Docan 280 EVE cells - 2023 Quality check (update: Bad experience - scam beware)

[upnorthandpersonal]

nobody get new cells

Sure you do. They just failed some part of the QA process that made them not be a good match for EV use. Cells manufactured in late 2022 or early 2023 definitely did not come out of a vehicle. Would I use these in an EV? No. Would I use these in a solar power system powering my house? Absolutely, and have done so for the past three years with these kinds of cells.

 

[740GLE]

If they are reprinting QR codes, they could make any code up!!!

That’s why I also question people who wave a “test report” as being “EV grade A”, I can make test reports all day long with what ever numbers I want on it, slap an “Eve Offical test lab” stamp on it and rake in the cash.

But any cell that was assembled into battery bank that was then placed in use in a harsh environment of EV use will take some effort to break the bank up, you’d see west and tear on the cells.

I agree these didn’t meet specs to end up in an EV and then reterminaled to be sold on the 3rd party market.

IMO No EV will use threaded terminals, welded all day long.

 

[rhino]

I've read through this thread and not sure what the issue is?? Unless you've done a capacity test and it turns out it has way below normal range capacity then I don't see what the issue is.

 

[xristostsilis]

I've read through this thread and not sure what the issue is?? Unless you've done a capacity test and it turns out it has way below normal range capacity then I don't see what the issue is.

The thing is, even if they pull full capacity at first they might not last in the long run or they may be a hazard as they don’t come up to the manufacturer standards. As I said I will do a capacity test very soon and I will keep you guys updated. However it is a big concern that they scratch the real barcodes and laser fake ones.

What if a sold you a meatless/impossible burger and told you it has meat in it?

Most people will test these cells on day one or not even test them at all, however these should last 20-25 years or 6.000 cycles at max but when they are grade B I doubt that.

 

[xristostsilis]

Think of it like an iPhone battery health, some phones drop their health really fast and other keep up more. Some batteries are better than others.

These Grade B batteries haven’t been tested for 10-20 years so as a buyer I deny to pay Grade A and receive B while gambling quality in the long run.

I guess some of you are ok if they pull capacity but I can assure you that this might not be the case in 5 years. Don’t forget the manufacturer says 6.000 cycles for 80%

 

[rhino]

As others have explained the "grade" is a made up marketing term. There is no standardization into what exactly that means because it is made up. How long do you think it would take you to go through even 1000 cycles?

 

[xristostsilis]

As others have explained the "grade" is a made up marketing term. There is no standardization into what exactly that means because it is made up. How long do you think it would take you to go through even 1000 cycles?

You know what? I don’t know how long these batteries will last, all I know is that manufacturers like Victron use these type of cells and claim 10 year warranty plus they claim 6.000 cycles out of them. Many other brands also expect at least 10 years of good working batteries.

These Chinese guys claim 5 year warranty but we all know that they might not even exist in 5 years.

I have nothing to do with Docan nor I am associated in any way with them, this is my pure experience. If anything changes I will keep everything updated here.

I am not saying that these cells should last 25 years but if they were really up to the manufacturers standards therefore “Grade A” these might have the chance to last that long. My cells don’t meet EVE’s standards so I might not be able to make the most out of them.

To answer your question 1000 cycles would be 3-4 years for my use case. However if these batteries don’t hold a charge after 1000 cycles I would be better off buying AGM ones

 

[MrM1]

However if these batteries don’t hold a charge after 1000 cycles I would be better off buying AGM ones

Friend's don't let friends buy AGMs

 

[Alkaline]

I've read through this thread and not sure what the issue is?? Unless you've done a capacity test and it turns out it has way below normal range capacity then I don't see what the issue is.

How do you know they are even 280K cells? What if they are poorly performing 304 cells re-lasered to appear as 280K. They did this with the CATL 302 cells selling them as CATL 280 and people were pulling 294AH from them thinking they hit the jackpot, hell I almost bought some.

Once you start putting fake QR codes on a cell, you are done as far as I'm concerned, enough is enough.

Fogstar in UK
NKON in EU
18650batterystore in us
currentconnected in us
Luyuan for most of the rest of the world

Sell grade B, state its grade B, everyone is cool with it they know what they are getting.

No excuse for this and if you don't see what the problem with putting a fake qr code on a cell is, then you are part of the problem.

 

[HRTKD]

all I know is that manufacturers like Victron use these type of cells and claim 10 year warranty plus they claim 6.000 cycles out of them.

While I do like my Victron gear, I didn't go with the Victron batteries. I'll also point out that Victron does not provide a 10 year warranty on the LiFePO4 batteries.

6.3. Warranty
This product has a 3-year limited warranty. This limited warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship in this product and lasts for three years from the date of original purchase of this product. To claim warranty the customer must return the product together with the receipt of purchase to the point of purchase.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Lithium_Battery_Smart/15958-Manual_Lithium_Battery_Smart-pdf-en.pdf

They also spec out to only 5,000 cycles.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-12,8-&-25,6-Volt-lithium-iron-phosphate-batteries-Smart-EN.pdf

 

[wtfg]

I completely agree with Alkaline
But they will still sell plenty of batteries here but not to me
I have dealt with Amy on WhatsApp on other issues and she was not very helpful !

 

[rhino]

I don't want you to get me wrong.. I agree with the basics of what you are saying but purchasing LiFePO4 is like navigating through the fog of war. You need to go with sellers who have a history of providing quality cells like @Alkaline provided.

 

[HRTKD]

I have dealt with Amy on WhatsApp on other issues and she was not very helpful !

There are multiple "Amys". Are you referring the Amy at Shenzen Luyuan?

 

[wtfg]

Amy Zheng Docan

 

[xristostsilis]

While I do like my Victron gear, I didn't go with the Victron batteries. I'll also point out that Victron does not provide a 10 year warranty on the LiFePO4 batteries.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Lithium_Battery_Smart/15958-Manual_Lithium_Battery_Smart-pdf-en.pdf

They also spec out to only 5,000 cycles.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-12,8-&-25,6-Volt-lithium-iron-phosphate-batteries-Smart-EN.pdf

My bad, I have seen many manufacturers give 10 year warranty on their batteries like these guys here: https://www.phocos.com/product/ess-l-lfp-energy-storage-system/

That also say 6.000 for 90%

So I guessed Victron did the same on their batteries

 

[xristostsilis]

I completely agree with Alkaline too.

In my case I speak with Allen @ Docan but he also isn’t helpful at all. They don’t even acknowledge that they printed fake barcodes on top of the old ones, he just sends me videos showing legit batteries while I have a video showing the opposite.

 

[xristostsilis]

Check part of the description on grade B cells on NKON:

“B-grade cells are cells usually did not qualify as A-grade by the manufacturer. This may be due to optical imperfections, higher self-discharge, lower capacity and/or higher internal resistance”

Also:

“Lot of seller in china buy B-grade cells, test them, even swap qr-codes and sell the good looking and performing as A-grade cells. We believe our B-grade cells are the same as lot of A-grade cells from China, including the well known resellers there with good reputation. We give regular warranty on these cells (at least 2 year)”

What I want to say out of this, is that NKON for example tells you that they are Grade B cells, sells them for less money as their Grade A cells and informs you about scammers like Docan. This in my opinion is better than swapping QR codes, taking days to reply with fake photos and not even help your customer.

NKON also provides 2 years of warranty while docan 5. Let me tell you something Docan won’t even exist in 5 years if they keep scamming people.

Just to be clear I am not associated in any way with NKON, I am just an old happy customer but I also have bad experience with them that was resolved in no time (they didn’t have an item I bought in stock while they let me bought it and we had to go for refund process)

 

[wepower]

After reading this story I realised that I paid $12K to Docan for relasered cells.
Too bad this information was not available in January when I placed my order.
I could save about $1500 if I just ordered same B cells from Nkon.nl
What a waste...

 

[WindWizard]

I do not condone the deceit of some of the Chinese products. There are so many clones of legitimate products that it is difficult to tell what is real.

When I purchase memory from Amazon or Ebay the first thing I do is a full memory test. Often times it will have errors due to the fact they take a lesser memory chip and make it seem like a larger one. I have purchased NiMH batteries that just do not weigh the same and yet they claim they are such and such amps. It just seems that they have a way of trying to get more money from those of us who are willing to pay.

When dealing with Chinese products then it is important to know whether or not what you are purchasing it is:

1- A quality product
2- A good value for your dollar
3- Going to last for as long as you expect
4- Going to do the job that you expect

When looking for Cells, since they all come from China, the first thing that I look for is weight. Do they weight the amount that they should? Are they packaged well? Do they look good with no bloating? Are the Studs attached well to the Cells? Do they have a good price for their Cells?

Docan check list is all good.

I have purchased 112 Cells from Docan (Texas warehouse). I have been very happy with them.

The reason that I am happy with them is that they work very well and I do not have to mess with them. I have no Cells that charge/discharge faster than others.

Shoot I am just using them at a 25 Amp rate max. That is hardly working them at all. Maybe if I was charging/discharging them at 200 Amps then I would sing a different tune.

With the 128 Cell pack that I am using I am pulling over 100 kwatt of power which to me is excellent since I don't run them from full to empty. As far as I am concerned, I got what I paid for and one of my exes use to call me a tightwad.

If I had it do over again would I purchase from Docan? Yes they have a good price on a quality product. I wish they would not mess with the QR codes. It really is stupid on their part.

So the bottom line is, as @upnorthandpersonal quoted "Put them to work

 

[Alkaline]

And this is why the Chinese sellers will keep doing stuff like this because they know regardless of what they do, buyers are lined up waiting. I suppose they have us figured out more than we do ourselves.