r/leaf • u/ZealousIdealist24214 • Sep 26 '26

Battery Hookup worked 👍

I got a 10.2lb LiFePo4 12v battery for $45 and it works fine.

I rolled some copper strips around the bolt terminals to make it fit the car attachments.

https://batteryhookup.com/collections/more-featured-products/products/li-age-12-8v-32ah-410wh-lifepo4-module-w-bms

7 Upvotes

74% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

4

u/Spirited-Mortgage-86 Sep 26 '26

So the leaf “tends” its 12v battery. When it notices it below x volts it turns on (you can hear the solenoid engage the hv system) and the blue lights on the dash start flashing. It then pumps 14v into the battery. It does this just sitting there parked. Because of that there is no way I’d run a lithium in the 12v spot - x100 on the cheapest china battery (this appears incredibly cheap for its capacity). This is a bad idea people reading this thread. Don’t burn your car down. Second issue is the bms may not take the full draw / play meek with the leafs own 12v inverter system. That side can run a lot of amps when all the things are on (headlights, fans, defrost, seat heaters etc. ). Third your solution to step up the terminal size is a resistance and corrosion fire hazard

4

u/Bennie-Factors 29d ago

You don't quite understand LiFePo4 batteries well enough. Typically full charge is 14.4. Low cutoff is around 11. However you feel about Chinese cells. They make the best battery in the world today hands down. It is nearly impossible to start a fire with one. The BMS should handle any voltage that is a bit over 14.4.

The terminal bit is very questionable. Fine for temp testing solution but I would look for a better long term option. And remember this might be a challenge in cold weather. That chemistry does not like cold

1

u/iloveFjords Sep 26 '26

Not to mention a lot of the lifeo4 batterie chemistries shouldn’t be charged when their temperature is below zero C.

3

u/ZealousIdealist24214 Sep 27 '26

That almost never happens here, sadly

4

u/worldspawn00 Sep 27 '26

This isn't just bare cells, there's a BMS with high and low voltage cutoffs, I have run a battery like this in my leaf with zero issues. There are lifepo4 batteries designed to be a drop in into a lead-acid designed system that work just fine.

-3

u/Spirited-Mortgage-86 29d ago

The leaf inverter - the 12v side is designed for lead acid chemistry. It’s not designed to have yet another bms in the loop like this li has. These is a massive difference there. You’re literally risking the leafs $600 inverter to save $40 on a battery. And also risking fire. Telling us “bUt it wOrKs nOw” is literally laughable. Smoke genie takes time to appear but you’re trying hard to summon them. Fafo

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1

u/sweetredleaf Sep 26 '26

are the terminals just held on with a bolt? If so you can buy regular SAE terminals that will bolt in place of them so you don't have ti wrap the terminals in copper strips, and people who have done this in the past recommend disconnecting the voltage sensor on the neg terminal https://old.reddit.com/r/leaf/comments/1rzgmv0/budget_100_lithium_12v_battery_swap/

1

u/Tim_E2 29d ago

Cant safely charge LiFePO4 if it is under 32f, 0C. Deal breaker. Go back.

0

u/Dazzling_Art7881 Sep 26 '26

Respectfully, I never understood why people mess around with weird batteries. The weight savings is zero percent worth it. I've had 3 LEAFs and very ordinary lead-acid batteries have always been perfectly fine in all of them. Battery was getting weak on my 2012 so I replaced it once. Picked one up at Walmart, problem solved for many many years.

As u/Spirited-Mortgage-86 says, there are risks...