Anyone else finding lithium prices have dropped massively this year?

Just picked up a 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 for £289 delivered. Twelve months ago the same sort of spec was closer to £450-500. Feels like the bottom has fallen out of the market, which obviously isn't a bad thing when you're kitting out a shepherds hut build.

Currently trying to decide whether to go 12V or 24V for the hut. I've got a 400W Renogy panel array planned on the roof and a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 sat in a box waiting to go in. The hut won't be running anything heavy — mostly lighting, a 12V compressor fridge, and charging laptops and phones.

Has anyone else been shopping for batteries recently and noticed the same price drop? And does the 12V vs 24V question matter much at these sort of modest power levels, or am I overthinking it?

JohnShaw86 | 847 posts

@MuddyRanger yeah it's been quite dramatic hasn't it. I picked up a 100Ah EVE cell kit from AliExpress back in spring for about £85 all in - would've been closer to £140-150 the year before.

Worth mentioning though that the drop isn't uniform across all suppliers. I've noticed the budget end has fallen further than the established brands like Victron and Pylontech, so you want to be a bit careful you're not just chasing the lowest price on cells from a supplier with no real after-sales support.

My advice would be buy the BMS from somewhere reputable regardless of where you source the cells. That's the bit that protects your investment.

Timing-wise it does feel like we're near the bottom but honestly nobody really knows. I wouldn't try to hold out hoping for another big drop.

My Fogstar Drift sitting next to my Victron SmartSolar laughing at what I paid for my first lead-acid setup back in 2019 🤣

KentCruiser | 234 posts

Charged my EV and the static caravan last Tuesday entirely on solar + budget LiFePO4 that cost less than my weekly shopping — truly living in the future. 🔋