In-Depth RV Lithium Install & Wiring Film - Mike Mas

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In-Depth RV Lithium Install & Wiring Film - Mike Mas

Hello RV Owners,

With all the excitement and activity regarding the integration of Lithium Batteries to RV’s, Linda and I decided document our own independent installation and share it with other RV owners who might be considering a lithium upgrade to their coach.

While there are many different levels of installations, our film shows a total conversion from flooded batteries, to a state of the art advanced lithium system. The film includes an overview of 12 & 110 volt wiring. It also covers our five different charging sources and most important, having the right RV appliances with a lithium coach. This film is applicable to type; B, B+, C, or A motorhomes.

A few of the key components are a pair of Lithionics Battery 400ah lithium packs (800AH) providing over 10 kilowatts of lithium power. The packs are regulated by a Lithionics advanced Bluetooth BMS module. The secondary component is Xantrex’s Freedom 3012, 3 kw inverter, with its 150 amp lithium protocol charger, SCP panel and Combox wireless system, connected to our MoFi 4500G 4G cell router, allowing monitoring and making changes to the system from any location.

The system also includes a Mastervolt’s Charge Mate Pro for charging from the stock Transit alternator, and Victon’s solar controller and 400 watts of roof panels. The film also includes installation of a Ring 4G alarm system with cameras and a lithium heating system.

Enjoy - Mike Mas

YouTube Video

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Hey guys - We had another great “Off The Grid” trip in our Lithium RV over the Holidays on a ride to Cincinnati, Ohio to to pick up our new BMW i3. The trip was five days and we never plugged one time or stopped at a campground. The battery system operated flawlessly to provide plenty of heat at night as well as run the entertainment devices. The beauty of lithium RV conversions such as mine is they offer the ability to spend a night where you want to stay, rather than in a campground miles from your destination. For this trip we ended up staying two nights right on BMW dealers lot, surrounded by millions of dollars of new BMW’s as they prepped our new I3.



While on the subject of lithium, new technology in lithium chemistry is transforming electric cars and RV's. Using the same battery space my older I3, the new BMW i3 has almost tripled its electric mileage.

Our older 2014 I3 had a range of around 60 miles on battery and 58 miles on gas for an average good weather total of 120 miles. Thanks to this new lithium technology, the original 18 kWh battery has been replaced with a 42.2 kWh. / 120ah pack. The i3 can now travel 180 miles on electric and 85 miles gas for a total of 265 miles.

Should you run low on battery, the I3 RX version includes a gas powered range extender using a de-tuned BMW 650 motorcycle gas engine. So if you're going on a long trip you can either fuel up with gas or stop at a number of Walmart's new network of super chargers which can charge the i3 battery to 80% in 20-30 min.



Since we’ve been back the temperatures have been getting down to 25-35 degrees at night. Thanks to special venting I incorporated to circulate air from the trunk to the coaches interior, the 350 watt lithium heater in the rear trunk keeps the entire coach at around 45 degrees, eliminating a need for winterizing. In the image below you can see the open area on the firewall where it vents to the coach.

Regards - Mike

Here's the link to the RV Lithium Upgrade video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyAAxNqKCOg&feature=youtu.be

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For those who are planning a lithium installation using Lithionics Deluxe BMS, you’ll be happy to know their BMS is comparable and talks to any RV-C protocol display system. I provided some information below regarding the handshake.

Enjoy - Mike

[steveh27]

I do not do facebook or any other social media.

[hoosiermark]

If you are interested in lithium battery technology and the issues with them, here are three groups you might want to check out on facebook. Roadtrek E-Treks & Ecotreks, Carado & Sunlight owners group, Hymer Aktiv owners and wannabees.
I own a class b with a lithium battery and found these groups to be very helpful. There is a lot of information on these forums about lithium batteries as well as solar battery charging.

[steveh27]

I removed the lifepo4 batteries from the rv & brought them inside. The trimetric meter said they had 72% SOC. Not sure how accurate that was. Inside their voltage is 13.4. I've hooked up a small led light to drain a bit of power.

I know the voltage stays flat even as the SOC drops. I want to store them for months and know that's best at 60% SOC or so. ANy thoughts on what that may be for mine?

[steveh27]

Nice heated compartment. My battery box has no room for a heater & is under my Class B so it gets cold. I noticed yesterday that it was not taking a charge probably due to the BMS shutting down the charging below 32. It got into the 20's. It does still allow a draw and the SOC is 72% so I think I'm OK.



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Hey guys - Just wanted to update the thread concerning my operation of the heating system. Last week my coach was exposed to temperatures of 14 degrees, yet the heater kept the battery and BMS temperature and compartment right at 41 degrees. Lithium battery manufactures recommend that lithium not be stored in extreme lower temperatures.

The heater is primarily designed for when the coach is parked to prevent the BMS from shutting down the 12 volt power system, allowing the battery to be charged in colder weather where otherwise it would not be possible.

This heater system serves a few other purposes since I store some of my drones and their lithium batteries in this same compartment. It’s important to keep the drones IMU and lithium batteries within proper temperatures as well.

The heaters secondary use is for traveling in cold weather where the battery that powers the RV and heater circuit is charged by the engine alternator.

Thanks Mike

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Steve,

You're right any constant draw will bring down almost any battery. Seems the one best option is my dis-connect at the entrance door. On my Newmar I I had to put a total disconnect right on the batteries since the Silverleaf continues to draw the battery down.

Mike

[steveh27]

Thanks Mike. The battery draw from propane detector, etc is about 0.2 amps or about 5 amps per day. So without being plugged in it can draw down the SOC in a month.

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steveh27 wrote:
I installed 200 ah of lithium lifepo4 batteries in my small battery box in my 1997 Xplorer 230XL (classB) in early July. Then I fractured my hip & have been diagnosed w stage 1 multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. I had a partial hip replacement & am still recovering, was in the hosptial & rehab 3+ weeks. My Trimetric showed the batteries were almost totally discharged. Plugged the van in to shore power & it has been recharging slowly. The PD charger people told me to charge it full I should manually push in the boost button for lithium batteries. I have not been able to climb into the rv let alone reach down neaar the floor where the charger boost button is.

The state of charge on the Trimetric shows 67% SOC with a little charging ongoing. So I think I'm OK with the batteries and it may be best to just leave it plugged in with the slow charging as the batt mfrs said it's best to store them near 50% SOC.

Any thoughts on this?

First I'm so sorry to hear your terrible chain of health events, if your storing the coach, its best not to store the battery with a full charge. In fact 65% is a perfect state to store the battery. Do not leave the charger on unattended. there is only around a 3% loss per month with lithium.

I sure wish you luck with your health.

Regards - Mike

[Gjac]

Nice video Mike, I have several questions. How much did this upgrade cost you? What would it cost if you did not do the work yourself? I noticed you upgraded most of your MH's wiring, but did not see an upgrade to thicker wires for the engines alternator, how many amps actually reach the batteries? You mentioned the batteries will run the AC for 6 hours, what would be the SOC after 6 hrs? How many years do you project the batteries to last before losing capacity?

[steveh27]

I installed 200 ah of lithium lifepo4 batteries in my small battery box in my 1997 Xplorer 230XL (classB) in early July. Then I fractured my hip & have been diagnosed w stage 1 multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. I had a partial hip replacement & am still recovering, was in the hosptial & rehab 3+ weeks. My Trimetric showed the batteries were almost totally discharged. Plugged the van in to shore power & it has been recharging slowly. The PD charger people told me to charge it full I should manually push in the boost button for lithium batteries. I have not been able to climb into the rv let alone reach down neaar the floor where the charger boost button is.

The state of charge on the Trimetric shows 67% SOC with a little charging ongoing. So I think I'm OK with the batteries and it may be best to just leave it plugged in with the slow charging as the batt mfrs said it's best to store them near 50% SOC.

Any thoughts on this?

[Two_Jayhawks]

Hi Mike,
I've enjoyed watching & learned something from all of your videos. Thanks for posting.

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Thanks for the reply's guys - It really will change the way you use your RV. Regretfully Lithium is not cheap, but if you're considering keeping your RV it makes a good investment.

ksg5000 I'm not sure what you mean by a commercial, I have no connection or received any payment from any of these companies. I'm an independent RV owner and only went through the massive amount of time to do the video to help other owners. Besides companies like Xantrex is a Icon in our industry and surely does not need my video to sell their products.

Regards- Mike