48V Battery and 12V to 48V DC DC enbales big Power in an RV or boat. Why have it?
If you want big power, Five Reasons why you should consider 48V battery and 12V to 48V DC DC systems...
Big 48V battery benefit is the CAN BMS Lithium.
- In a 12V System and even most 24V systems, the lithium battery has a simple BMS. This type of BMS opens circuit when conditions are outside the capabilities of the battery.
- The charging profile of all devices charging the battery must not only be exactly the same, but they have to respond very quickly when the battery is approaching "fully charged" status. Otherwise, there will be tears... eventually.
- Most 48V battery Systems are smart and fitted with CAN BMS. This means the battery is the center of the energy universe and it dictates to all the compatible charging systems how much to charge. Victron and Scotty AI are compatible.
- The benefit is safety and battery longevity. While the CAN BMS is operating, it is virtually impossible to screw up the charging values even if the devices are NOT programmed correctly. Thats because they follow the values broadcast every 25ms from the CAN BMS battery.
- CAN BMS balances the multiple battery modules and is a MUST HAVE in large power systems.
When the Voltage goes up, Current comes down for the same power level.
- At 48V, the current is about 1/4 of 12V. Lower current means less losses, smaller cable size and less heat.
- But the biggest winner is weight, size and gaps between equipment. As the 48V current is a fraction of 12V, power devices can be placed closer together.
The heat losses are 1/16 of 12V. - 12V to 48V DC DC Efficiency is far higher than 12-12 and much more power. The Scotty AI 3000W DC DC is a similar power transfer to 6 x 12-12v 40A DC DC. Its a fraction of the volume and weight. Then there is the multiple huge cables in 12v. Losses on changing voltage are less than 1/20 the losses in 12V DC DC. So in the end Highest Efficiency, lowest weight, smallest size wins hands down!
Lowest Installed Cost
- Power Electronics are priced based on current, not voltage. So 48V devices with 1/4 the current of 12V are a much lower cost.
- Cabling and lugs are a big part of the installation cost. !2V cable of the same power spec as 48V cable is around 30 times the cost. Yes, 30 X.
- 48V CAN BMS batteries are also lower in cost than similar sized quality 12V batteries. The current within the battery is far less and the CAN BMS balances cells between batteries giving a far higher energy yield in practice.
