Recycled LEAF batteries?

[jacqueg]

I saw this article and was intrigued. It's also tool porn, but I'm posting here because I'm specifically interested in the idea of using electric car batteries. 

https://www.treehugger.com/tiny-houses/nissan-nv300-van-workshop-wheels.html

Anyone heard of this? Do you think a DIY version could be cobbled together? In general, do you think that using an electric car battery as a van house battery would make any sense?

 

[jonyjoe303]

Yes its possible, I build my own lithium house batteries. I never used the recycled car batteries its more power then I would need but other people have used them. Many of the users at secondlifestorage.com have used the tesla/leaf packs. Its no more complicated then building packs with laptop cells, if anything it might be easier. You just have to have the room available since they are much larger. 

I would recommend start small, build a small pack to get the basics down on how everything works wiring/balancing/bms/charging then ramp it up. I got a 220 ah lifepo4 pack as my primary battery and have a smaller 65 ah li-ion pack thats a backup, both of them charged with my 240 watt solar panel. I have another 800 cells I haven't even started to work on.  

With lithium what you see is what you get, with my 65 ah pack I can drain all the way to zero percent when the bms cutsoff, and I would get close to the 65 ah. As long as you don't punctured them or overcharge them, the hazards are no worst then lead acid.

 

[Weight]

Using "recycled" li batteries is dangerous. Only do it in your own home.

 

[nemoskull]

im using nissan leaf batteries in my tear drop right now. i opened them up and wired them for 12v. they come in 8.6v 50a-ish.
charging them is pretty straight forward, just dont let voltage over 12.6. nissan runs them to 12.3 iirc.
im still working out how to charged them, they want to stay at 12.5v for a while. still building a charger for them.

edit: as for dangerous, not really if you keep them in the tin. they come sealed in metal cans, they are air cooled and rated at 3c discharge, so 180A max.
i would recomend not opening them up, the tabs cant be soldered.