The 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) battery boasts excellent advantages in RV life conditions: Its weight is as light as just 11kg (equivalent capacity lead acid battery up to 30kg), volume is reduced by 42% (average size 330×173×215mm), and the unused 19kg load and 0.12m³ space can be installed with solar panels or water storage tanks. 3000-5000 cycle life (500 for lead-acid battery), calculated at 80% depth of discharge (DoD) daily, 8-10 years of sustained use (1.5-2 years to replace the lead-acid battery), the cost of the total life cycle is reduced by 62% (lead-acid battery total cost of 4380vsLiFePO4 600 for 10 years).
In terms of charge and discharge performance, the LiFePO4 supports 1C fast charge (100A current), 95% full in 2 hours (8 hours for lead acid and only 80% efficiency), and up to 98% charge and discharge efficiency (80% for lead acid batteries). The American RV Association test in 2023 proves that using the MPPT solar controller, the daytime energy storage capacity of the LiFePO4 system is doubled to 1.8kWh (the lead acid system is at 1.2kWh), and night air conditioning life (1500W) is doubled to 6 hours (the lead acid has only 2.5 hours). More tolerant to high and low temperatures: Capacity retention at -20°C is 82% (capacity reduces 60% at 0°C for lead acid batteries), and thermal runaway temperature is 270°C (180°C for lead acid batteries emits combustible gas).
From the perspective of safety design, lifepo4 battery holds UL 1973 certification. There is no open fire or explosion during the puncture test (there is a 12% risk rate of sulfuric acid leakage of lead acid battery), and BMS manages the difference real time (±0.05V accuracy) to avoid overdischarge of monomer. For example, a user of an EcoFlow DELTA Pro motorhome continuously uses an electric blanket (200W) for 8 hours with battery voltage spikes only ±0.3V (lead-acid batteries ±1.2V cause power outages quite frequently) at an altitude of 4000 meters in -15°C weather.
Environmental protection and economic advantages: LiFePO4 is lead-free, cadmium-free, and other heavy metals-free, the recycling rate is 98% (80% for lead-acid battery and treatment costs $50/piece), meets EU REACH regulation. Market data state that in 2023 the market share of customers of RV shifting to LiFePO4 increased to 67% (mere 28% in 2018) mostly due to being maintenance-free (lead-acid batteries need recharging once every month with a typical use cycle of 15 hours/year) and expandable module – four sets of 12V 100Ah battery packs that are in parallel connection can scale to 48V 400Ah. Efficiency of the inverter was increased to 96% (92% per unit).
Cost-saving situation: One pack of 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 is used by US users to run the fridge (50W), lights (20W) and water pump (100W), with a daily power consumption of 1.7kWh, using 400W solar panels to achieve off-grid autonomy of 91% (only 65% for lead-acid units). In 10 years, LiFePO4 have a cost of 600 (BMS included) compared to 4380 lead-acid batteries (7 replacements + maintenance), with an ROI of 630%.