Coachmen Nova 20D: Li3 Lithium or AGM With Generator?

[K&JClassB]

Hello All,

Just joined the group.

We currently have a 2019 Roadtrek Zion. But are looking at upgrading to another Class B RV.

We are leaning towards the Coachmen Nova 20D on the Ram Promaster if we can find one with a Li3 lithium system.

Anyone have any experience with this unit and/or thoughts?

 

[K&JClassB]

Hello All,

Trying to decide whether to go with the Coachmen Nova 20D model with the AGM batteries and generator or the one with the Li3 Lithium batteries unit.

We live in Pennsylvania. Mostly travel and camp in the spring, summer and fall. Mostly stay at campgrounds and state parks. Occasionally will stay overnight in a rest stop, Walmart or Cracker Barrel if permitted.

What are your fellow Class B campers’ thoughts? Pros, cons, or any issues you had with your Coachmen Nova 20D if you have either one of these setups?

TIA

 

[sil_van]

First post here. We have owned a 2026 20D Li for 5 months. This van has exceeded our expectations.

The initial quality has a been very good. We only needed to have a loose connection in the awning fixed In total we have spent about 3 weeks camping at state and federal sites.

The insulation keeps the van quiet and warm. The double pane acrylic windows help here too.

It is a non-propane set up with an induction stove and a gasoline heat & hotwater Truma system.
There is a 630ah LiFePo house battery and. large holding tanks (for a van).

We get a full week before needing to empty. The black tank is the limitation for the two of us. Using campground toilets would extend the time before emptying.

The solar sizing is nominal but the second large under hood alternator will recharge the 8Kw battery in a couple of hours.

The bath is usable to stand and sit.

For us, it was the large fridge (7cuft), substantial lithium, generous tanks and twin bed that met our requirements. The gasoline fed heater was a bonus.

Storage has been adequate. We should easily be able to carry our needs for the longer term travel that we anticipate in the future.

We are getting 18 mpg (US) highway/ 17 overall. Would be more if I slowed down to 60 mph.

HTH

 

[K&JClassB]

Thanks for the info.

I lean towards the lithium package, but the wife leans towards the AGM. And oddly, the dealer is pushing the AGM over the lithium. (You would think they would want to push the higher-priced unit and make more money.) Maybe they are looking at selling you more AGM batteries every 3-5 years as opposed to no lithium for 10 years?

What state or weather climate are you in? We're in Pennsylvania where winters do drop to sub-freezing temps. Which makes me wonder if going AGM might be the better option. Though, I guess you haven't had the chance to test the lithium batteries in winter since you only had it for five months.

 

[sil_van]

Ha. You’re right 5 months would not be enough. We drove the van home to Massachusetts during a low 30F day in February. That’s 7 months. After we got it home, we had some of the coldest days of the winter. We comfortably slept in it at 10 degrees when we got it home.

We had some below 0F days that followed. The Lithium battery weighs 125 pounds. I’m not going to take that out. Instead, I just kept the van heated to 50.

My plan going forward is to keep the interior warm when lows are below 0 are expected I can plug in to 110 household and get enough power to run the heater.

I know of others who do nothing for the cold and have not had a problem with the lithium. There are others on this site that clearly have better electrical knowledge whose opinions I would respect.

For me, I really wanted the larger battery and targeted a minimum of 6Kw. The 310 AGM was not enough. The represents 150Ah usable.

We added a Starlink Standard that consumes 35W. That comes to about 70Ah over 24 hours. The rest of our usage is about the same. I can estimate the AGM would provide a day for our needs before the generator would be needed.

There is a hybrid option to pair a 330 Ah Lithium with the generator. That would effectively double the storage. I think it’s a dealer add-on. If you can get by the extreme cold storage.

At first, I considered buying the AGM model and doing an upgrade to Lithium because the 20K markup for Lithium seems like a lot (it is). To their credit, it seems Coachmen uses good components. Victron, Lithionics, and Xantrex seem like respected names. The retail on the Lithionics was unexpected. In the end, I paid for their expertise.

When looking at online listings I always see a couple dozen AGMs and less than four Li. I don’t know how the business model works. I suspect the dealers are putting an AGM on the lot and having the Lithium’s built to order. If you drill down on the listings, more than half of the Lithium’s are very likely not in stock.

We ordered one the first 2026’s. It was built to order and took 4-5 months to be delivered.

 

[sil_van]

I reviewed storage considerations for the LiFePo battery. I did not find anything that says damage occurs during storage in sub-zero temps. It's charging below 40F that can damage a battery. These have BMS to prevent that.

The battery, water lines, fresh and black are all inside the van shell. If you are actively using the van these will be warm.

If you not using to van I've seen recommendations to store at a 60% SOC and ideally above 14F.