After 2 years of research, testing and proving, and a further 6+ years of infield sales, Enerdrive has designed and created a COMPLETE Lithium Battery & Installation System so your Li-Ion battery bank is fully protected. Most importantly, our system is designed to give the maximum performance, longevity and SAFETY in your valuable installations.
Be aware that the market is abuzz with the hot topic of Lithium Ion Batteries; and we can tell you from our testing to date that all the hype of their performance and capabilities is TRUE. However what we can also inform you is that all the stories of their ‘Issues’ are unfortunately also true. However the so called “issues’ of lithium can be avoided with some very basic rules about protection.
• Never go over voltage whilst charging them
• Never let them go ‘Dead’ Flat
• Keep the individual cells ‘Balanced’
What this lesson taught us is if we were to develop our lithium program – IT HAD TO BE DONE RIGHT. So we developed our own Lithium Power Pack for the Australian market with the emphasis on ‘built like a tank’; and even to the extent of being a little bit ‘overkill’ on the packaging and protection.
DO HOW DOES OUR SYSTEM ACTUALLY WORK?
The Advance BMS relay driver is designed to take multiple signal input connections from the ePRO Plus battery meter for low state of charge (SOC%) & system voltage & Hi/Low Cell voltage from the batteries Active Cell Balancer unit and control all charging and discharging sources connected to the lithium battery system.
The program of the Advance Relay Driver isolates the charging sources (solar/vehicle/mains charger) in the event of a battery cell voltage being too high without turning the whole electrical system off. The Enerdrive Advanced BMS Relay Driver will activate the TOR & output contacts that will cut out all charging sources for 10 minutes. If the cell has not come back within range before 10 minutes, it will stay active for another 10 minutes and repeat until the cell/s are within range. This setup allows the system loads to still be powered.
FOR SYSTEMS INSTALLED WITH ePOWER AC, DC2DC CHARGERS & ePOWER INVERTERS:
In the event of low SOC% and/or voltage, the main battery relay will disengage to protect the battery. All charging sources (solar/vehicle/mains charger) will still be active to recharge the battery providing the sun is up or the chargers are plugged in. To re-engage the main battery relay, press in the Yellow button on top of the main battery relay. The Enerdrive Advanced BMS Relay Driver will turn the main battery relay OFF every 6 minutes if the SOC% on the battery monitor is still below the set point. So this may need to be reset a few times before the SOC% set point reaches its re-engagement point.
FOR SYSTEMS INSTALLED WITH COMBI INVERTER/CHARGERS:
In the event of low SOC% and/or voltage reaches the pre-set level, the program will shut down the charging sources (solar/vehicle) and the inverter/charger before disengaging the main battery relay, turning off the whole electrical system to protect the battery. The program will then switch on the signal for all charging sources. When AC power is applied to the Combi, the AC charger will start once the main latching relay is re-engaged. To re-engage the main battery relay, press in the Yellow button on top of the main battery relay.
The Enerdrive Advanced BMS Relay Driver will turn the main battery relay OFF every 6 minutes if the SOC% on the battery monitor is still below the set point. So this may need to be reset a few times before the SOC% set point reaches its re-engagement point.
SO WHAT’S SO ADVANCED ABOUT THE ADVANCE BMS RELAY DRIVER?
- 4 x “TOR” Circuits – Programmed to control Enerdrive ePOWER AC & DC2DC Chargers, &
Morningstar Solar Controllers (Hi/Low Alarm Protection). - 4 x Normally Open/Closed/Common Contacts (10 Amps Max) – programmed to switch
trigger contacts/relays connected to Alternators*, Chargers, Solar or DC/AC relays, cabinet cooling
fan and Combi Inverter/Charger Units. (Hi/Low Alarm Protection). - 1 x Temperature Sensor input – to control charging/discharging circuits
- 1 x Latching Rely Output – Used to shut down system loads to protect the battery from over
discharge.
*Requirements of Alternator must be assessed to determine if suitable for the application.
WHAT’S IN THE ENERDRIVE PRO SERIES LITHIUM SYSTEM?
To use the Enerdrive Lithium Power Pack you need to use a combination of items together. These are:
- The actual lithium power pack battery box including Active Balancing System.
- The Advance BMS controller board which includes
- The Advance BMS Relay Driver box
- The ePRO Plus is our latest generation, highly advanced battery monitor. It consists of an intelligent
active shunt and a remote control and display unit (CDU). The shunt has a Grid Optimized footprint
for perfect integration with our DC Modular series of high current busbars and fuse holders. - The ePRO Plus battery monitor can measure DC currents up to 600Amps (500Amp continuous) and
voltages up to 70Vdc. So any lead- or lithium based battery from 12V up to 48V can be monitored. - A Blue Sea 500amp main battery latching relay which is activated by the ePRO Plus Battery Monitor
when the low state of charge (percentage is reached). - A Class T Fuse for system protection.
- 70 – 120mm² Battery cable (depending on system) from the battery to the Connection Kit.
Battery Monitor Supplied
The ePRO Plus Battery Monitor is supplied as part of the installation kit and is pre-programmed by Enerdrive with all of the alarm set points to match the specific installation. The meter will show all of the relative information like Volts, Amps, Amp-hours, Percentage State of Charge & Time to go. It will also record all of the history data of the Lithium Ion, Deepest Discharge, Battery Cycles, Hi/Low Voltage & Amps, All Alarm History Etc. This is a critical part of the Lithium Ion installation kit and a must have for any battery system.
Featured Video
“In the world of unplugged power, lithium is leading the charge. Here’s the low down on lithium power systems for caravans.” Michael Browning from Caravan World explains.
Thinking of upgrading your current Lead Acid or AGM system to Lithium?
Read this first …
Chris McClellan explains the advantages and disadvantages of lithium systems. Read More …