I was interested enough in this to do some research on NiFe. I decided to compare them to the T-105 6v.
To get 450Ah with T-106 you need 4 of them. Total cost $600, total weight 248lbs, total volume 1.86 CubicFeet, life span 4years avg
To get 450Ah with NiFe you need 10 of them. Total cost $3160, total weight 485lbs, total volume 6.07 CubicFeet, life span 100+ years
So at this Amp Hour level, NiFe is 2 times the weight, 3 times the volume and 5 times the cost.
For taking a house off the grid, its a NO BRAINER. NiFe all the way!
For a boat, a bit of a hard sell but maybe.
Now if you were building a new boat and could incorporate the weight and placement of the NiFe batteries into the ballast somehow, now that would be a major plus. If they never need to be replaced, as claimed, seems completely doable to me.....
That thought process with a diesel-electric system to charge and use for propulsion seems like a win-win if you can afford it.
William
Eric,
According to this page batteries supplied by Ironcorebatteries http://www.ironcorebatteries.com.au/page8.php 100Ah weigh almost 100lbs for 12v pack. T 105 6v about 67lbs. No problem discharging NiFe to 80%, big problem discharging the T 105 to 80% over the long haul. Was two optima blue tops. 120 lbs for 100Ah when large discharges are not figured in. Where is weight a problem?
mount in wood mount because fumes are non corrosive, can be mounted anyplace if vented outside. Size becomes no problem.
And yes I see the weight problem with anything other than batteries easily distroyed by over charge or over discharge.
Kevin Pemberton
On 11/15/2010 01:31 PM, Eric wrote:Kevin,
Based on your criteria, the NiFe batteries do seem like a reasonable alternative. But I have always been concerned with weight in any mobile installation. I do agree that they seem excellent alternatives for home and business installations.
I don't know how heavy your current RV battery bank is, but do you really want to increase that weight by 100 to 150 percent for the same rated capacity? Battery volume will also be a concern, do you have space for battery bank that is twice the physical size?
Many of the converted boats here have battery banks that are around 10kWh and weigh about 500 pounds. At 1000 pounds or more, NiFe will start having a bigger negative effect on performance, not only in electric range, but sailing performance too (if applicable). For me, the cost, lifecycles and fault tolerance are lesser concerns than size and weight. Most car and boat manufacturers that are venturing into this market seem to agree.
That said, if your conversion is spec'ed for these batteries, then more power to you (no pun intended). I'm looking forward to your actual observed performance data when you finish your boat.
Fair winds,
Eric
Marina del Rey, CA.
-- Ubuntu10.04, Acer AspireOne, Virgin Mobile 3G Broadband2go. Doesn't get any better than this!
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