On 6/8/2013 8:17 PM, Lawrence Rhodes wrote:
I've checked out some Chinese battery suppliers and seems prices are around 100 dollars a cell. A 144v pack will be 45 or so cells. Should yield a 50 mile usable range on the Ford Aspire. What is the best supplier and battery for the money? Could a regular K&W work as the charger? Trying to do this on the cheap. What is the best bargain in BMS? I've been into lead so long I need advice on the best way to go on lithium. The 144v system draws 500 to 700 amps max. Lawrence Rhodes
It's really hard to get a "best buy" recommendation, because most people only buy one pack, one time, from one supplier. They don't do much testing, either; it's just put 'em in a drive!
Since you're talking Big Money for a lithium pack and all it's attracted complexity, maybe it would be good to dip your toe in the water first. Do you have a smaller EV you could convert first? A motorcycle or lawn tractor or something?
Another thought is to replace just a few of your lead-acids with lithiums. Maybe replace a 12v 100ah battery with 4 100ah lithiums? Charge them separately, with a small charger/BMS system. Add some instrumentation, so you can watch the current and voltage sag relative to the lead-acids, and see if they are better or not.
If your first candidate turns out not to be that good, try some different ones. You aren't out much money, and the old ones will still be a good 12v battery to use in something else.
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