We think Epoch is the best choice for lithium RV batteries right now - they have more features, more capacity, a better warranty, and a much lower price than anyone else around. If you're interested in this one we installed in this video, it's the 12V 300Ah V2 Heated Bluetooth & Victron Comms LiFePO4. More information on this battery is available here: bit.ly/3DlJHXt To see everything Epoch has available for RVs from the standard 12V 100Ah up through some awesome 48V options, head to their website here: bit.ly/3rB6EmU
Ben is the man when it comes to upgrading or troubleshooting your RVs electrical system. I imagine these new batteries should weigh less which should help with gas mileage.
can someone please do a head to head comparison of all the new 460ah lifepo4 batteries that are coming out? redodo bird, roamer, litime, epoch, basen, VATRER, power drag queen, etc.. thanks in advance! @@Five2Go
Welcome to the epic lithium world, we have 4 x 300 ah Li Time batteries and have never wanted for power... we will be installing more solar panels, but on travel days our current 950 watts of solar & dc to dc chargers do a great job of charging the system.. your Fleetwood discovery is @ the same same as our Winnebago Forza 38w, residential fridges and other modern goodies are power pigs. Enjoy your upgrade... more time off grid!!!
Thanks for sharing the details of your project. Do the Epoch batteries have weatherproofing features to protect them from road dirt and splash in that semi-open compartment? The Renogy batteries I have are IP54 rated, but I've put them in a sealed enclosure anyway.
They do - they're sealed enough for that installation location. The only reason this model isn't IP-rated is because of those comm ports on top. We have them sealed up right now and if we get things plugged into them we'll come up with a weatherproof cover for those connections. They have 100Ah IP67 batteries and another much larger 460Ah sealed battery coming out in a couple months.
Is it possible to replace my AGM batteries and replace with lithium batteries. Don't have solar, but i do have a grenerator. For my class c rv. Thank you.
Hey new to your channel, and really like your video productions. How far down the B+ cable is some fuse protection? I know for us, we use fuses with very high AIC rating as Lithium's have such a low internal resistance, in the event of a failure, the amount of Joules could easily melt a fuse into itself. Thanks again!
Phase 1 was not really about getting the AC running, but to replace the flooded lead acid (FLA) batteries that were struggling to even think about running the inverter. Brian's rig has a power management system that as configured today will shed the air conditioning loads whenever running off the inverter, so we've got some configuration changes to make and we'll do that once the full set of batteries are installed.
As Ben said we're not quite there yet. This is just the first step in a process that's going to take a couple months. Motorhomes like this are a little tricky because of all the systems that are already in place. If you've got a travel trailer or fifth wheel it's much more straightforward.
I have one of these on pre-order and they are currently sold out. Can't wait to see how you like it. It's pricey but about the same price as the LiTime 300ah and definitely less than the other US based brands. It includes a 300A BMS, heating, high and low temp shutoff. Did Epoch give you any info on the canbus/Victron info to tie into your other components?
worlds better build quality than litime. you can find some teardowns online. Even has full UL 1973 listing on the entire battery, not just the cells. Only Lithionics and Kilovault have that
We just hooked up a Cerbo yesterday and it started communicating right away with no configuration time at all. They said it has true Victron communications in the BMS and they were right.
@@Five2Go What does it communicate to the cerbo? Cell voltages? Temp? I assume the Cerbo would still default to the shunts state of charge measurement right?
@@CJ30123 I can see everything the BMS is outputting: SOC, cell voltages, temperature, voltage, current, charging/discharging, etc. I was also able to set up alarms in the VRM app based on the data coming from it. It's a full and proper Victron integration.
The V2 has been fantastic honestly. We have it hooked up to a Victron Cerbo now so I can monitor the battery from anywhere and set alerts based on all the info it can pull. The bluetooth app is really only useful if you're within a few feet of the battery but the Victron comms give you full visibility into what's going on with it. We've had a lot of discussion on our Discord server about this battery vs the other high-capacity units available from other companies and it wins out pretty much in every way - size, weight, price, features. It's a great battery. If you order from them make sure to use our link so they know who sent you! www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-300ah-v2-heated-bluetooth-lifepo4-battery-epoch-essentials?rfsn=7514093.36838a7
We have one panel on the roof for tending the chassis battery but no plans to expand it. This rig has a huge onboard diesel generator. We'd love to be able to run at least one AC from battery power on long drive days and overnights but will use the generator when we need to recharge or run more appliances.
@@Five2GoI’m assuming you have or will upgrade your converter / charger? We still need to… have to run our generator for quite a while to fully charge our batteries
Compared to Battleborn, that's pretty cheap, but you can build a battery yourself from raw LiFePo-4 cells much cheaper. Of course, it won't have all the bells and whistles - just the most power for the least price. So it depends on what you're looking for. For example, 4 of these batteries wired in series to produce a 48v, 300ah (15.36Kwh) battery will cost you $4,796. I just ordered 16, 320ah LiFePo-4 cells from EEL batteries for $1726, shipped to my door. I will be using a Heltec 16s, 200A BMS (with thermal protection) for $98. Add another $69 in flexible busbars and you've got a basic 48v 320ah (16.38Kwh) battery for under $1,900 - less than 40% of the price of the Epoch and an even better value on a cost per Kwh basis. Of course, you have to know how to top balance the cells and assemble the battery. Then you must have the time to have the cells shipped in and to build it, so it's the opposite of a drop in solution like the Epoch is. But if you're a broke senior like me with lots of time on your hands but little money, it's an option worth considering, if you are willing to learn what you need to carefully build one yourself. A better solution for a 300ah, 48v drop in battery with all the bells and whistles is to use 3 of Epoch's 48v, 100ah server rack batteries in parallel for $1,399 ea. or $4,197 for all three saving about $600 vs 4, 300ah 12v Epoch's in series.
Easy Starts are great, but they're not magic. Once the AC is running it would chew through those lead-acid batteries in no time flat, if the compressor would even run properly with the output they were capable of. All 6 of those batteries together had less available power than this single battery we put in so best-case scenario the AC would maybe run for an hour before draining everything. Running AC from batteries takes a lot.
Lithium isn’t cheap, that is true. However, the mainstream “default” Battleborn 100Ah lithium battery that most RVers get is about $1,000. This battery, Epoch’s 300Ah V2, is $1,199 for three times the capacity and more features.
LiFePo4 batteries are certainly more expensive than flooded lead acid, but you get so much more. Just think about it… we replaced 6 FLA batteries with ONE of these and have effectively the same energy storage. And the old ones didn’t do well taking on a minor load from the inverter when the power went out the other day… the voltage sagged immediately to 11.9 and everything started freaking out. As if that wasn’t enough, now add on the extra features: self-heating, integrated monitoring with Bluetooth, integrated Victron communications and the ability to use an external balancing system. BB’s closest competitor is over 200% more expensive than the Epoch, has a shorter warranty, doesn’t have any of those extra features and has less energy storage capacity (270 vs 300)! In the land of lithium, these guys are absolutely doing it right!
We think Epoch is the best choice for lithium RV batteries right now - they have more features, more capacity, a better warranty, and a much lower price than anyone else around. If you're interested in this one we installed in this video, it's the 12V 300Ah V2 Heated Bluetooth & Victron Comms LiFePO4. More information on this battery is available here: bit.ly/3DlJHXt
To see everything Epoch has available for RVs from the standard 12V 100Ah up through some awesome 48V options, head to their website here: bit.ly/3rB6EmU
Beautiful camp ground you are staying at.
It's the Orlando Thousand Trails - one of our favorites!
Ben is the man when it comes to upgrading or troubleshooting your RVs electrical system. I imagine these new batteries should weigh less which should help with gas mileage.
Ben is fantastic for sure!
Thanks!
can someone please do a head to head comparison of all the new 460ah lifepo4 batteries that are coming out? redodo bird, roamer, litime, epoch, basen, VATRER, power drag queen, etc.. thanks in advance! @@Five2Go
Nice video, we just replaced our 4 6v AGM batteries, should have bought lithium.
Welcome to the epic lithium world, we have 4 x 300 ah Li Time batteries and have never wanted for power... we will be installing more solar panels, but on travel days our current 950 watts of solar & dc to dc chargers do a great job of charging the system.. your Fleetwood discovery is @ the same same as our Winnebago Forza 38w, residential fridges and other modern goodies are power pigs. Enjoy your upgrade... more time off grid!!!
Just ordered 2 of the V2. James at Epoch was outstanding and responsive. Are you guys doing a follow up video? How has it been?
Thanks for sharing the details of your project. Do the Epoch batteries have weatherproofing features to protect them from road dirt and splash in that semi-open compartment? The Renogy batteries I have are IP54 rated, but I've put them in a sealed enclosure anyway.
They do - they're sealed enough for that installation location. The only reason this model isn't IP-rated is because of those comm ports on top. We have them sealed up right now and if we get things plugged into them we'll come up with a weatherproof cover for those connections. They have 100Ah IP67 batteries and another much larger 460Ah sealed battery coming out in a couple months.
If I have victron components for my 440i solar system from Keystone, could I just hook up up this battery and be good to go?
Watching… Are you using the existing inverter?
For now, yes, a Magnum 2812. We're having a little bit of trouble with it so a new controller with an LFP profile is on the way.
@@Five2Go Following, very interested…. Please let us know your solution
Is it possible to replace my AGM batteries and replace with lithium batteries. Don't have solar, but i do have a grenerator. For my class c rv. Thank you.
@Five2Go Have you ever received a manual for these batteries? There doesn't seem to be one in existence.
Hey new to your channel, and really like your video productions. How far down the B+ cable is some fuse protection? I know for us, we use fuses with very high AIC rating as Lithium's have such a low internal resistance, in the event of a failure, the amount of Joules could easily melt a fuse into itself. Thanks again!
So how long can you run the AC in this current set up. ? 2 hours ?
Phase 1 was not really about getting the AC running, but to replace the flooded lead acid (FLA) batteries that were struggling to even think about running the inverter. Brian's rig has a power management system that as configured today will shed the air conditioning loads whenever running off the inverter, so we've got some configuration changes to make and we'll do that once the full set of batteries are installed.
@@triphius thanks for the info. Watching closely as we plan to implement this in a new rig.
As Ben said we're not quite there yet. This is just the first step in a process that's going to take a couple months. Motorhomes like this are a little tricky because of all the systems that are already in place. If you've got a travel trailer or fifth wheel it's much more straightforward.
Does the battery have internal heating?
This model has built-in heating, Bluetooth with an app, and Victron communications.
It also has a dedicated port for an external active balancer.
I have one of these on pre-order and they are currently sold out. Can't wait to see how you like it. It's pricey but about the same price as the LiTime 300ah and definitely less than the other US based brands. It includes a 300A BMS, heating, high and low temp shutoff.
Did Epoch give you any info on the canbus/Victron info to tie into your other components?
worlds better build quality than litime. you can find some teardowns online. Even has full UL 1973 listing on the entire battery, not just the cells. Only Lithionics and Kilovault have that
We just hooked up a Cerbo yesterday and it started communicating right away with no configuration time at all. They said it has true Victron communications in the BMS and they were right.
@@Five2Go What does it communicate to the cerbo? Cell voltages? Temp? I assume the Cerbo would still default to the shunts state of charge measurement right?
@@CJ30123 I can see everything the BMS is outputting: SOC, cell voltages, temperature, voltage, current, charging/discharging, etc. I was also able to set up alarms in the VRM app based on the data coming from it. It's a full and proper Victron integration.
@@Five2Go Awesome. Can’t wait to get my hands on one!
Do you have a link for Epoch batteries?
Sure do! This is the unit we installed:
Epoch Batteries 12V 300Ah V2 Heated Bluetooth & Victron Comms LiFePO4: bit.ly/3DlJHXt
I am leaning towards buying 2 of these 12V Epoch 300Ah batteries for my van conversion. Are they still working well?
The V2 has been fantastic honestly. We have it hooked up to a Victron Cerbo now so I can monitor the battery from anywhere and set alerts based on all the info it can pull. The bluetooth app is really only useful if you're within a few feet of the battery but the Victron comms give you full visibility into what's going on with it. We've had a lot of discussion on our Discord server about this battery vs the other high-capacity units available from other companies and it wins out pretty much in every way - size, weight, price, features. It's a great battery.
If you order from them make sure to use our link so they know who sent you!
www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-300ah-v2-heated-bluetooth-lifepo4-battery-epoch-essentials?rfsn=7514093.36838a7
Are u going Solar too?
We have one panel on the roof for tending the chassis battery but no plans to expand it. This rig has a huge onboard diesel generator. We'd love to be able to run at least one AC from battery power on long drive days and overnights but will use the generator when we need to recharge or run more appliances.
@@Five2GoI’m assuming you have or will upgrade your converter / charger? We still need to… have to run our generator for quite a while to fully charge our batteries
Compared to Battleborn, that's pretty cheap, but you can build a battery yourself from raw LiFePo-4 cells much cheaper. Of course, it won't have all the bells and whistles - just the most power for the least price. So it depends on what you're looking for. For example, 4 of these batteries wired in series to produce a 48v, 300ah (15.36Kwh) battery will cost you $4,796. I just ordered 16, 320ah LiFePo-4 cells from EEL batteries for $1726, shipped to my door. I will be using a Heltec 16s, 200A BMS (with thermal protection) for $98. Add another $69 in flexible busbars and you've got a basic 48v 320ah (16.38Kwh) battery for under $1,900 - less than 40% of the price of the Epoch and an even better value on a cost per Kwh basis. Of course, you have to know how to top balance the cells and assemble the battery. Then you must have the time to have the cells shipped in and to build it, so it's the opposite of a drop in solution like the Epoch is. But if you're a broke senior like me with lots of time on your hands but little money, it's an option worth considering, if you are willing to learn what you need to carefully build one yourself. A better solution for a 300ah, 48v drop in battery with all the bells and whistles is to use 3 of Epoch's 48v, 100ah server rack batteries in parallel for $1,399 ea. or $4,197 for all three saving about $600 vs 4, 300ah 12v Epoch's in series.
Awesome
Can you show the victron comms? I would like to see it intergrate with a victron inverter and a cerbo…
Hop on our Discord server and we'd be happy to show you how everything looks! five2go.com/discord
Hi, you need a slow start ( easy start) for your AC then you old battery's would of done what you said you wanted
Easy Starts are great, but they're not magic. Once the AC is running it would chew through those lead-acid batteries in no time flat, if the compressor would even run properly with the output they were capable of. All 6 of those batteries together had less available power than this single battery we put in so best-case scenario the AC would maybe run for an hour before draining everything. Running AC from batteries takes a lot.
Lot of work because of the Rain
The price of that battery is astonishing expensive!!!!
Most people cant afford that type of craziness 😮😅
Lithium isn’t cheap, that is true. However, the mainstream “default” Battleborn 100Ah lithium battery that most RVers get is about $1,000. This battery, Epoch’s 300Ah V2, is $1,199 for three times the capacity and more features.
@@Five2Gothat's not a bad price at all for a 300ah. Bryan and I paid $1500 I think for the 4 generic 100ah batteries we got on Amazon...
LiFePo4 batteries are certainly more expensive than flooded lead acid, but you get so much more.
Just think about it… we replaced 6 FLA batteries with ONE of these and have effectively the same energy storage.
And the old ones didn’t do well taking on a minor load from the inverter when the power went out the other day… the voltage sagged immediately to 11.9 and everything started freaking out.
As if that wasn’t enough, now add on the extra features: self-heating, integrated monitoring with Bluetooth, integrated Victron communications and the ability to use an external balancing system.
BB’s closest competitor is over 200% more expensive than the Epoch, has a shorter warranty, doesn’t have any of those extra features and has less energy storage capacity (270 vs 300)!
In the land of lithium, these guys are absolutely doing it right!