Cheapest Lithium Challenge: Elefast 100ah With Cold Protection - Teardown
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- What's the cheapest, high-quality LiFePO4 battery on Amazon? In this series, we search for the answer. Today Clark reviews a LiFePo4 battery called the ELEFAST 100Ah Mini (w/Bluetooth). This could be our favorite so far.
IN THIS VIDEO
[00:00] Intro
[00:25] Why this Series?
[05:23] Disassembly
[06:20] Contents
[13:38] Charging
[18:56] High-Current Test
[27:03] Where did the heat come from?
[28:01] Discharging
[31:05] Final Thoughts
[33:40] How to learn more
THE BATTERY LEADERBOARD: Take a look at this link. It leads to a table of all the batteries we have reviewed, looking for that diamond in the rough. We'll keep adding to it.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Link to this battery: www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDD1Q31R?...
If you're interested in learning more about the BankManager™, the best place to go is here: www.emilyandclarksadventure.c...
Here is a link to a lot of the items we use aboard Temptress for power. You'll find links to things like the Voltage-Sensitive Relay: amzn.to/3OJJHay
Have questions or comments? Leave them below! We do our best to read and answer all comments on our channel.
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LINKS TO PRODUCTS WE LOVE (Affiliate links to things we actually own, use, and recommend. We are almost never paid by companies to endorse products. If we are, we will tell you in the video): www.amazon.com/shop/emilyclar...
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Hello everyone, thank you for liking ELefast batteries, I'm a representative of FEENCE, and thank you to Engineer Clark for his honest and objective review of Elefast batteries.
FEENCE company has many brands
Elefast is the premium brand of FEENCE company.
Elefast 12V100AH Bluetooth MINI LIFEPO4 Lithium Battery
I verify this is the company that makes this battery. I've pinned this comment thread to the top so anyone can use this thread to ask questions to the manufacturer directly.
Are the cell compressed? If not why?
Sorry, I didn't understand what you meant, the specification of the batteries is 4 *3.2V102AH, thanks!@@a2022z2
I need to return one of these ELefast 100A 12V batteries. Neither of the two I received had any hazardous materials labelling. Do I need to put a hazardous materials label on it for return?
Hello, we support 30 days return without reason, you can send it back by FEDEX, no need to stick extra label, please inform the customer service staff the logistics tracking number after sending. Thank you!@@johnlivingston2942
It’s so funny how this channel doesn’t have over 200k you guys have all the knowledge. Thank you.
Tell your friends.
I'm ready for the "joke" to be over.
Thanks
@@EmilyAndClark Forwarded to all my tech buddies. Doing my part!
@@jaminoes_ thanks
Last thing I wanna see is Clark in a bikini doing these tests to increase subscribers...😂
Clark gets excited by a battery, love that. 🤣
I bought two of these, via Amazon, based on this review. One looks to be good. The other reads 6 volts. Be aware that, if you get a defective one, you pay the return shipping. Fedex surface, which is how they were shipped, from Virginia to California, is $75.
Great tear down and analysis. Says a lot.
Another excellent lot of info, to help an engineer (non-elec) get his head round going LiIPo4. I’ve just bought lead again as I don’t have time on the boat to do the changeover, but now know how to do I TV properly, when I get the boat back closer to home. Thank you!
New fresh lead is the best time to add this www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Your new lead will stay fresh for a very long time with a hybrid system
Great information again, I’m learning 👍
Clark, I enjoyed your review, especially from the technical side. In evaluating the company, you could delve deeper into their warranty handling. Elefast states 5 years on Amazon, but nothing about whether that's replacement, pro-rated, and whether shipping both ways is covered. They appear to have no web presence outside of Amazon. They offer no bundles or shipping discounts for multiple battery orders. The net is a $400 set of two (as of this writing) turns into a ~ $500 order on Amazon. These are 3rd party sales, without Amazon Prime assurances, and the buyer is responsible for shipping on any non-defect return. My intent is not to pick on Elefast, because these limitations are typical of many, if not most, sellers of Made-in-China batteries on Amazon. The point is that some sellers do overcome one or more of these downsides, and those factors should be reflected in your reviews and company rating.
Good video Clark and it appears to be an excellent battery. When I checked on 7-16-23 at just about 10:00 EDT the battery was $339, still a very good deal. Keep the good stuff coming.
Great video Clark - I’ve been looking for a lithium for a dedicated battery for my windlass (it’s only rated at 500w and has a 80a circuit breaker) so this looks like just the thing. Also hello from your fmr Seattle stomping grounds.
This is the interesting channel that I have ever seen, im learning loads, Thank you.
Thanks. Hope you subscribe and look at our back inventory of videos.
So useful! Thanks for these videos!
Your welcome
Kudos for sharing when things go sideways. We can all learn from that. Nice job.
Great review full of info. Just picked up 3 on Amazon 219 a piece for rv solar. Super happy about them
Impressive review! Love this
Thanks
As Clark found out with his hammer and chisel, this battery is put together very well. I have one on a trailer to run a winch and while building a battery box for it I left it sitting on the trailer. Forgot that it was there and drove off towing the trailer. Well it slid off going around a corner at about 25 mph. Other than scratching the pretty label up, the battery is no worse for the wear.
Good stuff. You have good experience and a no nonsense approach. Different topic. AIS. Best to buy radio already equiped or add on to existing unit?
Interesting idea.
We only have AIS receive so far. Separate dAISy unit. I like it
Thank you! Great info. Getting rid of my heavy-ass flooded batts in my RV!
Keep some lead so you can charge your Li properly
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Thank you for all of the battery reviews. Looking at this battery and the pubvw mini 100ah lifep04 that appear to be the same battery case. Your spreadsheet also lists them as such. There seems to be a discrepancy in the dimensions between what is listed on each link and your spreadsheet. What are the actual dimensions of this battery? Thanks!
Just curious how does the Bluetooth stuff work if you have a bank of like 4 of these batteries? Also, Thanks for the great testing and info! I’m surprised you don’t have more subscribers because y’all have great stuff! Just subscribed!
Thanks,
You get a list of Bluetooth batteries in range. Connect to one at a time
Clark, thanks so much for the education. Love your way of teaching.
I stumbled on one thing. When the batt shut down, you attributed the shutdown to the heat gun. Please clue me into what I’m missing in the math. A HG draws about 13-15 amp at 120v. How does the BMS sense over 100 amps and shut down. Is it a time issue I’m missing in my equation?
It senses over 100 amps because I'm drawing just over 100 amps at 12v. Note the power meter.
The inverter is stepping up the 12v to 120. But it can't make watts so 10x voltage requires 10x current.
Thank you. I have to rid myself of the on land thinking frame of mind.
Thanks for doing this. When I decided to replace the failing two year old Costco golf cart batteries in my remote observatory with lithium I was faced with a bewildering array of choices on Amazon. As I often do in this situation I started a spreadsheet to list and compare the specifications of each contender but all that gets you is the claims of the manufacturer.
I was delighted to come across your videos and your battery leaderboard which does essentially what I was doing but hands on and with a tear down no less. I need cold protection so choosing the Elefast was a no brainer. I did make sure to buy from the link on your site.
The only suggestion I would make is that you add a column for warranty.
Thank you Don,
I guess I'm resistant to warrantee reporting because of two things. 1 will they actually stand behind their "marketing" claim and 2 if you ever critically read a warrantee you see they are all but useless (read Battleborns).
I do plan a video soon on electrical tests you can do to new batteries to see if you should just send them back. Probably more useful then warrantee as it should help in finding issues before the Amazon won't take returns.
@@EmilyAndClark I'll be looking out for that video, Clark. From when these batteries get here in a few days I will have 30 days to send them back so it might still be useful if you get around to it soon. Thanks again for these videos and the leaderboard. It gives me a sense of confidence in what would otherwise have been a crapshoot.
Don
Once again an incredible video Clark. Thanx. I don't fully understand what exactly defines a "battery cycle". Is it every time a battery takes a charge no matter how low it is? Or is it every time you charge it IF it is below a certain charge level? Basically could you please define a "battery cycle" for me.
I can't say exactly but from what I saw it doesn't count partial discharges. You have to go down a fair amount to count.
Hay clark! Looking for your AC kits. Dont see them on your utube. Are u still doing them? If so where. Thanks for your excellent content!! Jim
You rock, Clark! ❤ Thank you for all these reviews! I'm interested in the Lossigy 200 AH. They have a pretty compact version at a great price. Any chance you could check it out?
Your best bet to get that happening is to suggest to them they should contact me with a request for a review.
I'm getting a lot of requests so I don't initiate the process anymore.
I took a quick look at it on Amazon. Am I missing something? It only has a 100amp BMS. I don't see anything special. You can get a Redodo 200ah cheaper (see my review of the plus) or their 200ah plus for a few dollars more that has a 200amp BMS. Also power queen.
@@EmilyAndClark Right on. The dimensions are what I like. I can't see needing more than 100 amps with 2 of these on the boat. I could pull 200 amps, that's over 3kw and more than I need. I'll contact them. Thank you again!
Fine reasons.
Thanks, for the information. Nice video! Does the app support multiple batteries with ease?
You have to select each battery from a list of available batteries.
SO, yes, but one at a time.
Hi Clark, I purchased the PUPVWMHB 100Ah battery from Amazon it has the Bluetooth and the low temperature cutoff protection. I need the low temperature cutoff because of Michigan winter weather. Watching your video, I could see that your paperwork for the battery you’re testing was identical and the Bluetooth software was identical to mine. I’m sure that the company that made your test battery undoubtably made my battery.
I’m planning on connecting my lithium batteries with my lead acid batteries similar to how your batterybank unit works. I’m a DIYer and engineer and I love projects like this.
So glad I found your channel, keep up the terrific videos and happy sailing!
It sounds like you bought the pup mini. Check the leaderboard linked to the description, I did a teardown review of your battery.
If you run into trouble with your project (finding the charge shutdown point is rather tricky) you might consider a Gen3 BankManager. It has Bluetooth that is implemented with a uart radio. So you can pick up the system data for other integration. Also it will have an external pin go hi when current should be reduced.
Anyway options for projects.
Actually no, it’s not the mini. It’s a full size.
Low temperature protection 👍🏻 Bluetooth 👍🏻. Next paycheck I’m picking up 2 more.@@EmilyAndClark
That was fun. I was just as excited as you were with this video. By the way I'm 41and a dork when it comes to tech. Stuff. LoL
Impressed. Would have been interesting at the charge shutdown if you would have watched the #2 cell voltage after it reached the 3.7x and see if it bled down and went into OVP recovery. 3.5v.... .... Jim.
The battery now, at Amazon, for me, shows $359 list, but discounted to $329. This looks to be one of the best 100ah batteries I've seen tested as well.
I agree.
Enjoyed the content. I’m especially interested in the “Minis” surging in the market. The pouch cell form factor was a concern initially; but, I got over it after A Lot of ‘researching’. Due to extreme space constraints (Van), the ability to get more Ah with a much smaller footprint is very attractive.
Sadly, due to LiTime’s market position, the extreme majority of YT ‘Test’ vids feature this brand. Now that there are a half dozen or so ‘brands’, I sure would like to see more teardowns 🙏
Did you see my Redodo mini review?
@@EmilyAndClark I did. Thank you. So it seems that there are now Two options for “Mini” 12V 100ah LifePO4: the ‘first to market’ using Pouch cells, and now the more ‘traditional’ prismatics. As with anything, there are Pros & Cons. I think that the cases are more robust in the pouch option. I think that the BMS is superior in the prismatic option. I am uncertain if the prismatic-based ‘Mini’ justifies the nearly $100 premium at this point, however. The cubic inch displacement of the pouch option is also a benefit, albeit (small 😆).
Love your videos, what FLIR camera are you using? I looked at your links did not see it. Thanks! Sam
I use the flirone pro lit. It connects to my cellphone
I can't believe this battery hasnt become popular. None of the popular youtubers have reviewed it.
I want a mini size and I'm on thr fence with pouch or prismatic on thr cell type.
I see this battery is sold in Canada too, great!
Yep I just checked for someone. Japan, Europe, US and Canada
@@EmilyAndClark Probably because the link is for the US Amazon it says that it does not ship to my location (Norway). Do you have a link for an add that offer shipping to Norway? 🙂
Would be good to know where you would like for us subscribers to send you screenshots or photos, if it may help demonstrate a point. YT comment section does not allow to add images.
@@highonbanana8265 just type Elefast LiFePO4 into your local Amazon
Great video Clark! Can you recommend a 1500Ah True Sine Wave Inverter to go with this battery?
If you don't want to spend a lot I'd suggest the
WZRELB you will find in our Amazon store. They make different sizes. We use their 3k 9n Temptress.
Many thanks this video.
As we are not all in the tropics where the weather is beautiful.
If this battery is used in winter where it regularly goes below 0°C am I understanding it won't charge at this temperature?
Can it be used? With a heat gun to get it up to temperature to allow it to charge?
or would you need to light a fire under it, like in the oldern days if your diesel tank got to cold for the fuel to flow.
The best approach would be to divert the charge power into a heating pad. So say, cold night, sun comes out, snow falls off your panels and makes power. The first power warms the batteries then they can take charge.
I have a battery coming that does ALL that. Just put it in an insolated box and let it sort things out. Costs more but for the right application worth it.
This one protects itself. And yes you could do that but heat it slowly. If you heated fast you would get the thermal probes warmed up before the cells. Basically you would be lying to it. Do not heat gun.
Thanks for your reply
I do a very different type of boating, sport fishing, but I love your channel for great marine maintenance and repair advice. This winter I plan on adding a 36v trolling motor to one of my boats primarily to be used as a spot lock anchor for bottom fishing. I'm 99% sure I'm going to be going with lithium and one of the lower priced options, not Dakota or anything like that. Any idea how that app works if you have multiple batteries? I was looking at a 36v CHINS. I saw some decent reviews of that brand on other sailing channels. Would love to see you do a review. Do you have an opinion on 3 ,12v batteries vs 1, 36v battery? I think the three 12s might be a better option as if one goes bad I can replace just the one, the three would give me a little more mounting flexibility, it seems I have more charging options at 12v vs 36v and lastly if I had three 12s I could use one of the 12s to charge my starting batteries in an emergency. i guess theoretically using some battery switches I could reconfigure it to act as a house bank at 12v too. However, 3 12v seems like three times as much stuff to break. Also the 36V option is lighter than 3 12v batteries. Would love to hear your 2 cents on 3 12v batteries vs 1 36v battery.
I now have two batteries aboard with the same BMS. So I can say the app is fine. You get a list of batteries in range. Connect to one and get your data. Then connect to the next.
If you are charging at home I'd go 3 12v. Lighter and all the options you mention. If charging aboard might still but I might add a balancer (there is a link to a good, cheap one in my Duffy video)
Usually it's best to have everything under 1bms but 36 is kinda an oddball size. These batteries will last a while. Don't want a useless battery hanging around in 10 years.
@@EmilyAndClark Thanks, that was fast! I guess this will be my choice unless you find a better one between now and when I purchase which will probably be around the new year. I'll definitely use your link. I hope that helps you out some. Guess next I'll watch the Duffy video. Thanks again!
Clark,, the 400 amph battery is interesting but i hate putting all my eggs in one basket!
Thanks for another very helpful video.
Im getting ready to retire my 1000 AH bank of Lifeline AGM 4D batteries and plan to reduce the capaciity of the bank to about 400 AH since Im not cruising anymore and because these Liithium batteries allow you to use more of the power the contain. I lived between 50 and 80 percent of charge on my AGMs while out cruising which meant that I was only using 300 AH out of the total 1000AH I was hauling around.
One of the challenges that comes with this change is that the trim of my boat is going to be screwed up when I replace 620 lbs of AGM batteries with 88 lbs of LiFePO4 batteries. On the plus side is the amount of beer I will be able to fit in the space that is currently taken up by my AGM bank.😢
I was wondering about the conventional wisdom regarding mixiing brands and ages of batteries. I think that was based on the fact that the weakest battery in a lead bank would end up controlling the charging process for the entire bank and eventuallly pull the newer batteries down as a result..
With the lithium batteries the charging process is controlled by the BMS on each battery except when you use a bank manager. In that case i think the Bank Manager decides when to stop charging based on voltage of the bank.
My question is whether or not mixing brands and/or capacity of batteries is as big of a deal for Li batteries as it is for lead?
Yes it's a big deal. Probably more than with lead. The low resistance batteries will take current first then sit there damaging themselves while the others suck up power.
With the BankManager approach you can buy a second BankManager (expensive I know) when you want to add a second li bank of batteries that are different in age and maybe manufacturer. Also with this approach you could have virtually an unlimited number of li batteries in parallel.
Besides you wanted to keep some lead on board for the trim issue. Right?
What do you think of using a thermostat + relay in series with the charger in place of low temp charging protection?I ask because the taller but thinner profile of the "mini" 100ah batteries would be a better fit in my rig but none of them seem to have this feature.
Redodo is about to offer a cold temperature protected battery but at least at first it won't be the mini.
What you are describing is not perfect as you would have to address all charge sources but WAY better than nothing.
I think I'll offer that kind feature in the next BankManager version.
I really appreciate these comparison videos. I have a concern that the "manufacturers" aren't committed to any set of components during the next production run. How would anyone know that six months from now the battery will be built the same? Seems like the cheap LiPhO industry is racing to the cheapest, and it will be buyer beware for a while.
You really don't know but I have been involved with this outfit for some time. I have a good feeling.
For example check the price on the BMS in this battery. It's far from the cheapest. So currently they aren't chasing the bottom line. Add to that the fact that we talked last night, they are basically sold out and are rushing production to get more to California. They are seeing positive reinforcement for "doing it right". Though they are raising the price a bit I noticed.
I can say they are open to my business suggestions and guidance. They have changed some things based on it. My video reinforces the idea of quality at a good price. If that makes them profit they are likely to follow that path.
@@EmilyAndClark thank you for this additional information. keep up the good work.
Some feedback on the Elefast. I like having the Bluetooth BMS, but it does give something to obsess over the malfunctioning of. Charged until the app showed 100% SOC and the remaining capacity stuck at 99.51AH. I gave it a few minutes without the remaining capacity number changing at all and the estimated charge time showed 0m. Despite not reaching 100AH, the Balance indicator remained off and the VolDiff climbed to 0.009V. I'm not sure if I should have left it longer, but I don't like that the remaining capacity number stopped climbing and the VolDiff number started climbing with the Balance indicator remaining off. VolHigh was at 3.391, so maybe I should wait and see if it will climb to 3.4, but I really don't like how the remaining capacity indicator didn't reach 100AH. I still think it's a good deal for the price, but I wonder if the BMS really does do everything it's supposed to.
Remember the main job of the battery is to store and supply power. It does that.
All the Bluetooth stuff is extra. Use it but don't obsess.
Saturday I'm reviewing a sister to your battery. Same thing. I go into balance a bunch.
I think yours is already balanced great at 0.009
Relax
I looked for that infra red camera in your equipment and faves list, no luck. Could you tell me what it is ? Well, let me say differently, I saw a camera that looks like the one you were using, the insta three 60. But, I didn't see anything that said it was an infrared, maybe thats it ?
We use an insta 360 but that isn't the ir. Check in a week we should add a photo section.
I just bought three of these for my 36V trolling motor. I used the link in your Google sheet. Hopefully you get a little something when folks use your links. Just FYI the price is down to $170 + $40 Shipping so $210 USD delivered plus tax. I don't think you can beat the price. Hopefully they are sturdy and will hold up to the pounding they will receive on an offshore powerboat.
Wow at that price these are a great deal
@@EmilyAndClark I received the batteries and hooked them up on the bench with what will be my onboard charger (Victron). I got the Bluetooth connected and all is working well. My only complaint was there was nothing marking the batteries so that you could identify which battery is which in the app. You had to do it through a process of elimination by turning the battery off and checking voltage with a meter, but no biggie. My one concern is with the terminals. They don't feel particularly secure\tight when you snug them down. It feels like they could loosen pretty easily. Is it OK to use locktite on the terminals or could this interfere with the electrical connection at the terminal?
Id use a lock washer
If I may ask, this review is for the 12 x 6.5 x 8.7 inch battery, however on the leader board, you have the 10.1 x 6.75 x 8.75 inch mini version. Are the innards exactly the same? Both are available on Amazon at the same price.
Looking back on it I think I got the wrong dimensions from Amazon. In later videos I measure myself.
It looks like I reviewed the 10 inch battery. And I list it as 10 inches on the leader board
Trust the leader board over the video as I can't update the video
Sir: Might a BMS rating column in your BATTERY LEADERBOARD:spread sheet be informative? I notice you manually balanced the Redodo 200 amp unit as the BMS did not.
A T Burke
Ebay has Redodo 100ah for $255! Thats the lowest Ive seen. But this ELEFAST is a winner. Thanks Clark. Love the spreadsheet.
Glad it helped
is the Redodo on Ebay a legit offer?
@@xbleriot it appears to be straight from the Redodo company. I would say it's legit. I purchased a 100ah mini . Ebay will back you up so I'm not concerned. Famous last words haha!
Received my Redodo 100 ah mini through eBay straight from Redodo in 4 days shipped from Georgia to Tarpon Springs! Wow! Great packaging and superb manual. Thanks Clark. Sorry you didn't get a commission but $263.99 ($8 more for the mini) was just too good a deal to pass up. You are helping us with so many of your videos! Keep up the selfless contribution to the live aboard community. Greatly appreciated.
I'd have bought it at that price.
This weekend I'll be releasing a video review of the Redodo mini.
If the guilt of buying off eBay gets too painful you can always buy us a drink on Patreon.
i'm considering one of these for my overland rig. right now i use an ecoflow delta but it dosn't have enough 12v output, in addition i worry about it in the cold. does this battery have protection against cold temps? if i were to leave in installed in the car and it was freezing outside would the battery get damaged?
It's all on the video.
But I really suggest you check out our "leader board" in the description for all that information in one place for several batteries.
Hey Clark thank you very much for your awesome videos, very inspiring and extremely helpful. I'm so glad I found your review on the Elefast batteries. What'ya think about wiring more than x4 100ah Elefast batteries? *CORRECTION- the owners manual on these batteries says you can setup 8 of them in paralell and 4 in series**
Their website on Amazon says to only wire up 4 together but I am willing to bet that that is just more of a disclaimer, I eventually want to hook up 6 in a row for 600ah, all with 4/0 gauge wires , thank you for all your help
It's not the greatest idea. I have a video on it.
You can do it but with that many everything isn't going to charge the same. For a 600ah bank you really should use bigger batteries. But that costs more.
It wouldn't be cost effective but if you used 2 BankManagers it would be just fine to have more than 4 batteries.
But put it this way. 6 batteries under the protection of a BankManager would do much better than 4 without.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
@@EmilyAndClark ohh I see, the batteries wouldn't be "balanced" but the bank managers would help fix that. thank you very much, I will keep that in mind if I go past 4.
I also kind of like the idea of keeping it at 400 & then buying a cheap solar generator as a secondary system instead of wiring 2 or more batteries
@mark7362 that's not exactly what the BankManager does.
Your charge controllers charge li to a voltage. That just isn't right and significantly shortens their life.
The BankManager charges to your definition of full like 100 percent. 90 percent... It uses a very different method that should lead to much longer battery life and several other advantages.
@mark7362 czcams.com/video/xjzd3MBnj4k/video.html
@@EmilyAndClark oh awesome! Thanks I will plan on getting one of those that would be super helpful for me
I am ready to add lithium...your bank manager looks great..i just want to make sure my agms are good!
I describe how to test them back on my first lithium/lead video. Before the BankManager
Have you considered testing a name brand like Battle Born to use as a benchmark to compare these other batteries to?
That's an idea. I kinda doubt they would send me one as my thing is kinda showing the competition is cheaper and a lot of them are fine offerings.
Hey, thats a snazzy infrared camera adaptor. What is it? I am thinking of presurizing a cabin and looking for thermal leaks so that could be right up my street.
It's called a FLIR one pro. I recommend it.
If I replaced one of my 100ah total flooded banks (#2 house) with something like this, and a bank manager, would I need to still protect against the alternator? I am also installing a MPPT, which I so far thought to just connect to bank #2.
czcams.com/video/jCZfa2r-QMY/video.html
For wiring there also is a video and of course the manual
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Sir: May I ask what APP/software you use on your smart phone and is there one for an I-phone? Also, would reveal the App that allows you to adjust the parameters?
Check with the company
It's in their ads
Have you tried charging it above 50A? I connected it to my alternator (parallel with Lead) and it feels like the BMS has a current limiter (not shutoff) and keeps it just below 50A. Getting like 35A while idling and right 49.xx A at cruising speeds. Would be a neat alternator protecting feature. I am reading more and more about limiting BMS. (Off-Grid Garage had reviewed a BMS which had that feature as well)
No I haven't but I'm about to build a waterproof battery with a similar BMS. That would be a great feature if it kept the charge at .5c
@@EmilyAndClark apparently you can configure the active current limiter to whatever Amp number you like. Any suggestion about which Bluetooth app can go into the deeper settings of the Elefast?
I haven't used it yet but there are two. The simple one I used and one that lets you change all the settings.
I'm going to need to dig deeper into this. If you figure it out first please share.
I have one of these batteries and it is working fine. There is no way to make a warranty claim. They have no customer service. It's cheap but you get what you pay for
I've seen several people complaining about this. I just sent an email to the company suggesting the add this to their Amazon posting and add it to the pinned comment under this video
Question, so the BMS on this battery would not allow a 1,800 watt microwave to run?? You mentioned just under 100amp came out to like 1,100watts.
Buy two of them
Can I mix two different lithium brands ? Currently running a 100ah renogy. It's great but they are a little pricier than these ones.
Common wisdom is you shouldn't. You are the captain of your own ship. Id be more concerned with different ages.
It would cost a lot but multiple BankManagers (one per battery type) would be perfectly fine.
Nice! I wanted to try lithium in my setup but it was not affordable for me for what you can get. I stick with AGMs that can be refurbished. 75 year lifetime each battery if you're lucky through renewing these. Burnout is possible where it just won't renew. However lithium to my knowledge does not have the option to be renewed, I only see one renewal and another 5-10 years out of this. Sure there is inefficiency with AGM but this can be fixed by having a blue boost capacitor bank in front of it. I have yet to order a skid of them. They are cheap in bulk, expensive individually. Six of the cans replace a car battery and hold a charge for 14 days. The resistance of AGMs counters the quick discharge of these if connected proper they need to be given a circuit to trickle them which is something similar to a buck converter. They can also protect from power spikes. They need more safeguards when dealing with them.
Best of luck on that project, especially the refurbish for 75 years part.
Let's just say that's not my experience over my years of off-grid living.
@@EmilyAndClark Oh ok how long have you gotten out of refurbs then? Still learning, I don't take one source of info for granted.
I have never refurbished AGM batteries or heard of anyone outside of a CZcams video doing it. AGM batteries in particular give you no access to electrolyte or plates without full disassembly.
I get like 15 years out of a set but that's because I have a huge bank that doesn't get cycled deep. And now of course I use Li as our main batteries with the BankManager so things should last longer.
@@EmilyAndClarkThats good to know I'm on a little over 5Kwh at the moment. goaling towards 8kwh, anything after isn't necessary in my situation unless I switch to series. So some agm's have access slots under the label and can be refurbished by emptying and refilling with distilled water and 30/70 sulfuric acid to a certain ratio. You then have to use a machine that boils the battery on and off to certain time slots. Getting it wrong means either a paperweight or injuries. Some people use stick welders to do it but getting the automated machine for it is much safer.
Like I said best of luck. I really hope this works but I just can't imagine it working.
Seems like industry doesn't do this. My fear is it's guys making CZcams videos that show what viewers want to see
My blueitti 2000 ac has been great.. i use it to cook with my induction on a low wattage..charges quickly... Charge up lights and phone
And it is sorta a back up.. independent with it's own solar charging...engine for the lead starting and AGM house (only 251).. the bluetti has its own mppt controller etc.. too easy
Can you connect a Bluetti to your house bank and utilize the Bluetti 's charge controller for both
Not really. They use nonstandard voltages
Right now I’m leaning towards EchoWorthy or PowerQueen. I’d like to build a bank with 200ah batteries.
I have a 300ah powerqueen on the way.
Why do you hammer on cases to open them instead of using a cutting tool?
Sometimes I can get them to open without having to destroy the case. Then it's easier to seal them again.
And a chisel is a cutting tool, but after this battery I'll likely cut the epoxy glued cases in the future with a vibrating cutter.
Hi,are you interested in reviewing a thermal camera to help you inspect energy efficiency and electrical faults ,etc?
I just don't think I have the expertise yet.
@@EmilyAndClark OK,thanks for your reply!
Being in Canada, I am limited for lipo batteries on Amazon. I recently bought 4 Eco-worthy batteries 12v-100ah for my boat. The battery case looks identical to what is on here. Anyone know if they are the same as this on for sure or know of anyone on youtube that has torn apart the eco-worthy batteries????? HELP!!!
I did a search for Elefast batteries on Amazon but couldn't find it. May I have the link?
There is a link in the video description and of course a link to all the batteries on the leader board (again link to it in the description)
Hi .. Any chance you could put links to countries other than the USA?. Amazon won't feel to New Zealand. Does the manufacturer sell direct to public ?
We have some batteries coming that have direct factory links but can't you just do an Amazon search? We won't get a taste but if the batteries are available locally you might find a direct link.
Knowing the name is the important part.
I just sent the manufacturer a note with the question
Just talked with the producer. Japan, Europe, Canada and US only at this time.
If it's a much better deal then local you could consider reship.com. People use that service for BankManagers going to new Zealand.
Hey, Clark!
Just finished watching your video. Looks like a great LiFePo4 battery!
Followed your link to this Elefast battery, and was supprised to find that it leads to an Amazon add picturing the Elefast battery, but the heading and named manufacturer is Feence? What is that about?
What do you think about pulling the trigger on some of these batteries now, before they may change the components in the future? Or wait for you to test more batteries? Will not need the new batteries before next spring.
As I said in the video, the same manufacturer makes Feence and Elefast (and others).
If you aren't in the US just search your local Amazon for the same thing.
What you buy is your choice. Things change.
@@EmilyAndClark The manufacturer would be better served using the Elefast name in their title, for people to be more sure if they are getting an Elefast battery from Feence or a Feence battery from Feence. Chinese manufacturers are notorious for inaccurate adds, so I would not be surprised to receive a Feence branded battery even if the image on the add was of a Elefast branded one. They did show to be different in your testings.
I will search Amazon. I didn't get any other relevant results than your videos, when searching for Elefast battery on Google.
I may wait for winter, to see if you have found any new nuggets.
Thanks!
How did you get ahold of Feence? Doing some research, I can't even find a website on either company which worries me a bit for customer service. I really like this battery and want to buy this but a bit curious. Also do you know if the transparent case from Elefast uses the Bluetooth BMS as well?
They are sending me one. I don't know yet.
@@EmilyAndClark thanks Clark! What about the company information? I wasn't able to find anything online about them.
Makes a bit of sense
These three offerings are their first "direct to consumer" batteries. They have manufactured them for years - sold by others. I think they are playing catch up.
I wrote them and copied your comment this morning.
Your concern is valid and they should work in that direction.
@@EmilyAndClark thanks! Another quick question for you, did you happen to see QR codes or any info on who is actually producing the cells?
Gotion High-tech.
I purchased 2 of these batteries and one of them isn't accepting a charge. I have the app and the charge option is on but it is not charging. It will accept approximately .2 amps but nothing more. What do I do? The other battery is behaving normally.
I'd first try to put the batteries in parallel for a minute or so. Many battery chargers are fussy about the battery voltages they need and if the BMS was off this will fix it
If not contact the company for assistance or a refund
@EmilyAndClark I was trying to charge them fully before hooking them together (like the instructions recommended) I will definitely contact the seller. Thanks man
I get the battery. The app for me does not allow any changes to the battery, so no turning off. It also requires you to enable location information or the app won't connect to the battery. I don't know why it should need that, but every time you connect, the Chinese company reads where you are located. It is sold through sellers. I got mine through Amazon ($206 + $40 shipping) shipped by "Li Battery". The documentation gives no actual warranty information, and there is no contact information either for the manufacturer or for the seller. So I don't expect any support or recourse if things go bad. The battery does indeed perform to spec, so I'm happy about that. I charged the battery fully and then drained it until the app said it was at 0% and a bit more, got 1294 Wh and the end voltage was just below 12.5V, so there was still more left if I had kept drawing from it. So far I'm satisfied with it and I plan on buying another one.
There is another app that lets you change various BMS settings.
I was surprised you couldn't turn the battery off?
@@EmilyAndClark I don't see any place to turn the battery off. There is a "control" section icon at the bottom of the screen, but when I tap on that the app says "No operation permission." My guess is that the ability to turn the battery off is in there, but it is inaccessible. Perhaps the app has been updated to address security concerns?
It could very well be an update.
Hope not or I'm going to look a fool with tomorrows video.
I no longer have that battery so I can't test it. I seem to remember you just touched the display where it says discharge is on.
Try it for me please.
@@EmilyAndClark I tried tapping everywhere. Nothing worked for me. This is app version 3.2.035.
Can I do the initial charge on this battery with 2 wired in parallel with a panel and solar charge controller
Sure. But use the app and charge the lower one first, bringing the other when the first reaches the approximate POC.
I mean, why not
But to charge them properly you should use a BankManager of course
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
@EmilyAndClark thanks for the quick reply. I am pretty new at this, so if they are wired together how do I select the lowest one to charge first? Oh, so just turn the chsrging off on one in the app right. I just thought of that now
Do they have any larger capacity batteries? I would like to build a 600 to 800 AH bank. Thx.
I have done a review on a 200ah battery.
Up coming is a 300, 360, and 400ah battery video. I'm only going to do larger batteries in the future but a few more 100s are in the pipeline
Thx, will keep watching.
Dave
Is it ok to mix brands of lithium batteries with the same amps or can it lead to problems?
General wisdom is don't mix manufacturers or ages ever. Don't mix ah in series. Don't mix voltage in parallel.
I'm running tests now but it looks like you can mix anything if you use a separate BankManager on each collection of the same.
An option to add more li after a couple of years with your first batch
Hi there. I would like to ask, How does this battery compare with car batteries that claim CRANKING AMPS?
Really most likely batteries could probably crank sn engine. It's more than they are rated for but they put out the power. Some special cells are actually made for it like headways.
It's the BMS that is different. These have smaller capacity BMSs that wouldn't be able to pass that kind of current.
@@EmilyAndClark
Thank you. That would save me some money in not investing in one of these for my car.
Any idea whether Elefast will be making 200ah batteries? I'd rather go that route than buying two and wiring in parallel.
I'm pressing them to go that way
They just put out a 36v golfcart battery so maybe
Thank you so much, Clark, for the wonderful info on this battery. You have a great channel and I'm so glad I found it before making the decision on which batteries to buy.
Anywho, speaking of golf carts, I'm really thinking of using three of these for my 36 volt Ezgo. I also have a 36v/48v charger spotted on Amazon that even uses the same plug that the cart takes for around $160.
Other than that, would you have any suggestions for the configuration of such a setup? Now, I was thinking of using 4 gauge between the batteries or maybe 6 if I could get by with it. I think I read a comment where you mention a balancer for a multiple battery setup, but hopefully that charger would handle the need for that.
I also plan to buy a 4th unit to run a trolling motor on a canoe so, I know I'll need a smaller charger to charge a single battery by itself for that application. Perhaps, you could even recommend one of those as well. Thank you, Clark! @EmilyAndClark
The same company just released this
You should consider it.
czcams.com/video/faocPTth15s/video.html
Was the one you tested the Group 24 or Group 31 battery?
31 I believe. You can check the dimensions on the leader board linked in the description.
@@EmilyAndClark Your Amazon link goes to a group 24. I'm curious what the differences are between the 31 and 24.
@user-kx6ng7bd8e that one is a g24. Always has been. I thought your comment was on my latest video. My mistake
This is a great battery for the price. I'd get it
It’s funny that a $2 upgrade to cold protection is soooo hard. They take a $259 battery and charge us $359.
I think you will find that the BMS used in this battery cost much more then an extra $2
And of course you are free to develop your own.
bought 3 elefast batteries wired in parallel in my rv, 2 batteries discharge while inverting 1 battery barely sends out any current
Are they all starting fully charged?
Will they all put out power when you use them alone?
Do you have them wired up in a balanced way?
@@EmilyAndClark they are fully charged, today 2 batteries fully discharged while the bad only discharged to 79%, plugged back in discharged ones charged back to 100% while the bad one went from 79% to 85% and then later charged full at about 3A rate. All negatives wired together and and all positives wired together at other end of bank, Contacted amazon seller(Elefest US) and hopefully working towards a replacement
Hi Clark, I'm Ruby and I replied to your email yesterday. I'm looking forward to your reply!😊
I think you should focus on marine grade batteries.
What in your opinion defines "marine grade"? What am I missing?
@@EmilyAndClark I think there should be a standardization on this subject. However, the last battery you tested is advertised for use in cars or trailers. So that's why I posted my review.
The electrons don't care if they are floating. Any LiFePO4 is fine on a boat as long as the case is good in my opinion.
The pup... I reviewed first wouldn't be my first choice but the rest of these are as "marine" as anything with a boat sticker on it.
Oh and I'm looking at it now. There is a boat (a power boat) on the picture
Oh I forgot to say that each battery was $179+$30Shippin
What are your thoughts about building your own LiFePo4 batteries using cells from car batteries vs buying these cheap ready made batteries?
Cells from car batteries? Most cars use li-ion
@@EmilyAndClark
Tesla's 2021 Q3 report announced a transition to LiFePO4 batteries as the new standard in its vehicles. - I guess people buy the cells from totalled Tesla vehicles?
$205 on Amazon now,$780 for 3 of the total tax and shipping
You seem to have a heat gun. Wouldn't you just carefully heat the case lip with that heat gun to soften the glue to open the battery case??? Just saying.....
I could give it a try but a lot of them are epoxied together.
You look so much like Lloyd Evans. Is he a relative?
No, I had never heard of him before
Checking with you insurance company before installing LFP is a good idea.
Was this battery discontinued? I purhased four a few weeks ago through amazon. When I go to amazon and click on the porduct I orderd, it takes me to a different battery (FEENCE 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Battery) That has similar specs but no BT.
Does anyone know how to contact feence for support on elefast batteries?
Use the link on my leader board
It's linked in the description of any of the battery review videos.
That link works for me
And do you know how to reach customer support? I have not been able to find an email or website
No my contacts are all marketing and management
@@EmilyAndClark Since I have your attention and you seem to know about batteries... :)
I have 4 of this batteries bought a few weeks ago. Connected thought a bus bar with equal length/gauge cables to an inverter and MPPT solar charger. When initialy connected the batteries, they were all at the same voltage and the SOC was +-1%. After a few weeks, the SOC reported by the batteries BMS has drifted and two batteries are at 30%/31%/40%/42%.
Do you think this is normal?
What would you do to resolve it?
Thanks,
D.
How are you charging them? Are you using a BankManager?
Also it's not important that your positive and negative cables are the same length but it is important that the positive goes to the first battery and the negative goes to the last battery (or the other way around)
BMS poc counters aren't that accurate unless you overcharge the battery to signal the BMS to recalibrate. BankManager does a better job
How can you give the company an "Excellent" rating when there is no website and no published warranty information? The battery may be excellent but Feence and Elefast don't seem to exist outside of Amazon. I highly suspect the "warranty" would be worthless.
Do a little research or contact them through Amazon. Others are finding the app. I did.
@@EmilyAndClark Might want to reread my comment, it has nothing to do with the app. I questioned the "Excellent" rating. I did tons of research and outside of Amazon they don't exist. If they pull down their Amazon presence they don't exist.
@@EmilyAndClark Did tons of research and came up empty looking for the companies contact information. How did you contact Elefast/ Feence?
I was contacted by them
@sailingstonerose I just sent them a request for public content information
Mid December 2023, this battery shows $215.00
That's a great price for this!
I have 4 on the way now. $40.00 each on the shipping though.
@paulscott690 they charged me $40 as well. Still pretty cheap..
Hello everyone,i just receive my Elefast battery but without any QR code to connect my android phone to my battery.I need help please.(maybe somebody can post the picture of the QR code).Thanks
Not everyone uses a QR code. I'll save you googling it.
Go to the play store and search
xiaoxiang electric
Install the app with the elephant on a blue background
@@EmilyAndClark thank you very much,you just made my day.
I purchased one for 185 ...excellent battery
I am not a fan of blue tooth controls. The blue tooth protocol itself is okish, I don't like extra rf floating around, even low level. The big thing is will the app run on any phone? For example, I have an x86 tablet that I use for chord charts (well, an acer spin with linux running waydroid (android)) which works fine. However, we just got a digital mixer (mackie dl1608) that expects to be run from a tablet... the app is not available for x86. Beyond that I notice complaints that the app does not work on the latest version of android/arm either. People's phones have upgraded themselves as normal and the app no longer works. So it is not the blue tooth that I don't like so much as the "app space" that goes with it. One never knows that even though it works this week, it will continue to work next week or next phone.
The battery seems great but I could not find a manufacture's site in your information (Amazon should but does not provide a link to the manufacture's website). Yet you seem to have such a web site that you have used. Maybe that is more valuable than "you can buy it here" link. On the other hand, a site to the actual cells or even generic cells might be even more useful :)
Just download the app and try.
The manufacturer is creating a CZcams account and will post a comment soon. I'll pin it to the top.
Have at him.
Hay clark! Looking for your AC kits. Dont see them on your utube. Are u still doing them? If so where. Thanks for your excellent content!! Jim
Nope I had to end that contract.
czcams.com/video/Q0juFMOMaD8/video.html
I technically have one left but it would be a hassle to get someone to ship it. And bring the last we are asking $3k. Still a bargon as there is nothing that compares power wise and the closest costs more then 3k