At 02:02 PM 3/14/2011, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
> > > life expectancy of the battery with the same autonomy as acid type.
> > > Is that a good assumption?
> >
> > Gilles, try a different word for 'autonomy' or give us the word in
> > French...
>
>"Off grid"?

Ah - the same freedom to be self-sufficient in the van as I would
obtain using flooded-cell batteries.

Better cycle life, better lifetime cost, better usable energy per
pound, better discharge rate per pound, better charging rate per
pound.  All these are true *but* only with the initial investment of
some hundreds of dollars in equipment to regulate charge and keep
track of discharge; and potentially some more hundreds for an
alternator capable of maintaining high charge rates for extended
periods without destroying itself (or alternatively additional
cooling air supplied to the rear of the existing alternator).

Without these things the cycle life will be short, charging times
long, lifetime expense high.  This is true whether flooded-cell or
AGM/gel batteries are used, but it is much more true with AGM or gel;
so if you don't intend to do it properly it is much better to stick
with flooded cell batteries.  A number of people on the list
discovered this some years ago when there was a vogue for Optima AGM batteries.

Yours,
David