12V 80Ah Deep Cycle Battery

The 12V 80Ah Deep Cycle Battery is a 12.8-volt LiFePO4 block of 1,024 watt-hours on M8 terminals, rated IP65. One kilowatt-hour is the size that runs a minimalist car-camper or a small solar backup store from a single battery.

The Build

One battery, one camper

A car-camper or micro-van runs off a single house battery, and 1,024 watt-hours suits a compact one. A 12-volt fridge takes 30 to 40 amp-hours a day, lights and a roof fan a handful more, a water pump its short bursts, and a small inverter runs a laptop or a camera charger. That daily total sits near half the pack, with reserve for a cloudy morning and a shallow depth of discharge.

Solar And Alternator

Two ways to refill

The battery refills two ways on the road. A 100 to 150-watt roof panel through an LFP controller covers a light day’s use over a day of sun, and a DC-DC charger off the alternator tops it up on a drive. The 80-amp continuous rating also runs a 1,000-watt inverter for a kettle or an induction ring in short spells.

Backup Duty

When the grid drops

At home the same block is a silent backup for a router, a few lights and a phone through an outage, floating charged and answering the moment mains power drops. Its 2 to 3 percent monthly self-discharge keeps it ready through long idle stretches between calls.

Against Lead

Usable capacity and life

An 80Ah lead battery gives about 40 usable amp-hours before its voltage falls too far, and a few hundred cycles. This block gives the full 80 amp-hours and more than 4,000 cycles at 8.9 kilograms, a third the weight of the equivalent lead unit.

Data

Datasheet

Fit

Charging and banks

Use a lithium charger at 14.6 volts, an LFP solar controller or a DC-DC unit. Two blocks in parallel double the store to 160 amp-hours on one set of wiring.