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PSA - steel cased slimline Lifepo4

1K views 16 replies 5 participants last post by  pounce 
#1 ·
I've been working with batteries a while and recently spotted a new form factor offering that I like. I think it offers some interesting uses for vans.

There are two things that come to mind. This under or next to a fridge would be space saving. I feel like incorporating this in a slider base for a fridge wod be great. The second is under a floor panel/sliding pull out or in/under/between cabinets.

Lots of people have DIY'd this form factor, but I like the case, display and especially the Anderson connectors.

I don't own one and have zero relationship with this company and can't vouch for the performance, but I may buy one. There are some new fridges on the market I want to try out so making an under mount battery sound like fun.

ATEM POWER 12V 100Ah Slimline Lithium Battery LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Solar Charger Deep Cycle Battery with Built-in BMS Perfect for RV, Marine, Outdoor Camping, House Battery https://a.co/d/1MLjPuW
 
#3 ·
Thanks for sharing @pounce. Ha -- I thought they looked cool too! Looks like no low temp charging protection, although in a van I'm not sure how necessary that is. It does look like it would work nicely under a fridge. I can't imagine exposed terminals on this form factor so the Anderson's make sense. I can envision a "distributed" battery around the van, although the cabling would be a nightmare.
 
#4 ·
I think you could do a platform and put these under a floor if you wanted 4 or 6 of them. I like the idea of incorporating them in a gear slide. 4 in the slide or under the slide.

Good sales this weekend so I scored some cheap fridges and a fridge slide for testing. I don't really ever buy the commodity stuff, but 200 bucks for a 36qt fridge/freezer seemed reasonable for a project. I was almost ready to get the new ICECO but I don't like the black case.
 
#5 ·
I'm 200 Ah away from going full induction for cooking. I could sneak one of these in the body cavity like the fellow that fabbed the "power wall" for the driver's side B-C-pillar lower panel.

Incidentally, during my month-long trip to Vancouver Island, I used induction for 10 to 20 minutes a day on my 200 Ah system. I never had to deploy the solar panels or use shore power, as the 50A Renogy DC-DC provided plenty of charging from my drives. More battery would let me use induction for all my cooking.
 
#10 ·
I'll chime in again. Fan of induction. I'm converting my rentals to all electric over time and all cooktops are induction. Safer. More efficient. Less heat to remove with AC here in the South. I've used a portable model for maybe 20 years.

When my car/van is plug in and I have ample capacity I'll switch to induction for camping. For now butane is just so cheap and I like my catering burners. A pack of cans at Sam's is under 10 bucks. I don't cook in or near the van. I like to move my stove to a table or elsewhere. I'll make coffee at a rest stop.

I can't justify augmenting my watt storage to run induction for cooking. The only think I'm considering for more batteries is a heatpump. Ecoflow is getting there with the wave 2,but the form factor is still whacky. There is a reason they don't show the hoses in any of the photos...
 
#12 ·
I'll chime in again. Fan of induction. I'm converting my rentals to all electric over time and all cooktops are induction. Safer. More efficient. Less heat to remove with AC here in the South. I've used a portable model for maybe 20 years.

When my car/van is plug in and I have ample capacity I'll switch to induction for camping. For now butane is just so cheap and I like my catering burners. A pack of cans at Sam's is under 10 bucks. I don't cook in or near the van. I like to move my stove to a table or elsewhere. I'll make coffee at a rest stop.

I can't justify augmenting my watt storage to run induction for cooking. The only think I'm considering for more batteries is a heatpump. Ecoflow is getting there with the wave 2,but the form factor is still whacky. There is a reason they don't show the hoses in any of the photos...
Funny -- the one thing I LOVE making in the van is my morning induction coffee, even at the I-5 rest stops I inhabited in Oregon and Washington in April. I have the Amazon standard Duxtop 1800 watt. I'm guessing the "break" towards induction will come when we start having 24 or 48 volt systems?
 
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#11 ·
Cars are an odd case for me. I have Rudolf of course, I love it, and I miss it being my DD very much. I considered importing a T1N but my wife can’t drive stick, autos were unicorns when new and forget about now, and even with the big 121bhp engine they’d be slow as heck.

But cars are about the only thing besides computers I buy less than 20 years old. My toaster is from the 1920s.
 
#13 ·
Personally, I'm waiting for a plug in van that can run ac appliances like a cook top and run hvac while stopped and charging with a camp mode. I think a 48v system works better for serious inverter output.

For heating water for 1 person for coffee I'd imagine the wide plethora of 300w 2 cup kettles on Amazon is a decent option for electric coffee. You can use a smaller inverter and it's 12v friendly. I've used a Jettle and was pretty pleased. If I could bring my Saeco Xelsis on the road everything would be perfect. That's where I'd need the Sprinter for the space. Even though the range is poor I'm going to check out the eSprinter when they start showing up.
 
#14 ·
There's an instant gratification component too. I get boiling water in less than 5 minutes or less for about 5 to 7 Ah. I had a 1000 watt hot plate and electric kettle before I installed the 2000W inverter. I felt like I was using a Hasbro Easy-Bake. On the Saeco, I'm afraid if I started enjoying cappuccino regularly in the van I'd never go home!
 
#15 ·
Totally get that. I have spotted some induction units that top out at 500w and can be adjusted up from 100w. Obviously you can't change physics, but there does appear to be lower consumption induction out there for those that can wait a few minutes. 60 bucks for the cooker and maybe another 80 for an inverter.
 
#16 ·
I had a moment at a computer to locate the small induction burner on Amazon. I can't vouch for it.


 
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