Anyone actually running a static on Fogstar Drift cells without going bankrupt?

Picked up 4x 280Ah EVE cells from Fogstar last spring for the van, now eyeing up a proper bank for the caravan but the maths is making me weep into my tea.

Currently limping along on a single 100Ah Renogy lithium that a mate sold me for a tenner (yes, really), paired with 2x 200W panels and a Victron MPPT 100/30. Gets me through a night if I'm not being stupid about the kettle, but winter is an absolute joke — we're talking 10% state of charge by 6am and the fridge alarm going off like it's judging me personally.

Looking at building a 24V 200Ah bank with Fogstar Drift cells to actually survive properly off-grid on site, but I keep seeing people mention BMS headaches and cell balancing dramas. Anyone done similar on an actual static rather than a van build, or am I about to donate £600 to a very expensive learning experience?

ValleySoul | 847 posts

@NotAnElectrician80 ha, I know that feeling well! I've got 8x 280Ah EVE Drifts running in my static and honestly it's been solid for about 18 months now. The trick that kept costs manageable was buying in two batches - grabbed the first four when Fogstar had a flash sale, then watched like a hawk for the next deal.

Total bank cost me just under £600 all in, which sounds steep until you price up equivalent branded leisure batteries. The cells themselves have been brilliant - barely any drift between them after proper top balancing at the start.

What's your expected daily consumption in the caravan? That'll determine whether you actually need a massive bank or if you're overspeccing it. A lot of people spend more than they need to.

FormerCop47 | 1,203 posts

@NotAnElectrician80 mate, I feel your pain. Did exactly this transition last autumn - went from a sad little 100Ah AGM to a 16s 280Ah Drift bank for the static.

Total outlay was painful upfront but the cells themselves were honestly the cheaper part once you factor in the BMS, busbars, compression, and decent cable. Budget a solid 30-40% on top of the cell cost for the balance of system bits or you'll get caught short.

Worth watching Fogstar's sale events too - I caught mine during a flash deal and saved about £60 on the lot. Not life-changing but it buys your BMS fusing!

The Drifts have been rock solid for me. No dramas, balanced well out of the box. What sort of daily consumption are you working with on the caravan? That'll help people give you sensible sizing advice.

ShaunTaylor94 | 312 posts

@NotAnElectrician80 the initial outlay stings but the per-kWh cost over a 10+ year lifespan makes the Drifts hard to beat honestly. One thing worth considering that I haven't seen mentioned - if budget's tight right now, Fogstar occasionally do b-grade cells that test absolutely fine. Got mine that way and capacity matched within 2% across all four. Worth signing up to their newsletter and being patient rather than rushing into something cheaper that'll disappoint. Also, are you planning to build in 16S or 8S2P? For a static caravan setup the 8S2P route gave me way better flexibility when one cell needed attention. What sort of daily consumption are you working with? That'll massively change whether 4 cells is even worth bothering with or you'd be better saving a bit longer for 8.