SLA batteries: Extra system type elements and lithium-based successors

The upgraded SLA (sealed lead acid) battery-based UPS (uninterruptable energy provide) now residing in my furnace room has performed an important job to date feeding backup energy to my two NASs and my key broadband and LAN gear. However what about different, beefier units in my residence that I additionally may need to preserve operating if premises energy goes down particularly for a prolonged timespan, similar to my chest freezer out within the storage? And what about toting a beefy energy supply together with me on street journeys in my camper van, to be used in conditions the place I determine to spend substantial time someplace distant from standard sources of electrical energy?

A few months in the past, I discovered my reply, not less than for now: the Phase2 Power PowerSource 660Wh 1800-Watt Energy Station, which I picked up on sale for $149.99 plus tax at Meh:

The sold-new mannequin quantity is P2E660PSS, and listed here are some specs courtesy of Meh’s discussion board:

• Supplies 1800 watts of peak output energy (1440 watts steady) to run most family home equipment
• Options an instant-on UPS for uninterrupted energy
• Permits daisy-chaining of limitless further batteries for prolonged system run instances
• Features a built-in photo voltaic controller with Anderson connector for connecting photo voltaic panels
• Outfitted with an LCD energy show for fast energy and output standing
• Designed with built-in handles for simple transport
• 660 Wh battery capability (12V, 55Ah)
• Outputs: 4 AC, twin USB, one 12V DC (“cigarette lighter adapter”)
• Dimensions: 19.9″L x 12.8″W x 8.9″H
• Energy supply: ‎Photo voltaic powered, Battery Powered

Seems it’s a clone of the Duracell PowerSource 660 1800 Peak Watt Gasless Generator and Moveable Energy Station, mannequin DR660PSS, which (consider it or not) initially bought for $699.99:

(The “gasless” terminology you generally see related to these items doesn’t reference an absence of fuel emissions; as a substitute, it refers to the truth that in contrast to legacy AC mills, these aren’t powered by pure fuel, propane, diesel and and/or customary gasoline gas sources.)

So why the substantial {discount} to $149.99? For one factor, Phase2 Power seemingly not exists, contemplating the corporate’s DOA web site. Duracell doesn’t promote its model of the product any extra, both. If I needed to guess, primarily based on my analysis, I’d wager that each are personal label retail variations of a design generally sourced initially from Battery-Biz, however I digress…

Among the motive for the value discount might come from bulk coupled with the price of substitute batteries. One key spec lacking from the above bullet checklist is the P2E660PSS’s weight: 58.33 lbs. Granted, there are “built-in handles”, however except you’re a weightlifter, “straightforward transport” continues to be a stretch. And as this evaluate notes, “the OEM battery, which is Chinese language, may be very arduous to search out, and should you can it’s actually costly.”

Among the motive might come from the blended suggestions. Granted, the buyer critiques on Finest Purchase’s and Amazon’s web sites have been almost all four- and five-star in nature. However on-line critiques from educated lovers, similar to this one, have been much less sanguine:

That mentioned, the reviewer admits that the product continues to be a superb worth for what it prices, even at its unique $699.99 price ticket. And admittedly, his web site is titled “Powered Moveable Photo voltaic,” so he proportionally targeted extra on the product’s inefficient PWM cost controller circuitry than somebody not curious about photo voltaic recharging may (he additionally “dinged” it for its modified sine wave inverter, which is each much less output-efficient than the dearer pure sine wave inverter different and whose output might trigger issues with significantly choosy AC units). I plan to debate photo voltaic charging each basically and particularly because it pertains to my explicit system in a deliberate upcoming follow-on weblog publish.

That every one mentioned, the possible largest motive for the discount-and-demise is that this whole SLA battery-based product class is within the technique of being obsoleted by lithium battery-based moveable energy successors similar to these from longstanding corporations similar to Anker, Bluetti, EcoFlow, and Jackery, plus an growing variety of China-based low-priced rivals. Current Meh sale examples embody this 500W one from Phase2 Power (who I collect is seemingly dumping its remaining closeout product stock) for $149 refurbished or $199 new:

or this 1200W Energizer-branded one, full with a separate 200W photo voltaic cell, for $599.99:

Why? SLA batteries are cumbersome, heavy, and have a restricted shelf life (one thing I not too long ago skilled firsthand) together with restricted recharge cycle counts forward of their inevitable demise. On the latter level, the Powered Moveable Photo voltaic evaluate highlights the 250-cycle lifetime spec for Duracell’s PowerSource 660, which can signify an enchancment vs the SLA norm. The product’s inner battery is variously reported as being an AGM (absorbed glass mat) variant (I haven’t taken my system aside but to substantiate), which if true would ship enhancements in metrics similar to deep cycle tolerance, charging speeds, recharge cycles, temperature and vibration tolerance, and so forth. versus standard SLAs, albeit at an incremental-price tradeoff.

Successor units are typically primarily based on LiFePO₄ (lithium iron phosphate) battery know-how. How’s this translate by way of comparative product specs? Take, for instance, the Bluetti AC18O, which I randomly chosen from a Google search outcomes checklist primarily based on its similar-sounding 1800-W AC output (though be aware that for the Duracell and Phase2 Power units, that is the peak spec with 1440 W because the continuous-output counterpart, whereas the Bluetti AC180 specs 1800 W steady and 2700 W peak):

The Bluetti 180’s weight—35.3 lbs—is almost half that of its SLA precursors, though it’s a tad bit bigger volume-wise: 13.39” x 9.72” x 12.48” (a few of which, in equity, is taken up by its larger 11-total output depend; 4 pure sine wave AC, one USB-C, 4 USB-A, one 12V DC, and an built-in wi-fi charging pad). The inner battery capability is 1,152 Wh. It touts 3,500+ recharge cycles to 80% unique capability, recharges to 80% in 45 minutes with a 1,440-W AC enter, and gives a 5-year guarantee (versus 2 years on the Duracell, and Phase2 Power’s not round, in fact …sarcastically, I’d found the corporate’s DOA web site after I went on-line to register it for prolonged guarantee protection functions).

So, what are the tradeoffs? Upfront price is one large one. The Bluetti 180 is at present promoting (as I sort these phrases on July 14) for $999 on the producer’s web site, though Amazon at present has it listed for $450 much less ($549) as a pre-Prime Days promotion. A whole lot of that worth differential comes from the associated fee variance between comparatively the brand new LiFePO₄ and mature SLA battery applied sciences. That mentioned, in fact, a LiFePO₄-based energy station will final fairly a bit longer than its legacy SLA-based precursor, due to the numerous variance in recharge-cycle capabilities, however the upfront sticker shock issue can’t be dismissed, both.

One different key distinction between SLA and LiFePO₄ (and different lithium-based applied sciences, for that matter) includes their various instantaneous-power responses (one thing that I additionally not too long ago skilled firsthand). As “narfcake” famous within the Meh discussion board dialogue on the Phase2 Power PowerSource 660Wh 1800-Watt Energy Station:

The caveat is that LiFePO4 is often simply rated for its output – anticipate a 50Ah battery to max out at 50A output. AGM/SLA are able to outputting a lot larger currents (with diminished runtime), therefore tiny 8Ah batteries in a UPS having the ability to crank out 1200+ watts, which is 100+ amps.

Such instantaneous-spike help can be useful, for instance, with fridge and freezer compressor motors or every other system with higher-than-nominal startup energy wants.

In closing, whereas we’re evaluating totally different battery applied sciences, just a few phrases on LiFePO₄ versus the opposite lithium-based approaches I’ve already alluded to are most likely so as. The checklist of options begins, I suppose, with the disposable (non-rechargeable) lithium steel cells used, for instance, in my Blink safety cameras. However provided that the functions we’re protecting in this publish all essentially depend on batteries’ recharging capabilities, the first options are lithium-ion (Li-ion) and lithium polymer, extra precisely acknowledged as lithium-ion polymer (Li-Po), a Li-ion spinoff which makes use of a semisolid (gel) polymer electrolyte as a substitute of a liquid electrolyte.

A lot of on-line assets exist, with various emphases, accuracies and vested pursuits together with breadth and depth of element, in striving to examine these three rechargeable lithium-based applied sciences. LiFePO₄ batteries are typically understood to have the best cycle counts, for instance, translating into lengthy life, and are additionally comparatively immune from thermal runaway and overheating. However they’re the most costly of the approaches on a cost-per-capacity foundation, possible partially as a result of they’re the least mature of the three. Li-Po seemingly has the best cost density and can be molded into a wide range of versatile type elements, however is susceptible to swelling together with fireplace and the like, subsequently requiring cautious dealing with each whereas in use and in storage. And Li-ion, maybe essentially the most mature of the three approaches, is in lots of respects an middleman step between the opposite two from numerous analysis elements’ views.

That every one mentioned, as I’ve talked about earlier than, I’m not an influence engineer, so my understanding of those analysis elements (and the way every know-how stacks up towards them, each now and as they additional mature sooner or later) could also be incomplete in comparison with the data base of not less than a few of you. As at all times, subsequently, please pontificate together with your ideas within the feedback!

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Imaginative and prescient Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the corporate’s on-line publication.

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