lithium batteries low internal resistance if the converter charger voltage is between 14.2-14.6 it will output all it can muster pretty well until the battery is over 95% full. At the high end the limiting factor will be the BMS cutting off charging at its max rate.

[@OldManandtheSuperC]

Tell us about that white plastic box in your electrical bay.

[@LoveYourRV]

They are made by Century Plastics in Richmond BC - www.centuryplastics.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=7 I picked it up at a local marine supplies store in Victoria BC. In the US I see they are available online at - allbatterysalesandservice.com/catalog/product/view/id/16104/s/century-plastics-heavy-duty-battery-box-holds-4-6-volt-golf-cart-batteries-gcq-g/category/5/ Cheers, Ray

[@coreybabcock2023]

I have the ampere Time 200 ah plus in my van right now

[@davidpatrick1813]

Nice way to open ... do you have bees too?

[@LoveYourRV]

No bees :) I use it for scraping off old sealant and prying off trim pieces, etc.

[@jimbertrand2499]

Interesting Ray. I've seen 200Ah lithium batteries as cheap as $599 USD...

[@LoveYourRV]

I reviewed one called a Chins that goes for $599 www.loveyourrv.com/chins-200ah-battery-alffaa-1500w-testing-and-teardowns/

[@johnpalmer5131]

The fact that this battery has a low temp heater but wonder if it has low temp protection? IOW does the BMS not allow the battery charge when the battery is too cold not just turn on the heater? This is important if the heater fails or it is extremely cold.

[@LoveYourRV]

If the BMS senses the temp is too cold for charging, it turns on the heater pads, and then they run until it's a safe temp to start charging the cells, usually at between 5-10 Celcius. S to do that is much have low-temperature monitoring. If the pads fail, you'd have to manually heat the battery to get it warm enough to start charging.

[@opaandomascampingadventures]

Ampere Time batteries returned and refund issued. Great customer service. Would of been happier if the batteries would of worked. They gave us 300AH more reserve power and were 210# lighter than the AGM batteries. Problem? When the batteries tried charging in the morning (solar) they tripped the electrical system in our RV. Our best guess was a weak BMS board. (Battery Manaagement System)

[@LoveYourRV]

Thanks, good to know about the customer service. So when they started charging the 12V output died? Guess the BMS was triggering a protection mode falsely.

[@opaandomascampingadventures]

@@LoveYourRV Yes. Just momentary. It happened when it saw a coffee maker or Small (875W) space heater kick on, then it triggered protection mode again. It was so quick a voltmeter was unable to detect it.

[@DansGamingVan]

I saw in another review the same issue, when discharging and charging at the same time, and the charling load stops, it drops the entire load that it is powering. Causing a power surge on inverter/everything running.... Is that the same issue, are you still having it?

[@opaandomascampingadventures]

@@DansGamingVan I returned the Ampretime and purchased a different brand. Yes Same issue.

[@DansGamingVan]

@@opaandomascampingadventures shoot. What company did you go with?

[@seekingadventures]

What app are you using to monitor the BMS?

[@LoveYourRV]

It's an app for a battery monitor with shunt. Here is a demo video I did when I got it www.loveyourrv.com/new-test-gadget-koolertron-battery-monitor-w-400amp-shunt-bluetooth-app/

[@seekingadventures]

@@LoveYourRV thanks for the quick response. Safe travels.

[@kr639]

I just got two ampertime 200 amp batteries. I would have gotten those if my batteries would be in an unheated area but I'm putting them inside the camper where it's well insulated thankfully. No way I'd keep the batteries in the front compartment of the fifthwheel!

[@LoveYourRV]

Depends on where you camp, at what temps, and if full time heating the rig all the time. The lowest outside temps we see are in the low 20s. I've had lithium in the front storage for years now. Never been close to having them cut off charging because of low temps. They are inside a battery box and, in their own case, produce their own heat when working. Plus, the ambient heat of the trailer keeps the storage bay warmer than outside temps. I actually did a deep freeze test with my Lion Energy. You'd be surprised how low they can go and still discharge fine. Cheers, Ray

[@billstoys8324]

@@LoveYourRV I have a conventional pull trailer with the batteries on boxes on the tongue. I am concerned about overheating them more than freezing because I live in Florida. Will Lithium batteries handle the heat alright? Should I put them in the storage bay in the trailer and is there any issues with fire if they get hot?

[@LoveYourRV]

@@billstoys8324 Lithium handles heat pretty well. There are tons of electric cars running around now in hot climates. If they do get too hot, there are safely shutdown protections for overheating built in. The chemistry used in these LIFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) is the safest. It doesn't really burn, just sort of smolders if it fails, usually though that is due to puncturing the cells.

[@coreybabcock2023]

It's a 100 amp BMS

[@alutious]

I bought that charger different brand and company, I compared your photo to the one on my brochure....identical. must be one company selling to everyone, so who can actually fixes it under warranty I? eonder

[@LoveYourRV]

I'd imagine it is who ever you bought the charger from that honors the warranty. For example Ampere Time (now called LiTime) has 2 years warranty on the chargers. www.litime.com/products/litime-14-6v-20a-lifepo4-battery-charger-for-12v-lifepo4-lithium-battery My guess is they buy wholesale from a manufacture then resell. As the reseller they provide the warranty. They likely just send out a new one and the old is either sent back or recycled.

[@jackturtle131]

Great price if they will last.

[@Oblivionsurveyor]

Why did they change their name to LiTime?

[@LoveYourRV]

My guess is they use to sell lead acid batteries and now have switched to selling lithium

[@Oblivionsurveyor]

@@LoveYourRV I got the non-heating version of this battery btw. the 200ah PLUS to be exact x2 for 400ah. total of 600ah on the camper between banks. It will be in heated storage already, should be a non issue coupled with 200ah of lead acid for back-up but separate banks not hooked to each other. The LifePO4 will provide shore power for coffee maker, tv and small appliances.

[@JB-vg7qr]

My apologies but I deleted my previous comment by mistake. I posted that I was extremely dissatisfied with this model of battery and I stand by that statement. After trying three PWM solar charge controllers I can't get this $1400.00 battery to work properly in my travel trailer. The flaky BMS shuts down anywhere in the 14.0 to 14.3 volts range while charging via solar panels or using a simple NOCO Genius 10 battery charger. Tech Support is awful and have been of no assistance. My choices are to try a $400.00 MPPT controller and experiment with custom profiles or dump this unit and spend $1600.00 on two 100ah self-heating Renogys.

[@LoveYourRV]

I'm not sure if you have seen these but I published 3 update videos on this battery. You can find them here - www.loveyourrv.com/demos-review-ampere-time-12v-200ah-self-heating-lithium-battery/ Cheers, Ray

[@JB-vg7qr]

@@LoveYourRV Hi Ray! Yes, I have watched all 3 of your videos, and pretty much every video on the internet regarding these 200ah Self-Heating batteries. I wish that I had seen them before I dropped $1400.00 CAD on this brick. I was considering taking my business to Renogy but decided against that after hearing about how bad their Tech Support is, seeing that I'm in that same boat with the Amperetime or LiTime bunch. I'm seriously considering a Canbat 200ah Self-Heating unit now...

[@diycarguy6241]

Not sure how these companies get away with selling products in Canada that have no French language - since it's the law. Bricks and mortar have to play by the rules. E-comm seems to be the wild west!

[@LoveYourRV]

Probably, because most people don't complain about it.

[@keithhansen3963]

Seems the French aren't knocking it out of the park producing French Lithium batteries with French language on them, wonder way? I you can't read English, probably shouldn't buy them. Maybe Trudeau can help you? Good grief!!!!!!!!

[@jeffslater3708]

Thx for the battery cack. Maybe time to learn Chinese

[@vancelasalle3380]

Instead of calling them cheep, how about lo cost, sounds better...

[@LoveYourRV]

I guess that is the case but not trying to produce an advertisement for them, so don't really care if it sounds better. :)