Thor Forums

[Chance]

Originally Posted by flrockytop

Do these batteries last forever? I've been using my gen set and batteries for 10 years now. That works out to only a few dollars per year. Seems like sooner or later you got to use some good ol reliable fossil fuel to keep the lights on.

No, forever is too long a time.

My guess is that they won’t last anywhere close to their projected cycle life. I’m skeptical of most marketing claims.

However, if batteries are only discharged deeply a dozen times a year, they might last longer than the RV. A life of 500 to 1,000 cycles down to 20% (state of charge) would be enough for my needs if used to power air conditioner overnight. I don’t expect to boondock 500 to 1,000 nights. I expect boondocking 10 times a year requiring A/C, so number of cycles should never be an issue for me. I’d bet lots of RVers would use batteries in a similar manner.

No doubt a generator is cheaper than lithium batteries if having to power A/C for hours at a time. But many campers or travelers don’t use the generator that often or for that long because they go from campground to campground.

In my opinion buyers who will pay the lithium premium won’t do it thinking of saving fossil fuels. I think it’s more about the convenience, and lack of noise and exhaust fumes. I’m very interested in this technology, but not to save gas/fuel. I’m burning less than 1.3 gallons of gas a night, so not that costly or important. Getting rid of generator would be “priceless” (not literally).