Civic EPES: Alternator Delete Project (with additional lithium battery...)

[brucepick]

Bump. Edited post #64 here, due to earlier calculation error.

I've been building the wire harness to disable the alternator via dashboard switch. Very difficult getting access to the harness area.

[gabi]

i just saw this on ebay

BALLISTIC PERFORMANCE LITHIUM EVO2 12V 8-CELL MOTORCYCLE BATTERY, RED, 275 AMPS | eBay

for the price is almost too good to be true

[oil pan 4]

$143?
I am going to build a 28 cell battery for my diesel truck for about $200

[fastegg]

Why don't you guys use an electric water pump and run no fan belt at all ?

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by fastegg

Why don't you guys use an electric water pump and run no fan belt at all ?

I think I am the only one with an electric coolant pump.
I cant really do that on the truck. My power steering pump provides power to the hydroboost brake system. With a 5800lb truck you kind of need P/S.
I would like to do a clutched P/S pump sometime.
An electric P/S pump is possible but unlikely.
Plus I still plan on keeping the alternator, just at somepoint I will run it with no belt at least driving around town.

[brucepick]

In my case, I'm pretty sure the Civic water pump is gear driven of an engine shaft. Not related to the alt drive belt at all. I do like having a/c and power steering. True that I could drive the car without either.

Hmmm... removing the belts would be a long lasting decision for me - I'm not handy at installing + tightening them. I'd probably cut 'em off and that would be the end of them.

[brucepick]

Originally Posted by gabi

i just saw this on ebay

BALLISTIC PERFORMANCE LITHIUM EVO2 12V 8-CELL MOTORCYCLE BATTERY, RED, 275 AMPS | eBay

for the price is almost too good to be true

If it sounds too good to be true...

The listing doesn't specify what type lithium chemistry it is. LiFePO4 is the latest and greatest version of lithium cell I'm aware of, highly resistant to overheating with all it's attendant disastrous consequences. My guess is, if the pack were LiFePO4 they would proudly tell you. They don't say, so I'm guessing it uses an older version of Li cell which is more hazardous.

The seller also doesn't give a critical specification, which is the AH capacity of the battery. So going by its weight, which is provided...

At 1.81 lb. it's just about 1/9 the weight of the LiFePO4 pack I have on order. So I'd assume it has about 1/9 the AH capacity of what I've ordered, and in this application AH is the key. 1/9 of my pack's 40AH is not much and wouldn't get my car to my office. It's between 1/2 and 1/3 the cost of my pack, with likely 1/9 the capacity. Is that a good deal?

My pack also has a "protection circuit module" built into the case; kind of a baby BMS (Battery Management System), which is priced about $150 purchased separately. Once you start reading into lithiums you learn that the individual cells must be managed separately; you can't just repeatedly charge the whole pack using a single + and - cable and ignore the individual cells, if you want the pack to last. Check your cell phone battery, it likely has multiple contacts to manage the individual cell's charge behavior. Or check your Prius or Insight battery (OK, OK, I don't have one either). Has a separate tap for each cell for charge management purposes.

Ya get what ya pay for, but only if you pay attention to what you're getting. If you don't pay attention, you get less than what you pay for, IMHO.

[Milwaukee]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

$143?
I am going to build a 28 cell battery for my diesel truck for about $200

Please post pictures and info on these. I was consider doing these on my diesel trucks.

Lead car batteries seem don't last long anymore to me.


On ebay I think they use NIHM cells which you could recharge. If it NICD it junk

[oil pan 4]

NiMH aren't going to work unless you have a ton of them.
I don't have any pictures because I have not made it yet. I am going to get 28 A123 cells and put them together and make a car battery.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ies-18547.html
Here is what I got so far. I'm using a 20 cell LiFePO4 battery in the car, I didn't build it but I can build the next one.

[brucepick]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

NiMH aren't going to work unless you have a ton of them.
I don't have any pictures because I have not made it yet. I am going to get 28 A123 cells and put them together and make a car battery.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ies-18547.html
Here is what I got so far. I'm using a 20 cell LiFePO4 battery in the car, I didn't build it but I can build the next one.

Have a look here:
12.8V (12V) LiFePO4 Battery Packs
or here:
LiFePO4 Cells or here 3.2V LiFePO4 Single Cells (1C-30C Rate)

Their LiFePO4 packs come as large as 200 AH (amp hours). That's 200 amps of draw for an hour, or one amp for 200 hours. Your typical lead acid deep cycle in a size for a good size pickup or large old school car is about 60 AH so anywhere from about 40 AH up is a very capable battery, depending on what your needs are.

The cells in the pack I selected have an impulse discharge current (read "cranking amps") of 400A for <10 sec. Pack's total rated capacity: 40 AH (amp hours).

BatterySpace.com sells individual cells for those who will build their own packs. Also sells made up packs, with and without the protection circuit modules. Also sells cell chemistry-appropriate chargers at very reasonable prices. They also have full fledged BMS (Battery Management System) available if that's your preference.