JITA 12.8V 100Ah LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery
JITA 12.8V 100Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery is a very popular lithium battery intended for deep-cycle applications like off-the-grid applications, RVs, trolling motor batteries, power inverter batteries, emergencies and during blackouts, and similar.
JITA 12.8V 100Ah LiFePO4 battery supports deep discharge applications and offers great weight savings when compared with similar lead-acid batteries, it is a very cost-effective battery for applications that cycle a lot and similar.
Published: December 12, 2022.
JITA 12.8V 100Ah Lithium Deep Cycle Battery Features and Specifications
JITA 12.8V 100Ah deep cycle battery is based on the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) chemistry, ensuring good capacity, lightweight design, stable output voltage, fast charging, low self-discharge rate, etc.
The nominal voltage of the battery is 12.8V with a nominal capacity of 100Ah - the battery can theoretically store 1280 Wh of energy, which is a very good result for the 24.2 pounds (~11 kg) heavy battery.
Since the battery is very energy efficient, typical for LiFePO4 batteries, the battery can deliver 100Ah capacity while holding the voltage above 12V for most of the discharging cycle, especially if the discharge current is kept below 0.5C (50A).
JITA 12.8V 100Ah deep cycle battery features physical dimensions of (L x W x H) 12.9 x 6.8 x 8.4 inches (~32.8 x 17.3 x 21.4 cm) and belongs to the BCI Group 31.
The battery comes with a built-in Battery Management System (BMS) that protects the battery from extreme situations that may harm the battery.
As such, JITA 12.8V 100Ah battery supports maximum 50A (0.5C) continuous charging current, 100A (1.0C) continuous discharging current, charging temperature range 32°F - 122°F (0°C - 50°C), discharging temperature range -4°F - 140°F (-20°C - 60°C), overvoltage protection (14.8V), low voltage protection (10.8V) and similar.
The battery is designed with a 10-year intended lifespan, supporting 2000-5000 charging/discharging cycles even down to 100% DoD.
But, in order for the battery to reach such numbers (for example, 4000-5000 charging/discharging cycles), one should limit the charging current to 0.2C (20A), store, charge, and discharge the battery at room temperatures, charge it with the battery chargers intended for lithium batteries, limit the discharge currents to 0.4-0.5C and similar - just like many other similar 12V 100Ah lithium batteries.
The battery comes with M8 battery terminals (positive/red to the left), ensuring firm contact between the battery terminals and battery wires.
Connecting the Battery in Series and Parallel
Lithium batteries should NOT be connected in parallel or series unless permitted by their manufacturer.
JITA 12.8V 100Ah batteries support connecting the batteries up to 4S4P configuration - up to 4 batteries in series and up to 4 batteries in parallel - allowing the user to create battery packs up to 48V (actually up to 51.2V) and up to 400Ah in capacity.
Such battery packs are able to store theoretically up to 20.48 kWh of energy, which may lead to great weight savings when such battery packs are used to replace similar lead-acid battery packs.
Note: when connecting lithium batteries in parallel and series, not just JITA 12.8V 100Ah batteries, always use the same battery model, from the same manufacturer, of the same age, preferably from the same batch, and use thick enough connecting wires.
How To Charge JITA 12.8V 100Ah Batteries
JITA 12.8V 100Ah batteries should be charged using dedicated lithium battery chargers or using smart AGM battery chargers with dedicated lithium battery charging mode.
Although the maximum continuous charging current is set to 50 Amps (0.5C), it is recommended to charge the battery using 20-25A (0.2-0.25C) charging currents - such charging currents will not cause stress to the battery and will prolong its operating life, although it will also prolong charging time.
For example, when the battery is cycled between 80% DoD and 20% DoD, the useful capacity is 60Ah, but a 20A charger can recharge the battery in ~3.5h, and a 25A charger can recharge it in slightly less than 3 hours, allowing the users to cycle the battery several times per day which may be very important in certain situations.
Also, when the battery is cycled between 0% DoD and 100% DoD (useful capacity of 100Ah), such battery chargers can recharge the battery in ~5h (25 Amps charger) and ~6 hours (20A charger).
When the battery is used as, for example, a car audio battery, deep-cycle boat or RV battery, or anything similar, the battery should be isolated from the starting battery and its charger (alternator + charge controller) using so-called DC-to-DC battery chargers.
For example, the Renogy 12V 20A/40A DC to DC On-Board Battery Charger supports charging of various battery types with 20A (using LC current limit cable) or 40A (default charging current) currents and even includes safety D+ ignition cable, preventing the charger from discharging the starting battery.
JITA 12.8V 100Ah Battery As A Trolling Motor Battery
JITA 12.8V 100Ah battery can be used as a lightweight and very cost-effective lithium trolling motor battery.
With 100 Amps maximum discharging current, the battery supports powering even the strongest 12V electric trolling motors, which usually feature a maximum discharging current of 50-60 Amps.
24V, 36V, and even 48V electric trolling motors can be powered by connecting 2, 3, or 4 batteries in series according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
When 50 Amps trolling motor is run at 60% of its nominal power (30 Amps), the JITA 12.8V 100Ah battery can power such trolling motor for 3 hours easily, even with some energy left in the battery for safety reasons - not bad for the battery that weighs only 24.2 pounds (~11 kg).
Compared with typical group 31 12V 100Ah AGM and Gel-cell batteries, the JITA 12.8V 100Ah battery weighs ~1/3 and can power 30 Amps trolling motor for 15-25% longer, depending on the lead-acid battery model.
JITA 12.8V 100Ah Battery As A Power Inverter Battery
JITA 12.8V 100Ah battery can be used as an excellent deep-discharge power inverter battery - just be aware of the battery's limitation of 100 Amps continuously.
Thus, the battery is recommended for the 12V 500W power inverters with a surge power of up to 1000W - anything than that may trigger the BMS to protect the battery by disconnecting it from the rest of the electric circuit.
Obviously, the battery can be used to provide electricity to stronger power inverters than 500 Watts, but one must be very careful when connecting the external loads.
For example, if we assume for safety reasons that the JITA 12.8V 100Ah battery can provide 1000W continuously and that the power inverter feature energy efficiency of 85%, then we can power external loads up to 850 Watts, while the power inverter draws 1000W from the battery.
And yes, a 90% energy-efficient power inverter can power devices up to 900W while drawing 1000W from the battery - the more energy-efficient the power inverter, the more expensive it is. But, personally, it is always a good investment.
Long Story Short: JITA 12.8V 100Ah battery is a very popular group 31 deep-cycle LiFePO4 battery.
The battery supports a large number of charging/discharging cycles, it can be discharged down to 100% DoD while still supporting 2000+ charging/discharging cycles, it can be connected in series and/or parallel, it is lightweight, etc.
Also, the battery supports 50 Amps maximum continuous charging current and 100 Amps maximum continuous discharging current.
If You are looking for a new 12V 100Ah deep cycle battery, and JITA 12.8V 100Ah fits your needs, consider it as your next deep cycle battery.
For more reviews and recommendations, feel free to check the JITA 12.8V 100Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) Deep Cycle Battery Amazon link (the link opens in the new window).
