Battery Vehicle Society

I've been reading a little about Nickel Iron batteries - those indestructible batteries that last over 60 years and can be deep discharged, overcharged and still keep going.

Is it something worth considering for my boat project?

--
Ed

Deddly wrote:I've been reading a little about Nickel Iron batteries - those indestructible batteries that last over 60 years and can be deep discharged, overcharged and still keep going.

Is it something worth considering for my boat project?

--
Ed

i used to have some Nickel iron batterys which were about 40 years old when i got them and did quite well,also i read in the battery bible that changing the electrolyte once a year prolonged the life and power output.
the electrolyte is sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and lithium, and they are 1.2 volts per cell dont know wether they have so-called memory problems like Ni-cads.
the ones i had were edison cells with silver plated terminals so need to be well protected from salty conditions in a boat.
also when charging they gas all the time and you need a well regulated charger to get the best from them.

Oh thanks for the help! I'd almost given up hope that someone would reply to this thread

From what I've read, they don't have a memory effect at all and they tolerate abuse rather well, so over-charging and deep-discharging doesn't seem to bother them. The only disadvantage I can find is the weight, but that's not a huge concern on a boat.

By the way, my boat will be on a freshwater lake, so salt is no problem here. I was thinking of keeping them in a plastic box anyway, with just the wires coming out leading to the motor...I haven't got that far yet!

If only I could find a supplier in Sweden...

Deddly wrote:Oh thanks for the help! I'd almost given up hope that someone would reply to this thread

From what I've read, they don't have a memory effect at all and they tolerate abuse rather well, so over-charging and deep-discharging doesn't seem to bother them. The only disadvantage I can find is the weight, but that's not a huge concern on a boat.

By the way, my boat will be on a freshwater lake, so salt is no problem here. I was thinking of keeping them in a plastic box anyway, with just the wires coming out leading to the motor...I haven't got that far yet!

If only I could find a supplier in Sweden...

it says on a page that the electrolyte is potassium hydroxide electrolyte,so i may be wrong when i said sodiom hydroxide,have to dig out the book and see as it gives the charging details.

I also bought old misused second hand NiFe cells in the early 60s, they proved amazingly good. Once, after 2 years sitting neglected on the garage floor, they still had reasonable voltage, so I tried them in an old Austin with a large bonnet space for the battery, and they started the engine! I wish I had not given them away. For a different purpose, I now want to buy one (just one!) NiFe or NiCd cell of about 50 Ah capacity. I'd appreciate your suggestions. Alan Ward