Swapping your RV’s lead-acid batteries for lithium is one of the best upgrades you can make, but doing it right takes more than a new battery. Our lithium conversion replaces the battery and the two pieces of factory charging equipment that aren’t built for lithium, so your batteries charge correctly and your alternator stays protected. A standard conversion starts at $1,754, and we come to your RV anywhere in Tucson and Southern Arizona.
What’s Included in a Lithium Conversion
Our baseline lithium conversion includes everything a typical RV needs to switch to lithium safely:
- Epoch 12V 314Ah Eco Series LiFePO4 battery: 314 amp-hours of lithium iron phosphate storage.
- Victron Orion XS 50A DC-DC charger, which replaces the factory BIM or BIRD so the alternator charges the lithium battery at a controlled rate.
- Victron Blue Smart IP65 12V/25A charger, which replaces the factory converter if yours isn’t lithium-capable.
- About 2 hours of installation by our technician, at your RV.
How Much Does an RV Lithium Battery Upgrade Cost?
A standard lithium conversion starts at $1,754 before tax. That covers the Epoch 314Ah battery, the Orion XS DC-DC charger, a Victron Blue Smart IP65 charger, about two hours of installation and the trip charge. Battery shipping and installation supplies such as cable and fuses are extra.
Your final price depends on your RV. It changes with the battery you choose and how many you need, and with whether your RV’s converter is already lithium-capable. If it is, you won’t need the new charger. Adding an inverter or solar adds to the total. We’ll give you an exact quote for your RV before any work starts.
Why You Can’t Just Drop In a Lithium Battery
Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries are a big step up from lead-acid: you can use far more of their rated capacity, they weigh about half as much, and they last many times longer (see our AGM vs. lithium comparison). But most RVs were built around lead-acid batteries, and two pieces of the factory charging system need to change with them.
The BIM or BIRD: protecting your alternator
Many RVs use a battery isolation manager (BIM) or a battery isolator relay delay (BIRD) to connect the house batteries to the engine’s alternator while you drive. That’s fine with lead-acid. Lithium batteries can accept much higher charging current, though, and with a BIM or BIRD there’s nothing limiting how hard they pull on the alternator. We replace it with a Victron Orion XS 50A DC-DC charger, which charges the lithium battery from the alternator at a controlled rate and protects the alternator from that higher draw.
The converter: charging lithium correctly
Your RV’s converter charges the house batteries whenever you’re plugged into shore power or running the generator. Many factory converters aren’t lithium-capable: they don’t charge up to the higher voltage a lithium battery needs. If yours is one of them, we take the old converter out and install a Victron Blue Smart IP65 charger in its place, which charges lithium correctly every time you plug in. If your converter is already lithium-capable, we keep it and skip this step.
Watch a Lithium Conversion
The first job in this video is a typical lithium conversion on a Winnebago Travato. We took out the two AGM batteries and installed a single heated, Bluetooth-equipped Epoch 300Ah lithium battery, strapped securely to its shelf. We replaced the factory relay that linked the house battery to the chassis with a DC-DC charger, swapped the old converter for a Victron smart charger, and switched the van’s existing solar controller to its lithium setting, then confirmed the solar was charging the new battery before we moved on.
Later the same week, we upgraded an Entegra Super Duty from 200Ah to 628Ah of lithium with two Epoch 314Ah batteries, the same battery our standard conversion uses, and added 400 watts of solar on the roof.
How a Lithium Conversion Works
- Quote: tell us about your RV and how you use it, and we’ll confirm what your conversion needs, including whether your converter is lithium-capable, and what it will cost.
- We come to you: we’re mobile, so the work happens at your home, storage lot or campsite in the Tucson area.
- Install: we remove the old batteries, install the Epoch lithium battery, replace the BIM or BIRD with the Orion XS DC-DC charger, and replace the converter with the Victron charger if it isn’t lithium-capable. If you already have solar, we set your solar charge controller to charge lithium.
- Set up and test: we set the chargers up for lithium and check that every charging source is working before we leave.
Do You Need More Than One Battery?
One 314Ah battery is plenty for many RVers, especially if you mostly camp with hookups or run modest loads. If you boondock for days at a time or want to run bigger appliances off-grid, you may want more capacity, and possibly solar and an inverter too. Our guide to how many lithium batteries you need walks through the math, and our RV solar calculator will match you to a full system if you’re going further than a battery swap. Every one of our solar packages uses lithium as standard.
Lithium Batteries and Arizona Heat
Lithium batteries have a built-in management system that pauses charging if the battery gets too hot. In a Tucson summer, an exterior battery compartment in direct sun can approach that limit, so where the battery goes and how it’s ventilated matters. We take that into account on every install. Read more in Does Extreme Heat Damage Lithium RV Batteries?.
Who Does the Work
Every lithium conversion is done by our own team, led by founder Chris Killeen, an ABYC Certified Marine Electrician, Victron Certified installer, National RV Technician and NRVIA Certified RV Inspector who has designed and installed power systems on hundreds of RVs. Meet the team.
Lithium Battery Upgrade FAQ
How much does it cost to convert an RV to lithium in Tucson?
Our standard lithium conversion starts at $1,754 before tax. That includes an Epoch 314Ah lithium battery, a Victron Orion XS 50A DC-DC charger, a Victron Blue Smart IP65 charger, about two hours of labor and the trip charge. Battery shipping and installation supplies are extra. The final price depends on the battery you choose and whether your converter is already lithium-capable.
Can I just replace my lead-acid batteries with lithium?
Not safely in most RVs. A factory BIM or BIRD lets lithium batteries pull more current from the alternator than it’s designed for, and many factory converters can’t charge lithium properly. Our conversion replaces the BIM or BIRD with a DC-DC charger, and replaces the converter too if it isn’t lithium-capable.
What is a BIM or BIRD?
They’re the factory devices that connect your house batteries to the engine’s alternator while you drive: a battery isolation manager (BIM) or a battery isolator relay delay (BIRD). We replace them with a DC-DC charger in a lithium conversion.
How long does a lithium conversion take?
A standard conversion takes about two hours of installation time at your RV. Larger systems take longer, and we’ll tell you up front.
Do you come to me?
Yes. We’re a mobile service covering Tucson and Southern Arizona, so we do the work wherever your RV is parked. A $100 trip charge is included in the starting price.
Which lithium batteries do you install?
Our standard conversion uses the Epoch 12V 314Ah Eco Series LiFePO4 battery. We can spec other sizes or more batteries if your RV needs them.
Ready to Switch to Lithium?
Tell us about your RV and how you camp, and we’ll send you an exact quote.
