Don't Waste Your Money On Batteries - The Shocking Truth I Discovered When Testing RV Batteries

Don't buy batteries until you watch this! Which RV or boat battery is best? We ran laboratory-controlled tests to determine the best RV battery type by power and cost. This video takes a look at lead acid vs lithium batteries, how much power and energy these batteries make, and what is the cheapest battery by energy provided.
After watching this video you can decide which battery type is right for you because you will be armed with real-world battery data!

The Real Reason We Installed Battle Born Lithium Batteries (Again) [2023 Review]:

The following is included in this video:
0:00 Introduction
3:24 Our Testing Setup
4:03 The Batteries we Tested
7:19 Takeaway #1 Lead Acid Did not make their Ratings
8:47 Takeaway #2 - Amp-hours are not equivalent between lead-acid and Lithium
9:53 Takeaway #3 Expensive Lead Acid Batteries are just that
12:18 Takeaway #4 Lithium Batteries are way cheaper over their lifespan
12:51 Takeaway #5 Lead Acid batteries need special charging and discharging parameters for cold-weather function
13:50 Takeaway #6 Heated Lithium-Ion Batteries should be insulated to save energy
14:38 Room Temperature Data Analysis and
16:58 Cost analysis of Data
20:25 Energy comparison analysis
22:25 Cold weather data analysis
26:18 Real-world cold-weather test with coffee maker and Microwave
30:08 9V Drop low voltage test data and analysis
33:00 Conclusion and my thoughts

Disclaimer: Battle Born Batteries paid for the tests we performed however this did not impact our judgment or tests and all the data provided to you is exactly as was tested. We are also affiliates of Battle Born Batteries and earn a small commission at no cost to a customer if a purchase is made through our link.

Thank you for watching our videos!
We are Tom & Caitlin Morton and we are the Mortons on the Move. We are co-hosts of 'The RVers' TV Show on the Discovery Channel, PBS, and Fun Roads TV. We are the Creators of the Go North series available on Amazon Prime and YouTube. We've lived full-time in an RV since 2015.


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[snookrookie]

Just an informercial for battle born. Real world for me is my 3 batteries costing $240 has powered my RV more than 260 days off grid. My set up is 200 watts of solar and 200 amps of usable battery and total cost was $585. No longer think about batteries just use them. Life is good.

[therasheck]

I don't think this video will shock me, for I am well grounded.

[OldManandtheSuperC]

The whole point for AGM versus flooded lead was the electrolyte wouldn’t spill and required less maintenance. It was never really designed to perform better but was designed for mobile use in boats, cars, motorcycles. This analysis would have been more useful if you had tested deep cycle golf cart batteries instead of cheapo versions. BTW I purchased Trojans for less per AH than the cheapo Sam’s club deep cycle batteries.

[sectokia]

Great video but the general claim at the end that Lead acid "are not reliable to be used in a power application" is utter garbage. They are now no longer the most cost effective way, but they have been used in power applications for an extremely long time. We have been using them to power entire hotels on fraser island for over 3 decades, back when Lithium ion batteries were still at >$10, 000 per kilowatthour.

[smow]

Whom ever created the science for this video, hats off to you. A perfect set of data points to push lithium, while ignoring industry standards on how AGM/Lead Acid batteries are tested and rated for their specifications. A lead acid battery's capacity is not determined by a 'loaded' battery and voltage, but instead by a specific time at rest, after discharge. Those AGM batteries were not at 50% DoD, at any of the specified load tests. Honestly, its great marketing! Nice job.

[bradatherton]

Great video! I'm afraid some of the manufacturer specs may have been taken out of context. They are OCV (open circuit voltage). BCI (Battery Council International) regulates how lead acid batteries are spec'd, 100% DoD is 1.75v per cell or 10.5v for a 12v battery. The voltage drop in the 80A case will cause the lead acid capacities to be misrepresented dramatically. The Peukert Constant for a lead acid is around 1.3, whereas Li Ion does very well with a constant of less that 1.1, so Li Ion will still win this battle but by a lesser margin. Including cost, or dollar-per-watt-hour, you might be impressed at how well lead acid does. Also, were the lead acid batteries equalized regulary?

For the the record, I'm a power electronics engineer and have worked for a Li Ion manufacturer and ran a lead acid desulfation research company.

[RVgeeks]

This kind of thoughtful, detailed information is so helpful, and presented so thoroughly. Awesome work, Tom! The incredible amount of work that you (and Cait!) put into creating, shooting, and editing a piece like this is obvious. How lucky the RV community is to have you as an asset. 👏

[daveofyorkshire]

This is an advertisement... Not naming the competition is to prevent legal challenge from them... If this is a true test why not other brands?

[hardrout]

The video is overall good, but calling a "Lithium Iron Phosphate" battery ( LiFePO4 ) a "Lithium Ion" battery ( Li-ion ) is completly FALSE. Thoses are 2 different technology with major difference in performance, lifecycle, usage, safety and environmental impact. Even the CEO of Battle Born Batteries call their LiFePO4 battery a "Lithium Ion" in front of their COO... wtf is going on here... 😐🙄its litteraly the same as calling an "AGM" a "Flooded" lead acid battery. This is very concerning considering the subject of this video and the reach (2.4M+ views). 🥲

[casegarrison]

I've owned RVs (and lived on a sailboat!) off and on for almost two decades, and I've always ended up shrugging my shoulders and hoping for the best when it came to house power. Now that we have a newer fifth wheel, I'm trying to decide what direction to take house power and charging. The typical forums are filled with opinions and tribal knowledge, but little data. Your testing methodology and explanations were tremendously helpful, and provided useful real-world comparisons. I'm mechanically inclined, but certainly no electrical engineer, and I still came away with a much more thorough understanding of the state of the art (or science) in power storage today!

[jimleverso]

First of all, GREAT video and very extensive testing. I've been on the fence about changing out my current OEM flooded battery for Battle Born for a couple of years now. The one point that wasn't pointed out in the video about cost is that its not just the cost of swapping out the flooded battery for a lithium battery, but the significant additional required cost to replace the OEM inverter/charger with one that supports lithium, and for many people, the labor cost of engineering the lithium battery/charger/inverter solution to replace the OEM system, not to mention, for many of us, the cost to upgrade the alternator in our trucks to handle charging of the lithium cells while we're on the road. So, while there is no denying that using lithium cells are much better performance, for many it comes down to a cost vs benefit especially when factoring in the additional mandatory costs necessary to move to lithium. Thanks again for your very extensive report. You guys continue to put out very informative videos. Hope to see you both on the road. Keep it up!

[vicabobtravels]

Watched your video and during the whole time watching I was thinking full time RV person as opposed to the part time RV person. I am a part time RV person and the cost of lithium would be way too much. If I was planning on full time boondocking and RVing, I would have no problem investing in lithium. A real world scenario would include use over time.

[lawrencebush]

I served on diesel-electric submarines for 7 years. We had two main batteries on the last submarine I served on. Each battery consisted of 126 lead-acid cells that weighed about 1200 pounds when filled with electrolyte (distilled water and acid). Each cell was rated at 2.0 volts for 250 vdc per battery and connected through switch for normal operation of 250 volts but could beconnected in series for short bursts of high speed maneuvering (1/2 hour). We charged the batteries when new to over 13.0 volts per cell, verified by continuous electrolyte readings during charging. Typically the batteries were discharged into the high 10.0 volt per cell reading before charging. After several years and a number of monitored cylcles and deep equalizing charges the batteries arrive at a condition where the would no longer reach a high enough charge and sometimes a cell would reverse charge and would need to be disconnected and bypassed with a corresponding cell in the other battery. So lithium batteries might be better than a lead-acid battery, but you are not taking all factors into consideration. I have also worked with large lead-acid batteries used in large buildings to bridge power outages till emergency power gensets coul come on line. Similar results.

[reginaldpotts]

quote 'Disclaimer: Battle Born Batteries paid for the tests we performed' Nuff said

[warrenmaloney]

I was at 50% way through this video at room temp and I'm nun the wiser ! My brain shut down from low volts.

[christopherwhitney]

We seem to know this already in Australia as 4x4 enthusiasts and manufacturers have extensively covered this problem ad nausea. The drawback with Li's is it won't start your 4x4. Besides the idea isn't to have a stand alone battery to run flat, that's nuts, but to keep it topped up either as dual battery system in your vehicle, and if you can, taking advantage of portable solar by using a proper dcdc charger with a built in battery isolator, mppt and ETFO charging. You should even be using the mains at home or a generator to keep your battery healthy when it's on standby. So, in this scenario I just mentioned when properly rigged AGM's are fine to get you going and if done well some people never change. The idea of having a battery to discharge without topping it up or having a backup is a bogus application in a real world scenario, except if its for a small cheap throw away toy.

[ryanskare]

Great information. A lot of us are more concerned with the actual amp hour performance because we run equipment that draws a specific amount of amps. Knowing that capacity helps us decide the appropriate battery.

[MrBrymstond]

If you have a permanent camp, bury the lead acid batteries 2 feet under the frostline and use conduit for the wires.

[nortonnewmann]

I investigated "house battery power" for our Class C motorhome within a month of purchase. It had a single 12 volt marine battery from the dealer - and most people who've bought an RV KNOW how those batteries are treated! I knew I wanted solar, so 200 watts went on the roof. Next, I replaced the stock 20Amp PWM charge controller with a more robust 40 Amp MPPT controller. Then came the storage device.
All I needed was a reliable source of 12 volt power to operate the motorhome slide, run the furnace fan, led lights and minimal power for the propane fridge (when not on shore power). If we need the AC, a hair dryer or coffee maker (high amp draw devices), we either run our on-board 4k generator or plug into shore power. So... 100 useable amp hours kept reliably charged would be perfect. My choice came down to two options: LiFePO4 12 volt (no maintenance) or flooded GC2 6 volt golf cart batteries (minimal maintenance). Two 6 volt batteries? $180, lifespan 4 years = $45 per year. One lithium? $900, lifespan 10 years = $90 per year. For me, the real world math tells the story. The cost/benefit ratio just isn't there yet for lithium.

[kellypbr]

I've been living off the grid for over 30yrs, I use lead acid golf cart batteries and can get 5yrs of use out of them. They work, and cost less than these newer ones.