Well kids - Lifepo4, as much as I like them when treated properly for the application at hand, has not dropped in price significantly enough to justify further usage here when I first started evaluating them 10 years ago in 2008.
Why? Because the common materials are so cheap compared to other batteries, that I can no longer overlook the pricing from an "early adopter" viewpoint.
Really - lithium and ferrous oxide? (basically iron). Some pretty common elements, and the price gouging is too much for me to take seriously any more based on that. Forget the marketing drivel about 2000 cycles or more trying to hide the fact that these common materials should not be this expensive.
Unless it is some trivial project (where prices per wh is even worse when smaller), I won't be using LFP due to the artificial price-gouging of plentiful simplistic materials. Manufacturers had their chance, but no thanks - time's up. Now it's just pure greed, so no thanks.
They can talk performance and cycle life all day long, but I feel like a fool paying ridiculous prices for common materials.
P.S. - Lead isn't off the hook either, being that what 99% of what we buy is *recycled* lead, and not pure?! Another forum perhaps.
Why? Because the common materials are so cheap compared to other batteries, that I can no longer overlook the pricing from an "early adopter" viewpoint.
Really - lithium and ferrous oxide? (basically iron). Some pretty common elements, and the price gouging is too much for me to take seriously any more based on that. Forget the marketing drivel about 2000 cycles or more trying to hide the fact that these common materials should not be this expensive.
Unless it is some trivial project (where prices per wh is even worse when smaller), I won't be using LFP due to the artificial price-gouging of plentiful simplistic materials. Manufacturers had their chance, but no thanks - time's up. Now it's just pure greed, so no thanks.
They can talk performance and cycle life all day long, but I feel like a fool paying ridiculous prices for common materials.
P.S. - Lead isn't off the hook either, being that what 99% of what we buy is *recycled* lead, and not pure?! Another forum perhaps.

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