LiFePO4 Under Seat Advice

[DarthVander]

Hello all,

Complete beginner here. I recently started converting my 2012 T5.1 SWB Highline into a camper. I’ve started at the front so the van is ripped to bits all summer and we can use it as a day van. Realistically still have no idea how we will end up using the van or what our final layout will be.

For budgetary reasons I had originally intended on fitting a LA battery under the seat. So I bought a durite split charge kit from simply split charge. I’ve installed an EHU and consumer unit under the bonnet, and routed 1x16mm cable to under the driver seat, as well as 2x 2.5 3 core arctic cable - 6A for a charger and 10A for sockets.

I’ve been thinking that installing a LA battery short term is probably a false economy and I should probably buy the bullet and go lithium.

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced lithium battery that fits under the seat and the bits I will need to charge it, both whilst driving and when hooked up? At the moment I have no plans to add solar (if I ever do, they wouldn’t be fixed) or an inverter etc. I don’t think we intend to have a functioning kitchen in the van so realistically we’ll want to power a fridge, lights, chargers etc and maybe a diesel heater eventually.

The other option I have considered is installing the bluetti charger 1 and have my pick of any number of power stations available. Has anyone gone down this route? The biggest drawback I see is that I wouldn’t be able to put it under the seat, and I’m not really sure how the power stations would integrate into the (eventual) 12V fixed electrics.

Cheers!

 

[JumpShip]

I suppose the 2 big questions are how much power do you 'need' and how much money do you wanna spend ?

105ah lithium starts at about £200

Also will your split charge work OK with lithium ?

 

[DarthVander]

I suppose the 2 big questions are how much power do you 'need' and how much money do you wanna spend ?

105ah lithium starts at about £200

Also will your split charge work OK with lithium ?

In truth I have no idea how much power I will need as this is all new to me. Realistically we use a lot of our annual leave on trips to Florida etc so I don’t imagine the van will be used for much more than 2/3 nights at a time and if it will be, we can plan to be on EHU. 105AH seems the limit for under seat?

In terms of budget, I still have to buy EVERYTHING else for this van, with the exception of a pop-top, so I’d like to keep the cost down initially. I know the durite split charge is not compatible with lithium so I’ll have to buy another, which is okay.

I thought it would be fairly simple process but there’s so much more to it than I expected and honestly I don’t know what I NEED, vs what’s nice to have - BMS, Shunts, MPPT - frazzled.

 

[ginkster]

From what you say your usage is pretty low so you don’t need huge charging capability. If you are driving the van a couple of hours each day then charging from the engine (DC-DC or your split charger if compatible with lifepo4) will be sufficient. If not I’d recommend solar. I have a 105ah lifepo4 and during a 2 week trip around Scotland it was only charged by solar. My DC-DC was turned off and I’ve not bothered fitting the mains charger as I don’t need it and never plug in To EHU anyhow. The battery never dropped below 85% while powering the fridge 24/7, usb chargers, lights, diesel heater a couple of times etc. No inverter or 240v stuff.

A lifepo4 is definitely recommended as the way forward to give you the capacity, rapid charging and flexibility of positioning. Have a look at Fogstar for good value batteries from a UK supplier. If you are using the van in winter you may want to look at the Drift as it has a heater, if not the Eco would suffice. These batteries can go on their sides and fit under the seat. Here’s mine:



Edit - p.s. I’d also recommend fitting an Ablemail AMT12-2 to keep your starter battery alive. It’s easy to flatten it while camping when opening the doors etc repeatedly.

 

[DarthVander]

Fantastic reply. Thank you Ginkster