Volthium 12.8-400-G8DY-Cxxx

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

Quebec-based Volthium released a 400 Amp-hour version of their group 8D sized lithium-ion batteries, available with self-heating or as a regular (unheated) battery. Both feature an integrated cooling system that keeps the BMS temperature under control and extends the usable temperature range.

This battery is great for boats, RVs, vehicles, off-grid systems, and industrial applications.  It is ABYC compliant, including clause E-13, regarding communication.

The Volthium 12.8-400-G8DY is part of their Aventura series of batteries, with 12 Volt 400 Ah or 5.12 kWh of stored energy. Physically this is a group 8D battery, weighing in at 104 lbs (47 kg).

The battery can be purchased including (12.8-400-G8DY-CH2O) or without (12.8-400-G8DY-CO) build-in heater. The unheated battery can be discharged up to -30C, the heated version allows charging as low as -40C. Heated lithium-ion batteries should NEVER be connected in series! 

Certifications: UL1973 & ABYC for the full assembly, the cells have UL1642, UL1973, IEC62619, IEC62660, & CSA UL9540A

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 12.8-400-G8DY-CH2O 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.

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 80 Amp or less is preferred for longevity, though up to 150 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 -30C

The maximum discharge rate is 250 Amp continuous, and 300A for 3 seconds.

The Volthium 12.8-400-G8DY 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 1600 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 8D battery, M8 terminals
• Inrush current limiter build-in (soft-start)
• Much lighter vs. lead-acid, 105 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, 400 Amp-hour @ 20-hour discharge rate (5.12 kWh of stored energy)
• Active cell management through included battery management system (BMS)
• Long lifespan, true deep-cycle: 3500+ cycles at 100% DOD, 6000+ cycles at 80% DOD
• 4 years full warranty, plus 6 years pro-rated, for 10 years total