ALPHA 1 - 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Battery

A 12.8V 100Ah drop-in lithium battery for RVs, vans, boats and cabins that have to charge in the cold. The ALPHA 1 warms its own cells before accepting a charge below 41°F, which is the point at which most lithium batteries left in an unheated bay simply stop taking a charge for the winter.

Why this battery

• 1,280Wh of storage from 100Ah at 12.8V nominal, with 100A continuous discharge - enough headroom for a 1,000W inverter load.
• Rated for 5,000+ cycles. At one cycle a day that is roughly thirteen years of service, against three to five years from a comparable AGM bank.
• A heating element inside the case switches on automatically below 41°F and shuts off once the cells pass 50°F. Charging is blocked outright below 32°F so the cells are never plated.
• Bluetooth monitoring through the Rich Solar app reports state of charge, voltage, current, temperature and remaining capacity, and can switch the battery output on or off remotely. Pairing is a barcode scan.
• The built-in BMS covers overcharge, over-discharge, overcurrent, short circuit, temperature limits and cell balancing.
• At 24 lb it weighs roughly a third of the lead-acid bank it replaces at equivalent usable capacity.
• Worth knowing before you buy: the ALPHA 1 is not UL1973 certified. If your install has to satisfy an inspector or insurer who asks for a listed battery, the ALPHA 1 PRO carries that certification along with a 7,000-cycle rating, for about a hundred dollars more.

Installation

• The case measures 10.2 x 6.6 x 8.3 in - a Group 24 footprint - so it drops into most existing battery trays without modification.
• Charge with a LiFePO4 profile at 14.4V ± 0.2V. A 20A lithium charger brings it to full in about six hours.
• Roughly 400W of solar will recover a full charge over one clear day.
• From an alternator or generator, a 20A DC-DC charger takes about six hours.
• Charging window is 32°F to 131°F; discharge runs from -4°F to 140°F.
• Maximum charge current is 100A, so size charge controllers and DC-DC chargers accordingly.

Warranty

• Covered by Rich Solar's limited warranty. The ALPHA 1 is not published with the 10-year term that applies to the PRO model - if warranty length is a deciding factor, ask us to confirm the current term before you order.
• California Proposition 65 warning applies: this product can expose you to chemicals known to cause cancer and reproductive harm.