Volthium 12.8-150-G31Y-Cxxx

Also see our Finding Happiness with Lithium-Ion article, explaining the care and feeding of these batteries.

Quebec-based Volthium is working hard to bring lithium-ion batteries to the mainstream for battery banks. Not just for RVs and boats, but for for larger off-grid systems as well. They make various popular battery group sizes as a drop-in for lead-acid, and batteries for 19″ rackmount in a modular system that can be sized to fit any project. There is a Volthium battery for all your needs!

The Volthium 12.8-150-G31Y is part of their Aventura series of batteries, with 12 Volt 150 Ah (1.92 kWh of stored energy). Physically this is a group 31 battery, weighing in at 38 lbs.

The 12.8-150-G31Y can be purchased including (12.8-150-G31Y-CHSS) or without (12.8-150-G31Y-CSS) build-in heater. The internal self-heating system and an advanced BMS will never again make you fear our Canadian winters. For the heated battery, the heater will automatically kick in and heat up the cells to 11 Centigrade before it starts to actually charge them, thus allowing charging even when the external temperatures are well below freezing. Heated lithium-ion batteries should NEVER be connected in series! 

Certifications: ABYC for the full assembly, the cells have UL1642, UL1973, IEC62619, IEC62660

The heated 12.8-150-G31Y-CHSS is CSA SPE-1000 listed (Field Inspection & Approval), that should meet ESA requirements for use in vans, RVs, campers etc.

These batteries have a button that, when activated, will allow charging-only. This is a great option for storage where solar charging should be enabled, while discharge by (parasitic) loads needs to be prevented.

The 12.8-150-G31Y-CHSS heated battery is equipped with two internal heating systems: The traditional intelligent system is activated when you charge the battery at below-freezing temperatures. The second system, called manual, is activated when you apply a voltage to the positive H+ connector (M6) of the battery. This manual heating system is not automated. If you connect the positive terminal of the battery (M8) to the H+ connector (M6) of the battery with a small piece of cable, it will start heating using the internal energy of the battery. Please note that this can drain the battery, and should be on a timer. It is meant for use in special/professional applications and works to -25C.

This Volthium battery has 2x RJ-45 ports, whose pins are gold plated, allowing communication via the RS-485 protocol. This connector is also used to transmit the internal information of the batteries to the Victron environment (using Victron’s VE.CAN protocol). To do this, get the Volthium HUB accessory.

In addition, the RJ-45 connector allows you to add the Volthium Bluetooth transmitter, which can handle up to 4 parallel batteries when paired with the HUB.

All Volthium batteries have UL1642 certified cells, and the best BMS on the market (powered by Texas Instruments), designed and programmed by Volthium in Quebec. This battery is designed to last!

Volthium lithium-ion batteries are true deep-cycle batteries, they can repeatedly be discharged a full 100% without damage. The battery has a build-in battery management system (BMS). The BMS allows them to be charged with regular solar PV charge controllers, with the same settings as for any other sealed battery (such as AGM batteries). The BMS also takes care of protecting the batteries from over- and under-charge, low Voltage disconnect, over-current, and automatic balancing of the cells.

Charge settings for Volthium batteries:

• Bulk/absorb = 14.2 – 14.6 Volt, with 14.4 Volt ideal
• Absorb time = about one hour, not critical
• Float = not needed, set to 13.6 Volt or less
• No equalize, or set to 14.4 Volt if it can’t be disabled
• No temperature compensation, set to 0
• Charge rate of 40 Amp or less is preferred for longevity, though up to 80 Amp is possible
• Charging works from 0C (for the 12.8-150-G31Y-CSS) or -40C (for the 12.8-150-G31Y-CHSS), discharge works fine up to -25C

The maximum discharge rate is 100 Amp continuous, 200 Amp for 30 seconds, and 300 Amp for 1 second.

The Volthium 12.8-150-G31Y batteries can be connected in parallel to increase the Ah rating. Up to 4 batteries can be connected in parallel, making for a 12 Volt 600 Ah system. Ask us if you have any questions about properly sizing a battery bank.

Volthium batteries use LiFePO4 chemistry (Lithium-Iron-Phosphate) in prismatic cells. This is very stable and is not sensitive to spontaneous combustion, unlike laptop and cell-phone lithium-ion batteries. The cells have build-in protection for over-pressure, over-temperature, and contain a fire-retardant in the electrolyte and casing. These are very safe batteries!

Because lithium-ion batteries can be discharged to 100% DOD, and this can be done for more cycles, a smaller battery bank can suffice vs. lead-acid. Since there is no off-gassing these batteries can be mounted indoors, in any orientation.

Features

• ABYC rated
• Zero maintenance!
• Quebec engineering
• IP66 rated, waterproof!
• Group 31 battery, M8 terminals
• Inrush current limiter build-in (soft-start)
• SPE-1000 (CSA) listed for the 12.8-150-G31Y-CHSS
• Much lighter vs. lead-acid, just 38 lbs!
• Compatible with standard charge controllers
• No memory effect, can be left at any State-Of-Charge
• Can be discharged 100% repeatedly without damage!
• Very low self-discharge, can hold charge for at least 1 year
• Can be mounted in any orientation, zero off-gassing, no dangerous acid
• 12 Volt, 150 Amp-hour @ 20-hour discharge rate (1.92 kWh of stored energy)
• Active cell management through included battery management system (BMS)
• Long lifespan, true deep-cycle: 3000+ cycles at 100% DOD, 6000+ cycles at 80% DOD
• 4 years full warranty, plus 6 years pro-rated, for 10 years total