4500 Watt battery on ebay??

[decker1]

Iv been looking into using EV batteries as a battery bank for solar. I just came across this. Does anyone have any good reason not to use it?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nissan-Leaf...4383.l4275.c10

[Native]

The spec sheet on the third page of images (from the link you provided) shows that the battery is a 7.5V, 66 aH battery ... 495 Watt-hours. The 4.5KwH rating is for a bank of 9. Also, each battery costs close to $600.00.


A typical group 31 truck battery is about 100aH at 12V or about 1.2KwH for about $60.00 on sale.

[decker1]

Thanks! What batteris would you recommend? Im leaning away from lead-acid because I read somewhere that you have to constantly fill them with water, versus lithium you can install and leave it.

Originally Posted by Native

The spec sheet on the third page of images (from the link you provided) shows that the battery is a 7.5V, 66 aH battery ... 495 Watt-hours. The 4.5KwH rating is for a bank of 9. Also, each battery costs close to $600.00.


A typical group 31 truck battery is about 100aH at 12V or about 1.2KwH for about $60.00 on sale.

[Native]

What I am about to relay is what I have learned over the years and also by reading this forum. It is no substitute for reading the threads though.


Our initial install just to get the house side of the electrical wired and functional are lead-acid (known as wet cell or flooded) batteries. AGM ( gell ) batteries eliminate the maintenance of lead-acid (they contain a gellatenous mat as the electrolyte) and allow for a deeper draw before damaging the batteries but are also more expensive. Lithium ion batteries can be used up fully and also have limited maintenance but cost more per battery. There are also size, weight, voltage, maximum current draw, charge rates, charge cycles, etc. to be concerned about for all battery types.


I know there are a number of threads on this site pertaining to batteries which you might want to read. Have you tried the search box above?

[jazty]

Originally Posted by decker1

Thanks! What batteris would you recommend? Im leaning away from lead-acid because I read somewhere that you have to constantly fill them with water, versus lithium you can install and leave it.

I'd hardly say, "constantly fill them with water". I top mine up 3, maybe 4 times a year. It all depends on how heavily they are being worked.
An improperly set charger can also boil them. The nice thing about flooded lead acid vs AGM is that if the are overcharged you can normally just top them up and be good to go. Overcharging AGM can kill them.
For ruggedness, reliability and cost per watt I would stick with flooded lead acid (if you don't want to jump to lithium technology, which is the ultimate). The additional cost for AGM isn't worth it for a house battery configuration, in my opinion.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by jazty

I'd hardly say, "constantly fill them with water". I top mine up 3, maybe 4 times a year. It all depends on how heavily they are being worked.
An improperly set charger can also boil them. The nice thing about flooded lead acid vs AGM is that if the are overcharged you can normally just top them up and be good to go. Overcharging AGM can kill them.
For ruggedness, reliability and cost per watt I would stick with flooded lead acid (if you don't want to jump to lithium technology, which is the ultimate). The additional cost for AGM isn't worth it for a house battery configuration, in my opinion.

I have to agree. FLA is the most cost-effective battery technology for this application.

I would add that, with the Leaf battery packs, you will need to break down the packs and rebuild them into whatever you choose for your house battery. Typically 12v, 24v or 48v.

What kind of BMS are you considering?

There are a few folks have that have had success with lithium batteries but it is a significant undertaking.

[Doktari]

Back to that the listing.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nissan-Leaf...4383.l4275.c10
This eBay listing seems to be a good deal if I’m understanding it correctly. It’s slightly better deal than the Chevy Volt battery modules I bought (Which were 2K, 24 volt modules, for $300 plus shipping. And we’re competitavly priced I thought) . I prefer Leaf modules (this deal would be 2.25KW for $300 comparatively to what I got. So nine 0.5KW module, 4.5 KW, 72 volts total, is good. Maybe they have down in price in the year since I got mine). And $13 to ship those is a steal and maybe not legal if they are unlabeled. I believe the true cost of shipping the Lithium batteries safely and legally, even by ground, would be very high. I don’t like that they are Gen 1 but that’s what’s mostly available until newer vehicles come to the wrecking yards.
I didn’t have time to figure out the BMS, and my AGM lead acid batteries were still good, so sold my Chevy Volt batteries. Recently I discovered a BMS/charge controller/ load controller all-in-one unit that looks amazing if it works as advertised. Has anyone tried the Electrodacus controllers? The digital display looks amazing.
https://electrodacus.com/
If weight and space are primary concerns then I would consider Lithium.