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Real Progress in Batteries?

Hey, I'm excited about what I read this morning about lead-carbon batteries. I've never heard of them before. So far, an RVer has only had two choices: good ol' flooded lead-acid batteries, and expensive AGM batteries.

But it's really nice to read about a third choice. This is an investment article  -- we're not talking about a science lab show-and-tell project here. Do you know of anybody who uses the new lead-carbon batteries in their RV?

Comments

Pat said…
If that's the same as Lithium Ion Batteries you can check out Technomadia at

http://www.technomadia.com/category/life-on-the-road/technology/lithium-ion/
Pat, the lead-carbon batteries in the linked article have nothing to do with lithium ion batteries.
Tesaje said…
Interesting link. Thanks for the info. A couple of thoughts:
They said the energy density is lower for lead carbon than lead acid so does this mean they will have a physical form larger and heavier than current lead acid batteries? One of the appealing aspects of LiFePO4 batteries is the low weight/size for energy capacity. For RVs, these are important considerations in addition to the lifespan of the batteries.

Economic prognosticators are notoriously wrong so this may be just as bad a future market prediction as the Li-ion was. Also, that Li-ion production is moving to China is just following the general trend of all US manufacturering going to China. A bigger problem than this one industry and not necessarily the death knell for the industry.
Ed said…
"However, lead-carbon batteries more than compensate for a modest loss of energy storage capacity with cycle lives that are five to ten times longer and charge acceptance rates that are ten to twenty times better than conventional and enhanced flooded and AGM batteries. These are the "fast charging lead-acid batteries" that Pike described as the future of the market."

The article raises as many questions in my mind as it answers but it seems the 'fast charging' benefit would be lost when used in a solar application unless the solar output was increased substantially.I would guess that a charge controller would also need to be developed that would work with solar and this lead-carbon battery. A M Solar gave up on their experiment with li-ion because of that issue.
yes, solar charging would not really take advantage of faster charging rates. But a Honda generator would sure like it!