Search anywhere on the web and you will find thousands of articles about upgrading an RV with lithiom batteries. I only plan on a light summary of this upgrade as most of the time, it is better to get a professional to analyze and review options for upgrading. Also I haven’t taken the Lithium plunge yet, but likely will when the original AGMs die. So here it goes…
Pro/Cons of Lithium batteries in the Solis
Pro #
- All rated amp hours can be used without damaging battery. AGM typically only 60% of capacity should be used
- 3000-5000 charging cycles, 3 – 6 times the cycles of an AGM, these batteries will last
- Voltage doesn’t drop much with SOC, battery may maintian 13.4v until almost empty
- Replacing the AGM with Lithium can be a drop in replacment with a few caveats. Doubling the usable power.
Con #
- Initially expensive, but cheaper than replacing AGMs in the long run
- To get the most out of Lithium, the 120v converter should be replaced with a Lithium optimized version and the alternator may need protection if there are more than two batteries charging from it.
Many Solis owners want to add Lithium batteries so that an inverter (12v to 120v converter) can be added and have reasonable run times. While an inverter can be added with the AGM batteries, the inverter can drain the AGMs quickly depending on the load. This is an expensive upgrade as it requires upgrading many components in the system and a bit of rewiring.
If an inverter isn’t important to you, but longer boondocking sessions are important, dropping in a couple of Lithium batteries can make life quite a bit easier. The generator and shorepower won’t charge the lithium battery quickly or perfectly, but there will be a noticeable increase in overall runtime. Also the batteries will last longer and won’t be damaged if they aren’t treated well.
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