I currently have a 2008 Sprinter with a 24’ Winnebago and had struggled with the batteries until my Warentee ran out. The guy who installed my whole house generator in Tahoe finally fixed my RV. I am looking at punching a 2019 SS Agile, Sprinter with Roadtreck 4X4 and the salesman said that the six volt battery is better than the Lithium. I am not sure what to believe. If anyone has insight on this I would appreciate the information. In addition how does the generator in the engine work for you? I want to be able to leave it running with the Air or heat on, lock the vehicle with the dogs inside and run into the store. I guess this vehicle has to have the engine running for the generator to run, is that correct?
Lithium verses six volt Battery, SS Agile?
- Thread starter Jake247
- Start date
The A C will run off the batteries, through an inverter, until the next time you run the engine. The "under hood generator" is simply a second alternator mounted on the engine dedicated to the coach batteries.
You may not know that Roadtrek is closed and in legal limbo right now, if it doesn't get straightened out there may be no future support/warranty for their RVs. I would guess that any dealers with units in stock would have to either wait and see what happens, sell at a substantial loss, or find an aftermarket warranty company to insure the RVs if they're unable to return the units. Either way it's probably not a good time to buy a Roadtrek unless it's at a huge discount and you're willing/able to assume all liability for the RV.
You may not know that Roadtrek is closed and in legal limbo right now, if it doesn't get straightened out there may be no future support/warranty for their RVs. I would guess that any dealers with units in stock would have to either wait and see what happens, sell at a substantial loss, or find an aftermarket warranty company to insure the RVs if they're unable to return the units. Either way it's probably not a good time to buy a Roadtrek unless it's at a huge discount and you're willing/able to assume all liability for the RV.
autostaretx
Erratic Member
There are a number of AGM vs Lithium threads sprinkled among the "RV conversions" sub-forum and the various RV brands (like this Roadtrek section).
If i were to hazard a guess, i'd say that the only physical downside is whether or not you'll be in sub-freezing weather/climate.
The Lifeline data sheet says they'll stop accepting charge at 32 F, and won't resume until the temperature rises above 40 F.
The discharge range is much wider ( -4 F to +140 F), and some systems feed current to battery heaters to extend the charging range lower.
The data sheet shows an over-temperature cut-out (149 F), but it's far above the "charging range" upper limit (119 F), but not very far above the operating range limit (140 F). If you trigger/exceed the cut-out, then you have to get the batteries back down below 131 F for them to reconnect.
--dick
p.s. i accidentally wrote that "LifeLine" comment in the wrong thread (this one), but it kind'a covers the ground. I *do* have my Sprinter in cold climates, so i'm AGM (but my "needs" are tiny)
If i were to hazard a guess, i'd say that the only physical downside is whether or not you'll be in sub-freezing weather/climate.
The Lifeline data sheet says they'll stop accepting charge at 32 F, and won't resume until the temperature rises above 40 F.
The discharge range is much wider ( -4 F to +140 F), and some systems feed current to battery heaters to extend the charging range lower.
The data sheet shows an over-temperature cut-out (149 F), but it's far above the "charging range" upper limit (119 F), but not very far above the operating range limit (140 F). If you trigger/exceed the cut-out, then you have to get the batteries back down below 131 F for them to reconnect.
--dick
p.s. i accidentally wrote that "LifeLine" comment in the wrong thread (this one), but it kind'a covers the ground. I *do* have my Sprinter in cold climates, so i'm AGM (but my "needs" are tiny)
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GeorgeRa
2013 Sprinter DIY 144WB, Portland OR
Roadtrek is in receivership with the final decision in a couple of weeks. Roadtrek’s Etrek Lithium battery systems are infested with bugs and their AGMs to a lesser degree. With Roadtrek (Hymer in NA) likely not recovering, their warranty will vanish so getting into a questionable system could be a bad decision.
Lithium batteries are penetrating B-class slowly, it is a trendy technology. I have 230 Ah AGM bank and for me it is going to be sufficient for years, but, if you want to use hair dryer, induction cooking, 60” TV, multiple monitors or use your RV as home than definitely Li is the way to go.
Lithium batteries are penetrating B-class slowly, it is a trendy technology. I have 230 Ah AGM bank and for me it is going to be sufficient for years, but, if you want to use hair dryer, induction cooking, 60” TV, multiple monitors or use your RV as home than definitely Li is the way to go.
old-geezer
Member
I helped a friend do a conversion on his Sprinter and we installed two Relion 100ah batteries.
There is absolutely no comparison between them and any lead acid battery. As soon as our wallet will allow we're installing three Battle Born batteries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf8eJaiuVls
rosswilliams
New member
We have a 2015 Roadtrek Etrek with AGM batteries. Before we bought it, we were considering a new one with lithium batteries. We have traveled and camped in sub-zero weather with our AGM batteries with no real problems. I don't think we could have done that with the lithium batteries. The underhood generator means when traveling you arrive in camp each day fully charged. The solar panel will provide almost enough power for your vent fan, water pump, refrigerator and heater fan. You probably won't need to recharge the batteries for days if that and a few LED lights are your only usage. The AGM's, like all batteries, lose capacity in cold weather and when I used a CPAP machine with the inverter on all night we did have to recharge by idling the Sprinter. That is probably not a good idea to do regularly or for a long period of time. The Sprinter's emission system doesn't like idling or other low load use for extended periods. Not to mention the running lights turn on, which must have annoyed our neighbors.
If you want to run AC, then you need a generator or shore power. Its not that you can't run AC off the AGM batteries, you can occassionally for a very limited time and temperature reduction. But the AGM batteries do not like having that heavy a load and it will both immediately reduce the amount of power you get from them for that charge cycle and, if done regularly, substantially shorten the life of your batteries. Its important when comparing to lithium's to realize that the stated plate capacity of an AGM and lithium are not comparable. The average depth of discharge for AGM's should be less than 50% of their plate capacity and the maximum discharge is 80%. Drawing them down completely, even once, can damage them permanently. My understanding is that theoretically the lithium's are more robust both in allowing regular 80% draw downs and even an occasional complete discharge without long term damage. That would mean they have a lot more usable capacity. But I haven't used them, so that theory may be less true in practice.
One advantage of the AGM's is that they are a stable, proven technology that had been used for years in boats before becoming common in RV's. There is a lot less experience with lithium batteries and the technology is still in flux. They seem to be just moving out of the early adopter stage where some people swear by them and other people swear at them. The difference may be expectations, rather than actual experience.
There is a reason Roadtreks were the leading seller in the B category for a long time. Almost everyone I run into who has one is happy with their choice. The six year warranty was a good sales pitch, but I am not sure it makes much difference in the long run. Most manufacturing problems are discovered in the first few months and if you abuse your batteries or your pipes freeze the damage isn't going to be covered anyway. There are separate warranties for most of the parts including the Mercedes chassis. If Roadtrek doesn't reopen, the real issue is getting the unique parts they produced. But there really aren't many of those. With the exception of the cabinet work, the rest is assembled from sourced parts. I wouldn't pay Roadtreks suggested retail price, but a steeply discounted Agile would be a great choice.
If you want to run AC, then you need a generator or shore power. Its not that you can't run AC off the AGM batteries, you can occassionally for a very limited time and temperature reduction. But the AGM batteries do not like having that heavy a load and it will both immediately reduce the amount of power you get from them for that charge cycle and, if done regularly, substantially shorten the life of your batteries. Its important when comparing to lithium's to realize that the stated plate capacity of an AGM and lithium are not comparable. The average depth of discharge for AGM's should be less than 50% of their plate capacity and the maximum discharge is 80%. Drawing them down completely, even once, can damage them permanently. My understanding is that theoretically the lithium's are more robust both in allowing regular 80% draw downs and even an occasional complete discharge without long term damage. That would mean they have a lot more usable capacity. But I haven't used them, so that theory may be less true in practice.
One advantage of the AGM's is that they are a stable, proven technology that had been used for years in boats before becoming common in RV's. There is a lot less experience with lithium batteries and the technology is still in flux. They seem to be just moving out of the early adopter stage where some people swear by them and other people swear at them. The difference may be expectations, rather than actual experience.
There is a reason Roadtreks were the leading seller in the B category for a long time. Almost everyone I run into who has one is happy with their choice. The six year warranty was a good sales pitch, but I am not sure it makes much difference in the long run. Most manufacturing problems are discovered in the first few months and if you abuse your batteries or your pipes freeze the damage isn't going to be covered anyway. There are separate warranties for most of the parts including the Mercedes chassis. If Roadtrek doesn't reopen, the real issue is getting the unique parts they produced. But there really aren't many of those. With the exception of the cabinet work, the rest is assembled from sourced parts. I wouldn't pay Roadtreks suggested retail price, but a steeply discounted Agile would be a great choice.
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Li provides much more usable energy than comparably sized AGM's. If, for example, if you can meet your energy needs with 2 Li batteries, you would need at least 4 AGM's for comparable performance. Other than running AC for extended periods, 2 Li should meet most people's energy needs (cooking, lighting, pumps etc.). If you drive at least some every day or two, charging while idling is not an issue.