Lead-acid
Also known as: AGM · gel · OPzS · OPzV
The chemistry that lithium batteries for camper vans and off-grid use are replacing. For transport it is class 8: the risk the regulator declares is the acid, not fire.
What changes for you
In no other chemistry do cycles depend so much on depth of discharge. Hoppecke declares for its tubular OPzS 1,500 cycles at 80% depth of discharge, 2,850 at 50% and 7,995 at 20%; Victron for the AGM Super Cycle 300 cycles at 100%, at least 700 at 60% and at least 1,000 at 40%. A lead-acid battery you only use to a third lasts years; one you empty every evening lasts months.
The years depend on heat and neglect. Victron declares for its AGM batteries 7–10 years at 20 °C, 4 at 30 °C and 2 at 40 °C: lifespan halves every ten degrees. In the cold capacity "drops sharply", and a battery left discharged dies of sulfation: it is how camper batteries left standing over winter meet their end.
On weight and efficiency it is the chemistry that loses the most. Victron's AGM batteries do 44–48 Wh/kg and Hoppecke's OPzV 22–31, calculated from declared energy and weight; round-trip efficiency is 80% against LFP's 92%, and in solar systems, above 80% charge, it drops "to 50% or less".
The data
| Contains lithium | no |
|---|---|
| Contains cobalt | no |
| UN number for transport | UN 2794 / 2800 |
What the products in the catalogue declare
No product in the catalogue uses this chemistry, today.
Lead plates in sulfuric acid, six cells for a 12 V block. There are four families: AGM and gel electrolyte, sealed and maintenance-free; OPzS with free acid and OPzV with gel, tubular, for fixed installations.
For transport it is class 8, corrosives, not class 9: UN 2794 with free acid, UN 2800 non-spillable. EU regulation 2023/1542 requires marking "Pb" on every battery with more than 0.004% lead and, from 2031, declaring 85% recycled lead; above 5 kg lead-acid batteries remain permitted as industrial batteries.
In Europe they are sold for fixed installations by Hoppecke, with its sun|power range, and for camper vans and boats by Victron, with AGM, gel and AGM Super Cycle. The lithium camper batteries in the catalogue are, almost all of them, replacements for these: same footprint, same block voltage, different chemistry.
Related entries
Frequently asked questions
How many products in the catalogue use lead-acid?
No product in the catalogue uses this chemistry, today.