Lithium Ion batteries

[Daniel V.]

Could Lithium Ion batteries become an interesting alternative to our regular deep cycle batteries?

A Better Battery? The Lithium Ion Cell Gets Supercharged
A new technique could pave the way for improving the workhorse lithium ion battery used in automobiles, cell phones and other devices so that it can recharge in seconds. Link to article

[Gina D.]

Possibly..

I have a few ideas rolling around in my pea brain about HOW we distribute battery power in our rigs, such as using several smaller ones with alternative and sustainable and easier recharge techniques instead of feeding the whole rig off one big one with a single recharge source.

Placing properly sized (Or downsized, I should say) on the systems that do not require so much, and leaving the big boy to serve only those applications that require the current capabilities of the larger guyz.

Stay tuned.. I have the prototype in my head.

[peterh]

Could Lithium Ion batteries become an interesting alternative to our regular deep cycle batteries?

A Better Battery? The Lithium Ion Cell Gets Supercharged
A new technique could pave the way for improving the workhorse lithium ion battery used in automobiles, cell phones and other devices so that it can recharge in seconds. Link to article

I don't think so. First, fast charge and discharge rates are not really important for our trailers. We tend to leave our trailers plugged in for many hours -- ample time to charge any battery -- and discharge the battery over many hours as well.

Lithium is also expensive. The lithium battery packs for cars like the Chevy Volt and the Tesla cost tens of thousands of dollars because Lithium ores (which are actually a salt) are both rare annd difficult to refine. The largest deposits are found in the mountainous regions of Tibet and China, and they are already having trouble keeping up with demand for lithium ore, let alone when and if we start making lithium-powered electric cars.

Lastly, lithium is so very useful for storing electricity because in it's pure forms and in the lithium compounds used to make batteries it is also extremely unstable. Lithium batteries, when damaged, tend to catch fire or even explode. Remember all laptop battery fires from a few years ago and the resulting talk of perhaps banning laptops from airplanes? Those were lithium batteries that caused all the trouble.

Taken together I just can't see using lithium ion batteries in our trailers, particularly when lead-acid batteries are cheap, proven, and safe.

[Ed Harris]

Possibly..

I have a few ideas rolling around in my pea brain about HOW we distribute battery power in our rigs, such as using several smaller ones with alternative and sustainable and easier recharge techniques instead of feeding the whole rig off one big one with a single recharge source.

Placing properly sized (Or downsized, I should say) on the systems that do not require so much, and leaving the big boy to serve only those applications that require the current capabilities of the larger guyz.

Stay tuned.. I have the prototype in my head.

This is exactly what I am doing now too.
I have been using a few 18ah gel cells to run the computer,Ham radio and A/V stuff to keep them isolated from the house batteries. These are the same batteries found in the large car battery jumper rigs and I get them at Alarm supply houses pretty cheap.They are easy to charge and small but have great output for this use.

I have also been using the little Sylvania LED lights from WalMart instead of the incandescent factory 12v lights.
There are now a decent variety of these available and they last an amazingly long time. I have found the motion sensing "Gold Dragon" seems odd at best and I find it on all the time when I did not plan for it.

I do think Li-Ion technology is going to be huge in the future for many reasons.
Imagine the time it took getting the conventional battery chemistry we now take for granted ready for daily use.
This tradional battery tech is also plenty dangerous if not handled properly but is cheap and predictable too.

They are finding new ways to make new batteries in special shapes also which could increase the density and output in a tiny rig like ours.
Like any newer tech this will come at the price of time and money for a while.