Been down this exact rabbit hole myself — spent about three months obsessing over cell sourcing before finally pulling the trigger on a 280Ah EVE pack for the narrowboat last spring.
The savings are real, but I'd push back slightly on the headline figure. That €2,500 assumes everything goes right first time, and in my experience it rarely does. I cracked a terminal busbar torquing it down, ordered the wrong JK BMS initially, and lost a fortnight waiting on cells from a Chinese supplier whose tracking information appeared to be pure fiction.
A few things I'd add to anyone considering this:
- Top-balancing before first use is non-negotiable — I skipped proper balancing on my first attempt and had cells diverging badly within a week
- Cell grading matters enormously — Grade A from a reputable supplier versus mystery Grade B "deals" on eBay is a false economy
- Fogstar in the UK have been solid for smaller quantities without the import headache and associated customs surprises
- Don't underestimate the BMS programming time — my Victron Cerbo integration took an entire weekend of head-scratching
The cost argument stacks up convincingly over time, especially if you're running Victron kit and want proper system integration. But I've watched a few folk on here quote savings without factoring in their own labour, failed components, or the second BMS they bought after the first one fried.
Still worth doing. Just go in with clear eyes rather than spreadsheet optimism.
Anyone else running EVE cells long-term? Curious whether others are seeing capacity drift after 18+ months of daily cycling.
