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NEWS
Scenic adopts next-gen battery
More efficient, longer-lasting lead crystal batteries now being offered by Australian caravan manufacturersLead-acid gel and AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries have been the 12V battery of choice for caravanners for years, with a small but growing number of mostly off-road vanners forking out for the latest, pricey lithium option.
But now there’s another enticing alternative being rolled out by a small number of Victorian caravan manufacturers: lead crystal batteries.
At this year’s Melbourne Leisurefest, a $74,500, 23ft Scenic Galaxy off-road caravan on the Bayswater RV’s stand was fitted with two, 120Ah lead crystal batteries, which are of similar size and weight to more traditional AGM batteries but offer a few advantages, according to Bayswater RV’s boss Flavio O’Sughrue.
“The main reason to put them in is a lot of people will use the van for six months of the year and park it for the other six months, and they go back to the caravan and the batteries are flat. And once normal batteries are flat you can still charge them up but they don’t hold their charge,” he said.
“With the lead crystal batteries, you can drop down to zero voltage and they then recharge and hold it.”
The maker of the lead crystal batteries, Betta Batteries, says on their website that “the lead crystal battery has an extremely low self-discharge and can be stored for more than two years without any top-up charging prior to use”.
They also claim a longer ‘usage life’ than AGM and lithium batteries, of up to 12 years, and an ability to operate in more extreme temperatures, from minus 40 degrees to 65 degrees celcius.
With lower internal resistance than AGM batteries, they can also be charged up to three times faster. And they're ‘greener’, with less acid and toxic materials and almost fully recyclable.
Betta Batteries says the LC batteries utilize “a unique, micro-porous high absorbent mat (AGM), pure lead plates, safe SiO2 electrolyte solution that solidifies into a white crystalline powder when charged/discharged”.
Unlike lithium they cost only slightly more than AGM batteries, according to O’Sughrue.
“With lithium you’re paying up to $1800 for an equal voltage battery. A 100Ah lead crystal battery costs about $480, so it’s about $100 dearer,” he said.
“It’s an excellent alternative to a longer life battery without going to lithium.”
Available for 2V, 6V and 12V applications, the LC batteries are already being used in everything from boats to golf carts, and O’Sughrue believes they will eventually dominate the RV market due to their ability to “hold their charge” over the long term.
He said other manufacturers including Goldstream are trialling the batteries, which are yet to be tested over the long term in locally-built caravans.
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Written byChris Fincham
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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