D-MAX gets a lithium dual-battery system

Being the main project vehicle for 4X4 Australia over the last few months, there was no way we’d settle for any old dual-battery system in our D-MAX.

We need to power fridges, charge camera batteries and live out of this thing for extended periods of time. It’s safe to say, this set-up we’ve just installed in the D-MAX is absolutely first class, starting with our choice of battery.

Lithium isn’t the future, it’s the now – if you’re setting up a 12V system from scratch for your 4x4, I can’t see the point of not opting for lithium. In our case, we chose a 100amp/h slimline battery from Invicta, for a few reasons.

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The battery is Bluetooth-compatible, meaning we can monitor it via our smartphone. This battery has enough grunt to power a 1000W inverter, which is more than enough power for our needs. It’s light too, weighing just 12.4kg, so I can pick it up with one hand without issue.

There are an incredible number of different batteries in the Invicta range, but we felt the 100amp/h slimline would be the right size for our needs, and we really wanted to fit it in a position that would occupy otherwise wasted space. These slimline batteries are a brilliant solution.

I was also very impressed with the battery’s seven-year warranty, a sign of confidence in the product.

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Made up of lithium iron phosphate, the advantages to four-wheel drivers stretch further than just a lighter set-up. Firstly, lithium batteries have the ability to charge faster than a lead acid battery. They also feature longer run times, as you have the ability to run the battery down further thanks to their flat discharge curve; you can also run them down to lower voltages (10V specified in our instance) than an equivalent lead acid battery.

Lithium batteries can also sit unused for longer periods of time, which is handy when half the country is stuck at home.

So it is lighter, has more power available, can fit behind the back seat, and it will recharge quicker. Sign us up!

INVICTA SLIMLINE 100AH LITHIUM BATTERY SPECS

PIRANHA OFF-ROAD BATTERY TRAY AND CHARGER

Piranha Off Road caught on to our plan of installing a slimline battery behind the back seat of our D-MAX, and physically hand-crafted a battery tray to suit the vehicle.

These are now in production to suit the current Isuzu D-MAX, so if you want to put an Invicta slimline battery behind your back seat, like we have, you’ll be able to. I’d recommend going this way, as it makes the most of previously unused space, keeping the tray area free for other gear.

Piranha’s 30amp lithium-compatible DC-DC charger mounts directly to the battery tray, making for an easier installation, and the battery is held in place with a strong, adjustable metal clamp. The charger also has built-in MPPT and a PWM solar regulator, to connect solar directly to the unit.

This certainly wasn’t a DIY installation, requiring nearly two hours just to install the tray. Piranha recommends you get a professional to handle it, unless you are well-skilled with a grinder and power tools.

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The tray itself is a work of art and has been constructed from 2.9mm thick steel, gold zinc plating and is pre-drilled to mount the Piranha DC-DC – it will also work with the Redarc BCDC1225D.

You will need to remove the rear plastic trim on the back wall, cut a few brackets and drill holes to make it work, but the effort is definitely worth it. This tray mounts rock-solid and provides a super neat install when all wrapped up.

Best of all, you can’t see anything once the back seat is folded up, and if you need to access the battery, it’s as simple as folding the seat down. This also protects the battery from external heat sources, so I’m confident we’ll get a solid run out of this set-up.

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AVAILABLE FROM: www.invictalithium.com.au; www.piranhaoffroad.com.au; www.advancedinstalls.com.au

RRP: $1599 (Invicta 100amp/h Slimline Lithium Battery); $290 (Piranha Off Road Battery Tray); $385 (Piranha Off Road DBCD1230S 30amp DC/DC Charger)

LABOUR: To install battery tray and wire in battery: $550. Total for our dual-battery system: $2824