Solid state marine battery

Still Afloat said:

Hi Tom,
It’s really great that you reached to the forum to dispel a lot of speculation.

The solid state batteries are still quite expensive. I was an early adopter of LiFe PO batteries for marine applications some 15 years ago and the technology wasn’t cheap back then. I paid something like $650 for a 60A/hr battery plus $150 or more for a charger. However, it was a good investment.

So a big advantage of SS batteries compared to LiFePO is operation as a cranking AND deep cycle battery. This leads me to ask about charging since a cranking battery is connected to the engine’s alternator which may not provide optimal charge current and voltage.

So two questions:
1. Will the above application reduce battery life and capacity?
2. Can you alleviate this issue by topping of the battery after use with a recommended CC/CV charger?

Just thought of one additional question. The charging and operating temperatures are better than a non-heated LiFePO. What is the minimum storage temperature?

Thanks for your time.

Dave (Still Afloat)

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SolidStateMarine said:

Hi

Hi Dave,
Connecting directly to the alternator is fine with these batteries. With a larger voltage range, the batteries can charge up to 16.8V (which is great for graphs, fish finders, and stereos) which makes this a great fit for charging from an alternator. Also, we have a couple different series, but even the standard series has a 200A continuous discharge rate, which is suitable for many starters.

If you wanted to top off the battery with a charger to get the full 16.8V, you'll get a battery with an immense amount of capacity. You'll just want to double check that the rest of your electronics are OK with the higher voltage (most electronics in the last 5 years are actually designed for higher voltage).

Let me know if you have any other questions!
Tom

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