In this video, I review an Ampere Time 200Ah 12V lithium battery with self-heating capability. Low temperature charging down to -4F/-18C. I also test out one of their 20-amp lithium battery chargers.
Overall I found the battery to be pretty well built and performed well, given the comparatively low cost. See my Pros & Cons List below for more details.
Everything tested OK except for an issue with the max-rated discharge current of 100A. In my test, I could go as high as 200 amps. Ampere Time tech support told me that the lithium cells are rated at 200 amps, and the BMS may allow up to that if it’s not running too hot. But it’s not recommended to preserve long-term cell life. The BMS will stop charging if it senses its temperature is too high.
*Fair Disclosure* I received complimentary review samples at no charge.
Ampere Time 200Ah Lithium Battery Review Video
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Economical Price and Free Shipping
- Self Heating for Charging as low as -4F
- Popular Brand on Amazon with thousands of reviews
- Detailed Manual with excellent illustrations
- Sell their own Lithium chargers
Cons:
- No Bluetooth app
- Only a 5-year warranty with a China-based company
- The case lid is glued shut
- Lithium Cells are embedded in foam epoxy
- Only tape holding BMS in place
- Max rated discharge amperage is only 100A
I plan to test this battery out for a few months of boondocking then I’ll come back with a review update. Cheers, Ray
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UPDATE – Battery Failure – Intermittent Power Output
In this video, I show you an issue I’ve been having with the Ampere Time 200Ah 12V battery I reviewed in November 2022. Intermittently the output power dies, and the voltage drops to a volt or less. My feeling is the BMS is defective. I’ll see what Ampere Time, now LiTime, says about it.
Ampere Time Battery BMS Failure – Update #2
Update 3 – Testing the Replacement Battery
In this video, I test out a replacement Ampere Time 200Ah self-heating battery to see if it solves a problem with the BMS cutting off when charging is disconnected. I’m happy to say the problem was solved. Unfortunately, though, it still won’t start my ALFFAA 1500W inverter unless I parallel two of them together.