Lithium has already won
Almost nine in ten DIY batteries we can identify are LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate). Lead-acid, AGM and gel — the default for decades — barely show up in new builds anymore.
What it means for you: if you are still pricing lead-acid to save money up front, you are now in a shrinking minority. The crowd has decided lithium's usable capacity, weight and lifespan are worth it — and falling prices have closed most of the gap.
The inverter is now optional
Only about one plan in six bothers with a mains inverter. Meanwhile roughly a third wire in dedicated USB charging — close to 1.9× as many. The phone now charges straight off the 12 V bus, no 230 V detour required.
What it means for you: modern appliances — USB devices, LED lighting, 12 V fridges, DC-friendly cooktops — let most builders skip the inverter entirely. Add one only if you have a specific 230 V (or 120 V) load that genuinely needs it, not by default.
A clear baseline build has emerged
The typical plan pairs about 2.4 kWh of lithium — roughly two 100 Ah / 12 V batteries — with around 200 W of solar and about 9 components in total. That blueprint repeats again and again across weekend vans and small boats.
What it means for you: if you are starting from scratch, that combination is a safe, well-trodden baseline to scale up or down from. The ambitious off-grid end of the dataset reaches 7.7 kWh and beyond — small-house storage built on van-grade hardware.