meetyg
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2021
- Messages
- 1,093
If anyone has been following my posts lately, I've been complaining on how hard it is to get Lifepo4 cells here in the Middle East.
While it's pretty easy to get smaller cells online, like Topband 25Ah, or some no-name 13Ah cells, it's a real hassle trying to get the larger cells. I've been dreaming on getting my hands on some 280Ah EVE cells.
I've contacted Docan, Lyuan and some of the other reputable Alibaba sellers, but some won't ship to my region at all and some will, but only by air, which costs more than the cells themselves.
Anyways, I tried my luck getting some EVE style 105Ah. I contacted a seller on Aliexpress and ordered 4 x 105Ah cells.
The seller promised no hidden fees, but they had to split into two boxes (I guess to avoid customs fees or something).
I said I didn't mind that, as long as they were properly packaged. So I ordered these on 8th of August for 370 USD including shipping.
The seller provided two separate tracking numbers, one for each box.
www.aliexpress.com
They came in yesterday! No additional fees as seller promised.
But don't go and order just yet... There's more to this story.
So, packaging was great, two cells in each box.
The cells look pretty nice, no bulging/swelling, QR code in tact, welded terminals. Looked similar to real EVE 105Ah cells (I think the model number is LF105).
Perfectly flat:
I felt like I hit the jackpot!
But just for fun, I decided to check out the QR codes and here's were things got interesting.
First, all cells were manufactured in early 2021 (Feb-March), not bad I thought.
But then I noticed that it says they are EVE LF90K, not 105 Ah !
What a bummer, I thought to myself...
I compared the datasheet of the LF90K to the LF105. It seems that the 90K has some advantages, like higher cycle life (6000) and higher continuous discharge rate (2C compared to 1C).
But of course they have lower capacity.
I contacted the seller about this. He gave a strange answer and said to ignore the QR code. He said that these are 100Ah cells (what happened to 105Ah as advertised, I dont know...). I told him that I will do a capacity test. He recommended to charge up to 3.65v, and discharge to 2.0v, with 5 amps discharge current.
Of course I didn't listen to him... discharging to 2.0v is too low (not much capacity between 2.5v and 2.0v anyways). Also, 5 amp discharge is also a very low current.
So I did my regular capacity test, from 3.65v to 2.5v @10A.
Got 91.8Ah.
So of course I opened a dispute, asking for a $60 refund (relative to the difference in capacity).
We'll see how it goes.
But I'm kinda mixed about this seller and what I got. I mean he was very communicative, price was low, got the cells fast. I didn't expect to get genuine EVE cells, but I did. As mentioned, these are the higher cycle version. When I compared the total price I paid (before dispute refund) with other reputable suppliers online for LF90K cells, the price was almost the same per cell.
On the other hand, they advertised 105Ah cells and sold 90Ah cells...
What can I say...
P.S. Because I was ready for this to be a scam, of course I paid with PayPal. But I also placed an order for 8 cells (LF105) from Gobel Power. Had to add 136 dollars on top of the shipping price on site and also had to settle for sea shipment (air fright again was more than the cells). All in all, the order from Gobel cost me 850 USD and I'm still waiting for delivery. That makes the 105Ah cells from Gobel slightly more than the 90Ah cells I got from the Aliexpress seller, proportional to the difference in capacity.
Just wanted to share...
(Please ignore the mess on my desk... I'm working on multiple projects simultaneously, LOL).
While it's pretty easy to get smaller cells online, like Topband 25Ah, or some no-name 13Ah cells, it's a real hassle trying to get the larger cells. I've been dreaming on getting my hands on some 280Ah EVE cells.
I've contacted Docan, Lyuan and some of the other reputable Alibaba sellers, but some won't ship to my region at all and some will, but only by air, which costs more than the cells themselves.
Anyways, I tried my luck getting some EVE style 105Ah. I contacted a seller on Aliexpress and ordered 4 x 105Ah cells.
The seller promised no hidden fees, but they had to split into two boxes (I guess to avoid customs fees or something).
I said I didn't mind that, as long as they were properly packaged. So I ordered these on 8th of August for 370 USD including shipping.
The seller provided two separate tracking numbers, one for each box.
224.25US $ 31% OFF|4pcs New 3.2v 105ah Lifepo4 Rechargeable Battery 3c Discharge Diy 12v 24v Solar Storage Hovercraft Ev Rv Electric Car Tax Free - Battery Packs - AliExpress
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com
They came in yesterday! No additional fees as seller promised.
But don't go and order just yet... There's more to this story.
So, packaging was great, two cells in each box.
The cells look pretty nice, no bulging/swelling, QR code in tact, welded terminals. Looked similar to real EVE 105Ah cells (I think the model number is LF105).
Perfectly flat:
I felt like I hit the jackpot!
But just for fun, I decided to check out the QR codes and here's were things got interesting.
First, all cells were manufactured in early 2021 (Feb-March), not bad I thought.
But then I noticed that it says they are EVE LF90K, not 105 Ah !
What a bummer, I thought to myself...
I compared the datasheet of the LF90K to the LF105. It seems that the 90K has some advantages, like higher cycle life (6000) and higher continuous discharge rate (2C compared to 1C).
But of course they have lower capacity.
I contacted the seller about this. He gave a strange answer and said to ignore the QR code. He said that these are 100Ah cells (what happened to 105Ah as advertised, I dont know...). I told him that I will do a capacity test. He recommended to charge up to 3.65v, and discharge to 2.0v, with 5 amps discharge current.
Of course I didn't listen to him... discharging to 2.0v is too low (not much capacity between 2.5v and 2.0v anyways). Also, 5 amp discharge is also a very low current.
So I did my regular capacity test, from 3.65v to 2.5v @10A.
Got 91.8Ah.
So of course I opened a dispute, asking for a $60 refund (relative to the difference in capacity).
We'll see how it goes.
But I'm kinda mixed about this seller and what I got. I mean he was very communicative, price was low, got the cells fast. I didn't expect to get genuine EVE cells, but I did. As mentioned, these are the higher cycle version. When I compared the total price I paid (before dispute refund) with other reputable suppliers online for LF90K cells, the price was almost the same per cell.
On the other hand, they advertised 105Ah cells and sold 90Ah cells...
What can I say...
P.S. Because I was ready for this to be a scam, of course I paid with PayPal. But I also placed an order for 8 cells (LF105) from Gobel Power. Had to add 136 dollars on top of the shipping price on site and also had to settle for sea shipment (air fright again was more than the cells). All in all, the order from Gobel cost me 850 USD and I'm still waiting for delivery. That makes the 105Ah cells from Gobel slightly more than the 90Ah cells I got from the Aliexpress seller, proportional to the difference in capacity.
Just wanted to share...
(Please ignore the mess on my desk... I'm working on multiple projects simultaneously, LOL).
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