The quickest way to get your batteries ready for the season
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The sailing season is just around the corner and with it the ever-returning question: Are my batteries still okay? For all those who wish for more peace of mind and maybe also storage capacity, there is a simple solution. Lithium modules that can be added to the existing batteries and extend their lifespan by up to ten years. Spring can come.
Most sailors know this situation: You come back to your boat in early spring and find that your batteries are harmed from winter. They have lost capacity. To enjoy sailing trips safely – and to power that bigger fridge you wanted to buy – you need to replace them with Lithium batteries. Goodbye battery, hello back pain. Lithium batteries would be lighter – but mostly not on your wallet…
Good news for all who consider switching to lithium but cannot quite decide for it: You can go step by step. It is possible to combine small lithium modules with your lead-acid batteries and extend their capacity step by step. This way, you can replace the weakest batteries with lithium modules. Or, if you just want to add more capacity, that is possible too. A good way to get back on the water quicker.
Adding lithium can be simple
We showed how this works in our February issue 2023, when we portrayed Howard from Australia. He is the owner of a Bavaria 36 yacht that lays on the Gold Coast. Howard has installed two lithium extension battery modules on his boat, combining them with two 105 Ah AGM batteries and 240W solar panels. They just need to be added to the plus and minus pole of the existing lead-battery. “What surprised me most was the easy installation of the modules”, explains Howard. “It took just a couple of minutes, and I only needed a very small space for them. And: For a significantly lower price than a complete lithium battery system, you can upgrade your ‘normal’ battery capacity and get much better results.”
Good news for the wallet. And how about the hurting back? The modules that Howard has installed are called LE300 Smart Battery System. Each of them weighs 3.4 kg – quite a difference compared to the 26 kg of a lead-acid battery. Another plus: The modules will extend the lead-acid lifespan by up to ten years – no more carrying for a long time.
Why keeping your lead-acid or AGM battery can make a lot of sense
The aim is not to discard the existing batteries completely. They have important functionalities. For example, as starter batteries or for the anchor. In some boats, changing to lithium would simply be impossible. In other cases, the electrical system has grown over the years and works well.
Never change a running system, so why would you throw away something that still works perfectly fine? The advantage of Howard’s lithium extension is that they work together with the lead-acid batteries and not just beside them or instead of them. The two batteries form a real plug-and-play hybrid that utilizes the best of each battery type.
Lithium for daily consumption, lead-acid as back-up
The modules that Howard has installed have 25.2 Ah usable capacity each. Finding out how many of those you need for your adventures is relatively easy. Just follow this rule of thumb: Lithium should cover the general daily consumption, lead-acid serves as cheap back-up.
To calculate your daily consumption, take the power you need for each device on your boat and multiply it by the hours that you will use it for. Knowing your consumption per day, you just need to define the days of autonomy you want. Then you know how many lithium batteries you need. Of course, if you have a solar-system or wind-generator on board, you can downsize the batteries.
Or, if you do not want to calculate, just keep what you have and add what you want.
Using solar and wind better
The good thing is that by adding lithium to your lead-acid batteries, you can also get more out of solar and wind. When lead-acid batteries are about 80% full, they start to charge very slowly. Any extra power you generate now will be lost if you do not consume it.
Lithium extension modules take up the surpluses that the lead-acid battery cannot store. This means that you get a higher outcome of your solar or wind generator and thus give it higher value for the money of the entire system. For Howard, who has solar installed, this was a main reason to add the lithium modules.
Curious? See further information about LE300 here: https://www.bos-ag.com/products/le300/
Visitors to boot Düsseldorf can see LE300 in Hall 10 on booth C17.
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