Fiat EV Module Powerwall

I finally got some time to start planning out my Fiat powerwall project. Still a but unsure if I am going to just bolt all of these things to my wall, or if I should put them into a half height server cabinet but the wall is my preference to keep it out of the way.

Planning Design / System Details:

• 15s / 48v System
• Victron MPPT
• Victron Inverter
• Bluetooth BMS
  

Either way, I got a chance to lay out and organize the batteriesI purchased.

24+ kWh of modules




A nice site to see all of them but my system isn'tgoing to use all the cells... I actually don't need all that capacity but I will most likely cut that in half and use about 12 kWh bolted to the wall.

Can't wait to wire this stuff up... it should be super simple but I have some ideas to really make the wiring clean. Still waiting on parts / crimp connectors but these things bundle up pretty nice.





I did abandon my 18650 collection and testing because it was very time consuming I wasnt getting good cells all the time and the quality and consistency didnt really leave me feeling good about the project long term. These cells test very well, all the same, good consistency, and in comparison to packaging the 18650 cells into modules, soo much less work. Even it wasnt the cost of the cells, it was the time and cost of building which made these a much better value.

I still have a bunch of 18650 cells, I will probably sell most bty keep some for smaller projects. I did get some very good modem packs from Alarmhookup (2600 mah LG), but my crown jewel find was the medical pack 2900 mah Panasonics which I got hundreds of. I will most likely build a smaller 24v Powerwall with the PCB for a portable project, but that will be another thread.

Looking good, subscribed to the thread. Curious to know the chemistry of the batteries, and the layout of each cell. What made you decide on the Fiat batteries?

gregoinc said:

Looking good, subscribed to the thread. Curious to know the chemistry of the batteries, and the layout of each cell. What made you decide on the Fiat batteries?

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Thanks!

For all intents and purposes, these are no different than an 18650 Lithium-Ion chemistry. 4.2 max, 3.7 nominal. It's just the format is a prismatic instead of small cylinders. Each module is a 5s battery. The spec is about 64Ah per cell, so it works out to about 1.1 kWh per 5s module.

I decided on the Fiat batteries because of how easy it is to wire up, availability, and cost per kWh.They are not as power dense as a Tesla model S module, but they also cost half as much per kWh. Great powerwall use, it actually cost me less than buying cells from eBay and trying to solder or spot weld them up into modules or packs using holders or PCB... on top of that, it's very high quality and consistent when compared to random laptop packs I have been processing over the past year.

I consider them a bit of a hidden gem... not a lot of people know about them which helps with the price, and not a lot of people know you can easily make a really nice48v setup with 15s. I think because it's not 14s it gets overlooked.

3modules in series = 15s which is perfect for many reputable inverter brands like Victron, Magnum, Schneider... many that I am looking at all accept input voltage of around 66 volts. Those inverters generally run more efficient with a higher voltage too, so it's a win win over 14s. Victron, Magnum is fully programmable so you can just program whatever voltages you want for cutoff on charge/discharge.

Also works great for 36v with two in series at 10s. Probably ideal if you were rebuilding a golf cart but I wont be using it in that way.

The physically theinstalledlayout will look very similar to my above photos.

Here is a video I made a little while back about the Fiat cell.

Interesting setup. Similar in design to the Mitsubishi LEV40 and LEV50EV battery units, but appears the Fiat units have higher KWh. Great to see the cells areprismatic, which is why I purchased the Mitsubishi over the Nissan Leaf.

Do you have a Fiat 5S pack disassembled, as I'd be interested to see it broken down by individual cell?

gregoinc said:

Interesting setup. Similar in design to the Mitsubishi LEV40 and LEV50EV battery units, but appears the Fiat units have higher KWh. Great to see the cells areprismatic, which is why I purchased the Mitsubishi over the Nissan Leaf.

Do you have a Fiat 5S pack disassembled, as I'd be interested to see it broken down by individual cell?

Click to expand...

It's possible, and I have seen it done, but I didn't want to it because I find value in how its already packaged. It's very durable and has mounting tabs at the base which makes bolting it to something very easy.

Plus when building a 15s setup, kinda pointless when each one is 5s each.

What it looks like under the orange terminal covers / protectors.




Not my work, but this is what the individual cells look like.

Thanks for posting this. If you don't mind, could you please post the outer dimensions of the 5S metal case? And the Fiat model this came out of?

I'm also curious about the dimensions of a single cell, but I would not recommend taking one of the modules apart. If something dies in the future, perhaps disassemble that damaged module then, and post the cell dimensions?

@spinningmagnets

Sorry for the delay... just got a chance to get those measurements for you.

Individual Cell Dimensions (Inches)
5" x 7" x 1.75"

Complete 5s Module (Inches)
6" Tall (to the top of the orange caps)
7" Wide
10.5" Long (9" without the mounting ears)

These came out of a 2013 year/generation of Fiat 500e car.

Hello, where are you from? Can you help me for buyng some Fiat 500e used modules?I live un Spain and i would like to build one powerwall for my house