New Rv Battery Trends!

[@Giesis]

You are right competition is great for us. LI batteries have come a long way and gone are the day where BB was the only name in town. Not sure why people are still paying $1000 for a BB battery. Great video. Love my UT1300s. Solid performance over the past 3 years

[@dalegodwin6420]

Thanks, that’s very helpful info. I have 400 watts of solar panels with an MPPT 100/30 victron solar controller and a 2000 W inverter. So the batteries was all I was planning on changing. Sounds like the two 100 Ah is the way to go. Thanks again for the reply and all the great info you provide a lot of us RVers!!

[@smiller6238]

We love our SOK 206 batteries. TYVM

[@twodogsandtheirfamily]

Just got an Epoch Battery 460Ah LiFePO4, It's a beast with a ton of features, in an extremely well packaged setup. Putting all the pieces together and hope to have it working before the end of the year. Ready to power our A/C in the spring.

[@AllAboutRVs]

Very nice!

[@ThreeDayRV]

I've seen that battery in another video, and that thing is definitely a beast!!

[@JJ-Journeys]

Great video Jared. Keeping up with the new technology coming out and the options are crazy. But it’s all good for the consumers. Keep the videos roll’in and safe travels to you and the family. Jim

[@AllAboutRVs]

Thanks!

[@charlesklaus6290]

Thanks for another very informative video Jared! Keep up the good work! Happy holidays to you and yours!

[@garryhammond3117]

Lots of good stuff coming Jared! - The future is so exciting! - Cheers!

[@SEANRMZ]

great option with a nice capacity, plug and play. I am about to leave from Montreal Canada, and I could mot live with out my heated 600ah bank. thanks for all the great value

[@ArthriticAngler]

Great video. Too bad SOK doesn’t have victron connectivity

[@grumpyshorts1056]

I use two 5.12kWh server rack batteries (12v) from Signature Solar here in Texas. That's like 800 amp hours and take up less space. They fit nicely in my front storage space on the Reflection 303rls. Along with all the Victron solar setup.

[@AllAboutRVs]

Nice setup. Server Rack is a low cost way to go. Just make sure they are mounted flat. I’ve heard of problems in a mobile install when they are mounted vertically.

[@grumpyshorts1056]

@@AllAboutRVs they are and I have small silicone pads they sit on for vibration.

[@kayperkayful]

I would love more information on what you have. My head is spinning trying to figure this all out.

[@riccochet704]

I went with the LiTime 100ah mini's. Compact, light weight and two of them fit in to the space of a single G31 sized AGM. So you can really get some good power density. Also put LiTime's in my boat for the trolling motor. Hard to beat the pricing on them. The mini's do not have low temp charging cut off, so if you camp in the cold that's something to be mindful of, though their trolling motor specific batteries do have low temp cutoff.

[@AllAboutRVs]

Yes LiTime is on the list for well built batteries at this time . Hopefully they stick with it, I know they have changed their name at least once, I sometimes wonder why.

[@riccochet704]

@@AllAboutRVs I believe their parent company is still AmpereTime, which has been around for over 20 years. Think they just rebranded the lithium's.

[@WattsMiner]

I built a 43kwh 51.2v battery myself. 3 280ah batteries in parallel, in one module. Was fun and saved me half! Now i have a 300amp out (3 jbd 100amp smart bms in parallel) 840ah 43kwh module for about 6 grand. Unbeatable

[@AllAboutRVs]

Yes building your own is a great way to go!

[@BlaiserAid]

FYI, the SOK 280 AH battery is now available for $882 -that's with the built-in internal heater and Bluetooth - wow!

[@hickboy3067]

What an amazing bargain 😂 😢

[@knowledge8039]

My bms never work right ,put in simple 10.5 volt disconnect for your main concern.

[@scatpack01]

Jared any advice for a simple solar setup for a semi? I have a 2000 watt renogy inverter. I wanna keep it isolated from the trucks batteries.

[@ThreeDayRV]

The battery industry indeed, is evolving quickly. I recently received/reviewed a battery and did a load test in our travel trailer... the battery is made by GoKWh. Incredible battery with a small footprint and small price tag. Things are definitely changing quickly on batteries . I've been reading a little bit about a battery made from silica, which also looks very promising . Great video !

[@richardkoch8752]

Jared I think the smaller 100 AH Li's trend could possibly geared to benefit the increasing popularity of tear drop and small trailers such as the Little Guy Max, Tab 400's. Smaller area to house the batteries.

[@garymmarich4265]

Thank you Jared, really informative, great job.

[@Tonysia-y]

With an inverter, will that battery of yours run my Davey mains pressure pump in my small cottage for an hour or two an emergency. Hope some wise soul can tell me. Thankyou for you video.

[@Robnord1]

Sorry Tony, calculations like this need more data than you provide and it's better anyway if you study and learn how to calculate rather than being spoon fed. Once you learn, it's not very hard, and KZbin is a great resource. If you're totally lost, ask an electrician and offer to pay for advice.

[@Tonysia-y]

@@Robnord1 I have level 2 autism and a mild brain injury so learning is long and tedious for me. Also we have no electricians in our local area. They all retired a while back. Their is a shop in the city. I will try there next time I go. Thankyou for responding to my letter.

[@BrokeGuyBBQ]

Are sok batteries comparable quality wise of companies like lion, battle born, expion, etc?

[@dalegodwin6420]

Jared, thanks for all the great videos. When replacing two 100Ah lead acid batteries with Lithium, is it generally best to replace with two 100Ah or one 200Ah? Is there an advantage either way? Thanks!

[@AllAboutRVs]

It depends on your setup. In designing a system I prefer fewer batteries but I also like to have more than 1 in case of a failure. So in your situation I would do the 2 at 100 amp hours. It can also depend on the output needed for an inverter but if you are just switching over to lithium with no inverter 2 will be great.

[@mccarthy7566]

Great update, thanks.

[@camdunlap8494]

Where can I get a 3 battery shelf like the one in your bay?

[@philip600rr]

Wonder if battleborn batteries are ever going to drop in price? I almost purchased another one when they had their cyber Monday deal. Thanks for the heads up.

[@stuckcamping]

Battleborn is heading for bankruptcy

[@holylick5522]

Do I have to buy all three batteries at the same time like I would AGM, or can add more later?

[@AllAboutRVs]

Most manufacturers recommend for lithium that it is within a few months to a couple years depending on how heavily they were used.

[@daves1646]

Wow - compact for 280Ah! One (rookie) question. Does the typical inverter rely on/use the shunt based SOC info to decide when to stop pulling from batteries so one doesn’t take them below a preset level? If the system has self-heating batteries and it’s below the trigger temp, the energy used to heat the batts won’t be registered by the shunt (used internal to battery) so shunt-based SOC might be optimistically high if self-heating runs. My DC-only system is simple and I just check SOC using my phone and the in-battery Bluetooth BMS #’s. THANKS!! I appreciate the ‘what’s new’ videos. There’s a lot of changes and it’s hard to see it all solo.

[@AllAboutRVs]

No the inverter system doesn’t look at the Bluetooth info from the batteries. Also the heating is powered by the charging source not from the battery bank so the batteries won’t deplete if it is heating. Good questions.

[@jimegan7077]

It depends. A set of components from different vendors probably will not use the shunt's state of charge. Instead, the inverter would simply go by the voltage, which isn't terrible. The batteries in my Victron system do not talk to anything but the app on my phone. However, the inverter is aware of the state of charge because I have a Victron shunt and Victron Cerbo GX which ties it all together. Victron uses cables to make most of the connections between devices.

[@SpykersB]

Oh man, I didn’t need to see this….I bought 3 lion batteries back in 2019 for $1100 each and they are 90 amp each. 100 amp hr wasn’t existing yet. That one battery you showed has more amp hr than my 3 😳. And I had to install one battery in cloths closet cause truck camper space is super tight!?….The lion batteries have been rock solid, no regrets awesome batteries, but i need to put a disconnect switch on em to the solar n have been dreading to do it because of the most awkwardness of the tight space to try to get everything back out n disconnected n then reconnected…..obviously one battery would solve this headache at another $1100 ugh! 😖. 🍻

[@tewster2]

The SOK battery looks good. Question...I have 4 Battle Born 100 ah batteries now...can I add an SOK 280 ah battery to the 4 BB's to give me 680 ah?

[@AllAboutRVs]

Not saying it wouldn’t work but both manufacturers recommend not doing that.

[@tewster2]

thank you for the info 👍@@AllAboutRVs

[@LetsTakeTheTrip]

Have you tested any of Todd’s Big Beard batteries?

[@AllAboutRVs]

Very soon.

[@seanb5368]

Would a 48v system be better than 12v for a mobile sharpening van?

[@AllAboutRVs]

For me unless I’m going over a 3000 watt inverter for a system I prefer 12v. It just makes everything a bit more simple. There could be other factors depending on a system that could sway me to 24v or 48v but that’s just my preference. I have a 12v, 24v and a 48volt system and prefer my 12v for the RV.

[@brianbelliveau5551]

To install 400to 600 watts of solar in my passport witch it’s a 30 service but not really looking to run a he hole trailer just want enough to dry camp for a few days at a time

[@gregoryhenriksen957]

What Batteries are you seeing with CANBus Communication?

[@bobmakow55]

I bought a 206 ah SOK battery from Current Connected with internal heating and Bluetooth. You said they don't sell them? Also I was told by Current Connected that I needed two or three batteries to use the Multiplus inverter, what say you.

[@markratliff7991]

I have read that the Victron MultiPlus Inverter charger highly recommends a minimum battery bank capacity of 400Ah. So the number of batteries depends on the sum of the individual battery Ah capacity. In my case I have 2-206Ah SOK batteries and I have had no issues

[@markratliff7991]

Great video update on the SOK 280 AH. I currently have 2 of the SOK 206 AH. I have the Victron Multiplus II 2X 120 Inverter charger, and all other Victron components (smartshunt, Cerbo, MPPT charge controller) I am looking at adding another 206 AH in parallel for a total of 618 AH. I was told the 206AH SOKs ship at approx 30 % SOC. My question is if I just add the 3rd battery in parallel with the existing 2 batteries will the Multiplus bring the charge up on the new battery and equalize all 3? Or do I need to charge the new battery completely before adding it in parallel? Love your videos!

[@terenceoloughlin3927]

To avoid battery balancing issues, I'd charge up the new battery to full before adding it to the current battery bank (assuming that your current bank is at full charge).

[@adamj4428]

Can you use a standard lithium battery charger to charge the SOK battery? If not what battery charger would you suggest? Thanks

[@AllAboutRVs]

Yes a lithium battery charger will work with these. I have my Victron inverter do the charging when plugged in and I have a couple Victron MPPT solar charge controllers also.

[@jimegan7077]

You may want to replace the existing converter (if that's what you're using now), especially if you're using a generator to charge the batteries. A new converter with a much higher amperage rating will charge faster and reduce the amount of time you need to run the generator.

[@piquat1]

Have you ever done a video on where/how to install a DC-DC charger in a motorhome? I don't want my new batteries to try to pull 100-200 amps from the alternator and it's charge regimen is not right for a lithium. I bought a LiTime 40A DC-DC charger with reverse charging so it should actually charge the starter battery when sitting. Would you put it between the B2B relay and the house batteries? Remove the B2B? I'm inclined to put it as the last thing in the charge chain right before the house batts and leave everything else in place. This is a 2021 class C. This seems much easier in a 5th wheel as you don't have the mixing of two separate charging systems, just the one wire coming back from trailer harness providing 12v.

[@jimegan7077]

If the charger you're looking at can indeed do reverse charging, then I would remove the B2B relay and put the charger in its place.

[@piquat1]

@@jimegan7077 Hmm, interesting. I'll look into that. Thanks. LiTime makes a 40A DC-DC charger with reverse charging and also a solar input, since I already have a panel. Already have it in hand, black Friday deal I couldn't pass up. Seems like decent kit, haven't hooked it up yet.

[@kickgas7171]

It's good to see that you are using a low frequency, transformer based inverter charger in your rig, instead of one of those cheap, short lived, low surge, high frequency , transformerless inverter chargers that everybody is trying to sell.

[@junkerzn7312]

One problem with fewer batteries... well, with one battery, is that you then have a single point of failure... the BMS in that one battery. And you are also putting more stress on that BMS because it often can't match its amperage capabilities with the amp-hours in the battery. Generally speaking you want at least two batteries in parallel, and three is even better. Mainly for redundancy against BMS and other failure conditions. Also a good idea because it greatly reduces unexpected BMS low and high voltage drop-outs due to the internal balance getting off. At 12V the batteries do have to be right next to each other for reasonable balance between them. But a lot of people are going straight to 16s (51.2V) LiFePO4 batteries these days and at that voltage the batteries do not have to be right next to each other. It's still desirable of course, but if the space does not permit that you can separate higher voltage batteries, still put them in parallel, and they will remain fairly close to each other in charging, discharging, and wear rate. At 51.2V, cabling becomes completely trivial, cable losses disappear, and efficiency improves across the board. -Matt

[@r2db]

If you can't put 12V batteries right next to each other, as an example with batteries A, B, and C, put the main positive connection on A and the main negative connection on C. If you use equal lengths of battery interconnects then each battery will have the same cable resistance to the distribution panel (for example, A will go direct to the panel on positive but have the resistance of A-B, B-C, and then the connection to the panel on negative but battery B will see the resistance of A-B on the positive side and B-C on the negative side).

[@junkerzn7312]

@@r2db Yes, this is the typical solution. But it doesn't work well in practice if the batteries have to be separated by a significant distance. You wind up with some very long, thick cable loops and unnecessary guaranteed losses under load, as well as having to use much thicker cabling because the entire loop is carrying all of the ganged current. In a lead-acid system it's a non-starter. Symmetry is quite important in lead-acid systems. In a LiFePO4 system, however, the worst that happens is that there is a slight SOC offset between the two banks as they run-up and run-down. At higher voltages (24V and 48V), the SOC offset gets smaller. At 48V it's usually less than 5%. And since LiFePO4 has a 3000+ cycle life, calendar aging will eat the battery long before cycle differences. So for compartments separated by a significant distance, with LiFePO4, and a 24V or 48V system voltage, you usually just eat it. You cable each compartment to a common bus and don't worry about matching cable lengths. That way the cables can be thinner (only dealing with the current for their respective compartments), lighter, and the cabling runs are more elegant. It also makes quick-disconnects (such as Anderson quick-disconnects) easier to, gives you more connection points for heavy loads (reduces other wiring significantly), and allows the battery weight to be distributed better on the trailer. -Matt

[@SuperSushidog]

Last January we built a 560ah LiFePo-4 battery with 8, 280ah "A" grade prismatic cells. We use a Heltec 350amp BMS, and a 5a active balancer to keep the cells synched up. We typically use less than 20% of their capacity daily giving us enough reserve capacity for about a week of bad weather and low solar production from our 620w array before we have to run our generator for charging. It cost us less than $1,500 to build this 560ah 12v battery, including the high amp BMS and balancer. We chose these cells rather than a pre-built battery because they fit perfectly under the steps of our MH where our old pair of GC-2 golf cart batteries used to reside, saving 35lbs too. Those new 280ah SOKs are pretty compact, but still just a hair too big for this this tight space. We insulated the battery compartment, cut a 1" hole in our step risers and installed a tiny computer CPU fan to keep this space at close to room temperature, so we don't have to worry about the BMS shutting down charging if they get too cold - or their life reduced from getting too hot.

[@jimegan7077]

The trend toward larger Ah off-the-shelf batteries has another benefit. When an owner steps up to these larger batteries and reduces the number of batteries, it's more likely that the batteries will end up being balanced. I've seen systems that have four 100 Ah batteries that are wired in parallel between the batteries. The batteries on the end have a higher state of charge than do the batteries in the middle. Over time, this can get worse. There are ways to wire the batteries that work around this, but most people aren't aware of the problem. So it goes undiagnosed. I'm not a fan of internally heated LiFePO4 batteries. When the sun comes up and the solar charge controller sends power to the system, it doesn't go towards charging the battery until AFTER the battery temperature is above the low temperature charge cutoff threshold. It could take one to two hours to heat the batteries, wasting valuable charging time. I prefer to keep my batteries at a temperature where they are ready to take a charge at any time. The range I use is 40°F to 50°F.

[@KrissieandKP3836]

Noticed that you have an additional battery charger from Renogy. I know you have the inverter charger from Victron. Why the additional Renogy charger?

[@AllAboutRVs]

The Renogy is a DC to DC charger for while we are driving to charge from the alternator.

[@charliepiland3285]

$1100 per battery…all kept in a compartment typically secured with a good ol’ CH751…yikes!!!

[@The05Phatboy]

I'm pretty sure Jared replaced those locks.

[@ssteele1812]

I honestly don't know anyone that has gone to the trouble of upgrading their entire battery system and still has the ch751 lock on the compartment.

[@Outworlder]

"This is the lockpicking lawyer and what I have for you today is this RV lock..."

[@stephencantbewrong8250]

Perfect!

[@MarioElzen]

Need your opinion on a solar system I am trying to see if it works or not and making sure I haven't wasted my money. This is what I have so far and trying to keep it a low budget. I bought an 800 watt solar system and this is what I have on order and ready to install on my 5th wheel. 1) Renogy 2000 watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter 12V DC to 10 volt AC. 2) Eco-Worthy 800 watt solar panels. 4Pcs Bifacial 195 W solar panels & 12 V 60A MPPT Charger Controller & Bluetooth Module 5.0 & 16' of solar cable. 3) SOK Battery 12v LifePO4 battery Bluetooth & built in heater SK12V206H. I presently have a 2019 Prime Time Crusader 5th wheel that I found out has a 1000 watt inverter some where in the front of my rig. I also have a 100ah lithium battery I bought sometime ago with a battery monitor added. Let me know your thoughts ASAP. Thanks

[@jam5158]

That's all fine and dandy for 5th wheels but travel trailers don't have the room and they don't make cases that big and then there is the COST of a SOK battery in general.

[@rjw8316]

These batteries are not UL nor CE approved. Before using you should check with your insurance company to confirm coverage in case of mishap.

[@robertl9065]

Yes they are. UL1973&IEC62619 for Battery cells. On their website

[@michaelcorey9890]

When many campers go to parks with shore power why would spending any more money than a basic 12v deep cycle be worth it?

[@anthonyb2334]

I agree with you if you are always on shore power. Most of our trips are month long. Sometimes boondock 4 days at a time. Sometimes visit and stay with family and park my motorhome in their driveway. Lithium and solar panels keep my 12 volt fridge running for weeks without plug in. That was a big deal us. But if you are always on shore power, no need for lithium

[@del5300]

I hit liked when you ignored the warning and opened it up 😅

[@lamasteve6905]

All in one solutions are way in front of of 100AH batteries !

[@ItsMeGiga]

Not the cheapest battery at 33c/watt but still very competitive

[@DennisWintjes2]

Thanks Jared! Like 404

[@Jjsaba2008]

It looks nice at all but for that price I can get a EcoFlow delta two max on sale right now

[@chriskibodeaux9818]

1200 for a battery just isn’t reasonable for 99.9% of the market!

[@modemlooper]

It’s because you need about 300ah minimum to really have power to live normally

[@Stepdaddy8969]

👍🏽

[@mikethomsen5096]

do you help people build systems and install them or help them install them. if so where are you lol ..

[@ThreeDayRV]

$1200 per battery though? Dang salty!!

[@daniellel256]

Try doing a per amp hour comparison based on how many amp hour you’re looking for. Just a suggestion

[@ThreeDayRV]

@@daniellel256 I doubt we will ever see it, but I would love to see a battery battle! Wind them all up and test them all side-by-side! It sure makes me wonder if it's worth spending 70% more on batteries

[@2hotscottpro]

No not worth 70%$ more.A little more for good quality yes.

[@ThreeDayRV]

I'm sure it is better. It still would be a great thing to test. @@2hotscottpro

[@timf6916]

HEHEHE Yes every year they are getting better LOL so what you got last year is OUT dated. HEHEHE Just like your Phone. But, that is good. Bluetooth is a good thing.

[@AllAboutRVs]

That is funny how good some of this tech is and how fast there is a new thing better.

[@hickboy3067]

😂 $882.99

[@DriverDean]

There is a super bad honest review of this particular battery on Amazon..beware

[@ericstoner8635]

Interesting because I don’t see the 280Ah version on Amazon, in fact because it’s a new model, I heard that for now, they’re only selling direct and not to dealers. So perhaps you were looking at the 206Ah model when you saw the bad review? He BMS is different and upgraded in the new 280Ah version apparently.

[@Hedgy327]

I would never rely on a single review. On the whole SOK get pretty good reviews ... which reflect my own experience of a 206ah SOK which has performed flawlessly for 2 years.

[@roteldorel]

dont wory abut batery 250.vati you have ecoflow kits pawer , naw you start to be ceap ?? ahh me waif i wel vizit you i wel transform you in me waif den i buy for you hanburger from kiapsy:) and anker batery station to charch you tle in honolulu me waif :))

[@ericgrafton5832]

Made in China.

[@1gumbah]

Junk junk junk ! Build your own

[@02whitefatboy]

My SOK sucks and yes I have emailed SOK with no email back from them