Lithium batteries are the best option for campers, RVs, and solar systems in general. Lithium batteries are more affordable, have a higher usable capacity, and are more robust which makes them better for beginners.
Lithium Batteries Have a Longer Lifespan and Higher Capacity
Lithium batteries are far more affordable when you ignore the upfront cost, and take into consideration their lifespan and usable capacity. And if you purchase budget lithium batteries, even the upfront cost is cheaper these days.
Lifespan of a Lithium battery vs Lead-acid batteries
Modern lithium batteries have a lifespan that’s on average 4 or 5 times longer than lead-acid batteries. And that’s even if you don’t treat them very nicely.
If you do take care of them, it’s easy for them to last 20+ years. That means you can buy a lithium battery bank that lasts you 20 years, or you can buy lead-acid multiple times.
Capacity of Lithium vs Lead-acid batteries
Many people mistakingly think that a 100Ah lead-acid battery has the same capacity as a 100Ah lithium battery, but this is only the amount of energy the battery can store. The amount of usable energy that you can safely draw out is another story.
Lithium batteries have double the usable capacity compared to lead-acid batteries. Which means if you need 100Ah of storage, you can buy either 100Ah of lithium, or 200Ah of lead-acid.
Lead-acid batteries can not be discharged below 50% which means, in reality, half of your battery is just dead weight.
Lead is a much denser metal than lithium, and when it comes to batteries, lead-acid batteries are on average 4.3 times heavier.
That’s an issue because you’re building a small mobile solar system like in a camper or RV, you never have any extra space to throw away. It just doesn’t make sense to carry around dead weight.
Learn more about Lithium Batteries
Now there are a few more reasons why Lithium is superior to Lead-Acid, and there are actually a few scenarios where you should use lead-acid batteries and NOT lithium.
To keep this article short I’ve made this free PDF download that goes into more detail, and included are my recommendations for reliable batteries. Inside you’ll find options for Budget and High-end Batteries, as well as Lead-Acid
Download your Free PDF and learn:
- Why Lithium Batteries are more Beginner-Friendly
- When NOT to use Lithium Batteries
- Which Batteries I recommend for Your Solar System
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