EG4 48V 100Ah V2 LIFEPOWER4 Battery Review – At Just $1,150, is it the Best CHEAP Battery?
There’s been a lot of buzz around the latest member of the EG4 server rack battery family, and given the low price point, it’s easy to see why.
Today, we’re taking a close look at the EG4 48V 100Ah V2 LIFEPOWER4 Server Rack Battery, which some are already saying is the “best cheap battery” on the market.
It seems to be on a permanent sale of just $1,200 ($1,150 with a discount code), which is noticeably lower than the other models in EG4’s hugely popular collection of server rack batteries, so it certainly got our attention.
But, as we’ve learned the hard way here at The Solar Lab, until you see something for yourself, you never know if it’s actually any good. This is why we’re going to run this puppy through some performance tests, compare it to some of the other low-cost options out there, and give our overall views on where it shines and where it falls a little short.
So, is this version of EG4 server rack battery as good as people say? Let’s find out!
What is the EG4 V2 LIFEPOWER4 Battery?
Basically, the V2 LIFEPOWER4 is a simplified version of the original EG4 LL 48V Server Rack Battery. With this latest version, EG4 added a few features, while also clipping the display screen, which is part of the reason why they are able to keep the price so low.
While it doesn’t include the built-in display screen you’ll find on the LL version, the V2 keeps most of the key features you’d expect from an EG4 battery, but at a lower price point. We’ve been running this battery at The Solar Lab for about a month now, and we’ll get into what we’ve found out about it in that time, but let’s start with a teardown of the specs and an overview of the build quality.
Overview of the Specs and the Build Quality
The EG4 48V 100Ah V2 LIFEPOWER4 weighs in at just under 100 pounds, so it just barely passes our Tiny Baby Lift Test, but server rack batteries are almost always really heavy, so we won’t hold that against it.
Plus, EG4 even updated the hinges that were on the original LL version, so they no longer pinch your fingers if you use them to lift or carry the battery— a seemingly small, but really thoughtful improvement.
Here are some of the main specs according to EG4:
Voltage and Capacity: This is a 51.2V battery rated at 100Ah, giving you a total of 5,120 watt-hours of storage.
Cycle Life Rating: EG4 advertises a cycle life of 6,000 cycles at an 80% depth of discharge, which is really good. It basically means you’ll be able to fully charge and discharge it roughly 6,000 times before you start to notice a meaningful drop in the storage capacity.
Parallel Capabilities: You can run up to 64 of these units together for a whopping total of 327.7kWh. That’s a ridiculous amount of power, so you can easily use these batteries as the main workhorses in an off-grid battery bank.
Build Materials and Design: The all-metal construction, including the front plate, feels sturdy, and this model has a heavy-duty terminal setup, a power switch, communication ports, and even dip switches for easy parallel setup.
While it obviously lacks the display screen you get with the LL model, there’s an optional USB slot for adding a screen if you want to monitor battery levels more precisely.
Whether you plan on buying a whole whack of these and don’t need each battery to have a screen, or you just buy one and later regret not having the screen, having the option to connect a display is something that we really like.
Performance Testing
EG4 batteries already have a solid reputation for quality and delivering on the specs they’re advertised with, but we always like to test things out for ourselves. The V2 is no exception, so here’s how it performed when we pushed it:
Surge Capacity Testing:
This battery is rated to run at 100Ah, but we pushed it up to 110Ah for a 10-second surge. The Battery Management System (BMS) worked perfectly, allowing for a bit of extra capacity without overheating or tripping. This gives you a little bit of wiggle room if you accidentally overload it, but don’t think you can go too crazy—it almost instantly shuts down if you push it way beyond its rating.
Low-Temperature Testing:
Another major function of a good BMS is being able to shut a battery down if it is operating below its safe temperature parameters.
To test if it could handle the extreme cold, we left the battery in a deep freezer for 24 hours. When we pulled it out and tested it, the BMS kicked in immediately, blocking charging and discharging capabilities to prevent the battery from damaging itself.
When compared to a battery that doesn’t have this type of protection, you really appreciate just how useful it is. Having sensitive and functional temperature sensors that are paired with a good BMS is the type of thing that should help extend the battery’s overall lifespan.
For those planning to use their battery bank in a cold environment, like an unheated shed or garage, it’s really nice to know that the EG4 BMS works exactly as advertised.
Efficiency Testing:
Efficiency is always an important factor when you’re assessing any type of server rack battery.
To test it out, we ran the V2 down from 100% to 0% using a 97.5Ah load. As the battery neared depletion, the amp-hours registered a slight spike, rising to around 103Ah before the BMS shut it down.
While this quirk didn’t impact real-world performance, it did affect the efficiency test a bit. A minor frustration for us testers, but something that’s unlikely to impact most users.
Basically, we couldn’t test it with 100% accuracy, but it certainly was pretty close to that 100% efficiency rating we were looking for.
Assessing the Interior Build and EG4’s Quality Control
While the battery looks great on paper, and it stood up to some pretty serious testing, another thing that we always like to look at when reviewing a battery is how it actually looks under the hood.
Opening up the V2 LIFEPOWER4 revealed a very well-organized interior layout. The battery cells are neatly arranged, with temperature sensors distributed across them to prevent overheating.
Unlike many of the cheaper, no-name brand server rack batteries we’ve looked at, like the Vatrer Server Rack Batteries, the BMS in the V2 is not randomly glued to a side wall or poorly positioned. Instead, it’s securely mounted in its own protective cage inside the battery housing. This ensures the BMS functions correctly, and that it won’t get damaged prematurely.
What We Liked and Disliked About the EG4 V2 LIFEPOWER4 Server Rack Battery
Now that we’ve given you a pretty good overview of what this battery is all about, let’s discuss what we were impressed with, and where we think EG4 could improve it.
The Pros
Let’s start out with what we liked about this battery.
The Build Quality:
The all-metal design, tight crimped wires, and orderly interior layout speak to the attention EG4 put into this battery. It looks like some serious effort went into building a high-quality battery that is intuitive and made to last.
While it may be in the same price bracket as some of the batteries the cheaper brands have put out, you can tell it was designed by a brand that actually cares about the products they release.
The New Rapid Stop Feature:
EG4 includes what they call an “E-Stop” feature that can instantly shut down your entire power system if it detects a problem. Basically, if the battery detects that something is wrong, not only can it shut itself down, it can deactivate your entire system.
They didn’t invent this feature, as it’s typically just referred to as a rapid stop, but if they want to call it E-Stop, that’s fine by us. The important thing is that they decided to include a useful feature, even though this is meant to be a more budget-friendly option.
In all likelihood, they added this upgrade in order to meet the requirements for legal certification in states like California, which have strict safety regulations for batteries. But, whatever the reason, we’re happy to see it.
The Improved Communication Ports:
With extra dip switches and two different protocols, the V2 can connect to various inverters, allowing more flexibility and expandability than the previous model. We always like when equipment is compatible with a wide range of other components, so this is another win for the V2.
The Affordable Price Point:
This is likely the battery’s most appealing feature. Priced competitively at around $1,149 with a coupon code, the V2 stacks up against lower-quality options, while still maintaining EG4’s standards for quality and reliability.
In other words, why would you buy a battery from a sketchy or relatively unknown company when you can buy one at the same price from one of the most well-known companies in the industry?
The Cons
While there was a lot to like about this battery, it wasn’t without its issues.
The Lack of a Display Screen:
Look, we get it, they intentionally left the display screen out in order to keep the costs down, but it still kind of sucks.
For users like us who enjoy precise data on their battery’s performance and state of charge, the absence of a built-in screen is a big downside. The optional plug-in display offers a workaround, but it’s still a bit of a compromise.
Efficiency Testing Quirks:
The slight spike in amp-hours near depletion affected the accuracy of our efficiency test, which was a bit annoying. With that said, it’s a bit irrelevant for probably around 90% of buyers, so it’s definitely not a major issue. Still, we wanted to mention it again.
How Does the EG4 V2 Stack Up Against the Competition?
Comparing this battery to other brands, like the above-mentioned Vatrer, the EG4 V2 more than holds its own in terms of quality and design. It’s just a great battery with very few downsides.
But where it really shines is the fact that you can purchase it through top retailers, like Signature Solar. Unlike cheap server rack batteries that you need to purchase directly from obscure and sometimes even sketchy manufacturers, you can pick up the V2 from a retailer that offers responsive and friendly customer service.
If you buy from Signature Solar, when you need help, you won’t be transferred to an overseas call center. You just get real service from someone who not only picks up the phone, rather than leaving you in limbo, they speak fluent English.
We’ve mystery shopped Signature Solar in the past and they nailed it on the customer service front. Given they are one of the main retailers for the EG4 line, you’ll actually get the help you need. This is another huge advantage for those looking to purchase multiple batteries for a large scale battery bank.
Our Final Verdict: Should You Buy It?
At the end of the day, the EG4 48V 100Ah V2 LIFEPOWER4 is a solid choice for anyone looking for an affordable server rack battery that doesn’t cut corners on performance or durability.
While it may lack a built-in display screen and a few other premium features, the battery’s build quality, protective features, and communication options more than make up for it. If you’re looking for a screen, the EG4 LL might be a better fit, but if you’re on a budget, the V2 is hard to beat.
For a battery that’s priced around the same as some of the no-name alternatives, it’s almost a no-brainer!
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