Cell prices coming down

[RV10flyer]

I have 220kWh in my home, shop and work van. The only crapcells I purchased were my first four from AliExpress. After that I stick with recommended sellers….Dongguan Lightning, then Shenzhen Luyuan and now 18650 from Atlanta. Finally a US supplier with quality grade A cells. $150+ for 280/304’s. The more you buy the better your price. Just like HVAC, don’t fall for the low ballers or the guys who answer the phone and can get to you the next day at 90 degrees.

 

[Speedr56]

I received a photo from Docan in China of their 280ah

 

[Speedr56]

What does this LF280K. QR Code reveal? From my recent set of cells.

View attachment 162248

this is is the picture that China Docan sent me for their Eve 280k please look it over and tell me if it is a B cell

 

[Speedr56]

Decided to pay a little more and bought 16 cells from Shenzhen Basen Technology. Shipped from China and baba fee $ 320. They are suppose to be a reputable reseller and I was given all the assurances of matched, new cells

EVE 3.2V 280K( the laser attached double terminals with expansion bus bars and screws)	16	USD 92	USD 1,472.00
Total Order Amount:USD 1,792.00

 

[Alloy]

Decided to pay a little more and bought 16 cells from Shenzhen Basen Technology. Shipped from China and baba fee $ 320. They are suppose to be a reputable reseller and I was given all the assurances of matched, new cells

​

EVE 3.2V 280K( the laser attached double terminals with expansion bus bars and screws)	16	USD 92	USD 1,472.00
Total Order Amount:USD 1,792.00

Did you ask for the test report?

 

[Alkaline]

Hopefully you'll have better luck then me, I got screwed over by Alex Chen From Basen:

What is going on here? Just got ZKE-40

Recently, I am thinking relying on AH is not enough to determine cell quality, so I finally ponied up the cash and bought a ZKE-40 tester and tested 1 of my Luyuan 280K cells, matched & batched genuine. As you can see it falls a bit short on the AH, but at the same time exceed the WH of the...

diysolarforum.com

These were supposed to be grade A Perfect Cells... All Alex said was to "trust him"...

 

[Speedr56]

Hopefully you'll have better luck then me, I got screwed over by Alex Chen From Basen:

What is going on here? Just got ZKE-40

Recently, I am thinking relying on AH is not enough to determine cell quality, so I finally ponied up the cash and bought a ZKE-40 tester and tested 1 of my Luyuan 280K cells, matched & batched genuine. As you can see it falls a bit short on the AH, but at the same time exceed the WH of the...

diysolarforum.com

These were supposed to be grade A Perfect Cells... All Alex said was to "trust him"...

from reading lots of posts it's hard to trust lfp battery sellers as an entire group except the US based ones where consumer protection laws help.
I haven taken the gamble before and hope Basen does me right. I got all the same assurances. I don't mind if they aren't EV quality as long as they work for my intended purpose a 48v battery for RV and home use.

 

[Alloy]

Hopefully you'll have better luck then me, I got screwed over by Alex Chen From Basen:

What is going on here? Just got ZKE-40

Recently, I am thinking relying on AH is not enough to determine cell quality, so I finally ponied up the cash and bought a ZKE-40 tester and tested 1 of my Luyuan 280K cells, matched & batched genuine. As you can see it falls a bit short on the AH, but at the same time exceed the WH of the...

diysolarforum.com

These were supposed to be grade A Perfect Cells... All Alex said was to "trust him"..

Wouldn't surprise me if Shenzhen Basen uses the name to grab orders from Shenzhen Qishou

What's getting confusing is the name sellers are using, EV Grade - Storage Grade - A Grade - B Grade

Even Sunfun who has provided allot of information to the consumer adds to the confusion by naming cells as EV&ESS Grade plus Automotive Grade.

​

 

[Alloy]

from reading lots of posts it's hard to trust lfp battery sellers as an entire group except the US based ones where consumer protection laws help.
I haven taken the gamble before and hope Basen does me right. I got all the same assurances. I don't mind if they aren't EV quality as long as they work for my intended purpose a 48v battery for RV and home use.

For price comparison I'd want to know what grades I'm comparing and if they are all the same.

 

[Steve_S]

This is what a proper B Cell QR Code looks like as issued from EVE.
Note that the SN# is also modified. The B & SN Moifications is lazer etched over the QR tag.

 

[Alkaline]

If you get a test report its real, if not, it's very likely grade b.

As for ESS or EV that is based on the manufacturer e.g.

Example here is the LF280K, its rated for Energy Storage System:
https://diysolarforum.com/resources/eve-lf280k-s04.296/. download the file and go to page

search for GB/T 36276-2018 in that PDF and you'll find this is a test for Energy Storage. So EVE only got this cell certified for Energy Storage applications.

On the other side if you look at the 304 its been certified for electric traction battery:

EVE LiFePo4 LF304 (3.2V 304Ah) Product Specification Data Sheet (version B) 2020-06-18

Data sheet for EVE LiFePo4 304AH cells received from Shenzhen Qishou Technology Co., Ltd

diysolarforum.com

if you go to page 4 on the 304 pdf, you'll see they tested this to GB/T 31485-2015 which is an electric vehicle battery test. So this would make it an EV cell.

Basically you can make cells to meet different requirements, however, many people get confused by this and say if I cell is rated for EV and fails then it becomes an ESS cell. No, if you fail Medical School, you don't get to go around calling your self a Dentist ( * equips ?️ to protect against angry dentist ).

So you can look at the Cell's data sheet to find out what it has been tested against, some cells have multiple certifications while others only have 1.

It has nothing to do with grade A or B, if you fail testing you get a B mark if its EVE, or they will take a Dremel and mar up the qr code if its REPT, Ganfeng, Envision and Many other manufacturers (which EVE should do as well).

 

[Speedr56]

If you get a test report its real, if not, it's very likely grade b.

As for ESS or EV that is based on the manufacturer e.g.

Example here is the LF280K, its rated for Energy Storage System:
https://diysolarforum.com/resources/eve-lf280k-s04.296/. download the file and go to page

search for GB/T 36276-2018 in that PDF and you'll find this is a test for Energy Storage. So EVE only got this cell certified for Energy Storage applications.

On the other side if you look at the 304 its been certified for electric traction battery:

EVE LiFePo4 LF304 (3.2V 304Ah) Product Specification Data Sheet (version B) 2020-06-18

Data sheet for EVE LiFePo4 304AH cells received from Shenzhen Qishou Technology Co., Ltd

diysolarforum.com

if you go to page 4 on the 304 pdf, you'll see they tested this to GB/T 31485-2015 which is an electric vehicle battery test. So this would make it an EV cell.

Basically you can make cells to meet different requirements, however, many people get confused by this and say if I cell is rated for EV and fails then it becomes an ESS cell. No, if you fail Medical School, you don't get to go around calling your self a Dentist ( * equips ?️ to protect against angry dentist ).

So you can look at the Cell's data sheet to find out what it has been tested against, some cells have multiple certifications while others only have 1.

It has nothing to do with grade A or B, if you fail testing you get a B mark if its EVE, or they will take a Dremel and mar up the qr code if its REPT, Ganfeng, Envision and Many other manufacturers (which EVE should do as well).

So, if you buy a B that's sold as an A and the QR tag is intact it's a fake?

 

[Alkaline]

Not sure what you mean? If its an EVE Cell made in 2021 then even the B versions will not have a B on them, they started doing the B thing around mid 2022 because EVE themselves were loosing sales to grade B sellers who were hawking cells as grade A for cheaper than EVE themselves were selling for.

Here is that thread:

EVE identifies Grade B cells using new marking Method

Yesterday I got a new information from my supplier. I was supposed to order EVE LF230 (230Ah) cells from them. But it seems there has been a change on how EVE is sending out rejected cells (Tested to be lower than Automotive Grade) for auction to the Chinese market (grey). According to the new...

diysolarforum.com

However, that hasn't stopped the Sellers from making fantastical stories about what the B means, I used to jokingly say ohh Basen probably be like "Well you see the B is for Basen" ... I think they actually used that on some buyer

other threads:

EVE battery QR code B ?

Hi ! We got this response from Dongguan Lightning for a new order of EVE LF280K order. Anyone can confirm that this B in the QR code does not mean it is GRADE B cell ? So this only differentiate cells sold for EV or solar ?

diysolarforum.com

Ultimately you want a test report its the only guarentee, any grade A seller has no problems giving it to you, if they don't give it to you, they will have excuse after excuse,

here is an example of ezeals test report: https://ezealco.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/LF304-Testing-Report.xlsx

 

[Speedr56]

I'm buying a zke -40 tester and filing a complaint as soon any fail testing. I suppose the only recourse is to go to Alibaba? You said Alex was no help. I'm dealing with Ella at Basen.

 

[Alkaline]

It was different 2 years ago, you only had alibaba, now we have local options with good cells, to me the risk with alibaba no longer makes any sense. I understand some people will still go that route.
So unless you are going with Luyuan with alibaba, I just assume its a grade B.

As for qr codes, sanded QR codes can look extremely convincing, see how this story play out:

https://diysolarforum.com/threads/docan-power-bad-experience-beware.61866/post-770571 Looks pretty good that qr code looks legit.

Then he removes the black label and sees its been sanded and relasered:

Docan Power bad experience, beware.

Hello! Having read here on this forum a lot of positive feedback about Docan Power decided to buy from them on Alibaba. Ordered 84pcs of Eve LF280K cells from Docan in January. Sales rep was Jenny Wu. Cells were sold as "brand new Grade A". I paid almost USD12K for them, USD141 per cell...

diysolarforum.com

That is Docan BTW. So if you think Basen and the rest of the alibaba gang aren't doing this...well Good luck to you.

Its because of this I just assume they are all frauds unless they have a verifiable test report. Harsh but true.

In My court you are guilty until proven innocent when it comes to buying cells from China.

 

[Speedr56]

I was just over at Shenzhen Luyuan site and they added a choice of non A battery.


Grade A lifepo4 battery
Non-grade A lifepo4 battery
Battery Pack

https://szluyuan.en.alibaba.com/. on this page

 

[Sanwizard]

I'm going to build a few 24v batteries. However, I'm looking for a good source to get a 24v 100ah enclosure. Any good leads?

I believe Seplos sell a 24V version of the Mason.

 

[Alkaline]

I was just over at Shenzhen Luyuan site and they added a choice of non A battery.


Grade A lifepo4 battery
Non-grade A lifepo4 battery
Battery Pack

https://szluyuan.en.alibaba.com/. on this page

Non grade A battery from luyuan is about the same as any other cells form other sellers like basen, deligreen, qso, doungan lighting, in this you can pretty much shop for the ones that have the best price.

Luyuan only makes sense if you want grade A and want to buy from Alibaba.

 

[Steve_S]

A point to NOTE:
Alibaba is NOT AliExpress and many vendors do business on BOTH sites. Each has its Pros & Cons when it comes to dealing with vendors <-> Customers and their resolution processes. Each are essentially both Chinese Amazons as such. You can also buy the same Batteries & Cells from BANGOOD & Other sites as well.

Personally, my Experience with AliExpress was far less than stellar and have never had issues with Alibaba (itself).
Individual Vendors again are individuals and do their own thing. Some are very GOOD and some are very DUBIOUS !
We have that Collective Experience here and we do let people know about Known Good Vendors as well as those to avoid... Sadly, many do not ask first and only come on afterwards to tell a tale of woe !

Lesson Learned:
It IS worth paying a few extra $ for Known Good Quality & using Reliable Vendor because cheaping out a few bux often costs you far more in the end. I have everything from Used EV Cells, Bulk, B, & A (ESS) & A (EV Grade) cells in use and those which I have tested & deployed in my own & other systems.

Just remember the age-old truth about being Penny Wise and Dollar Foolish !
Most Often it is better to spend the little extra !

 

[RV10flyer]

A point to NOTE:
Alibaba is NOT AliExpress and many vendors do business on BOTH sites. Each has its Pros & Cons when it comes to dealing with vendors <-> Customers and their resolution processes. Each are essentially both Chinese Amazons as such. You can also buy the same Batteries & Cells from BANGOOD & Other sites as well.

Personally, my Experience with AliExpress was far less than stellar and have never had issues with Alibaba (itself).
Individual Vendors again are individuals and do their own thing. Some are very GOOD and some are very DUBIOUS !
We have that Collective Experience here and we do let people know about Known Good Vendors as well as those to avoid... Sadly, many do not ask first and only come on afterwards to tell a tale of woe !

Lesson Learned:
It IS worth paying a few extra $ for Known Good Quality & using Reliable Vendor because cheaping out a few bux often costs you far more in the end. I have everything from Used EV Cells, Bulk, B, & A (ESS) & A (EV Grade) cells in use and those which I have tested & deployed in my own & other systems.

Just remember the age-old truth about being Penny Wise and Dollar Foolish !
Most Often it is better to spend the little extra !

210kWh totally off grid. You are 100% correct.