Hi sorry slightly long first post but if you’ll bear with me you’ll see where I am going with this.
I’ve just had what should be a brand new Victron Smart Lithium 12v 160Ah battery installed by a professional installer as a leisure battery in a van under the front seat. (not immediately accessible without removing the seat)
I was supplied with everything for the Victron Solar Controller, and the Victron Inverter including manuals and leaflets and was able to access these via bluetooth.
However I was not supplied anything for the battery itself, no leaflets, and was not able to access the battery by bluetooth and the default pin six zeros would not work, and the battery seemed to have a custom name already, applied, plus the battery is buried under the drivers seat in a van, so to get to it to see any stickers would require removing the seat.
I was able to get the PUK code from the fitter / supplier and was able to reset the pin and was hoping the iOS app might be able to tell me when the battery was first used and how many cycles it has had, but unfortunately it does not have this information.
So moving on in my research it seems that the HQ code first four digits give YY/MM of manufacture.
So I am a little concerned that the HQ code begins HQ2101 ie. manufactured in 2021, would someone with more knowledge of these matters be able to confirm that I should be concerned about this for what should be a new battery?
Thanks in advance for any advice…
An older date code doesn’t mean it’s not technically brand-new from the nearest Victron warehouse, so it’s not immediately a cause for concern.
You can look up the original distributor (who isn’t necessarily the fitter/supplier) from the serial number (enter here: Need support? - Victron Energy ) and inquire as to when they purchased that battery from Victron, which is what will be relevant for any potential future warranty claim.
LFP “calendar aging” isn’t an appreciable factor like it is with Pb, so the technical age of the battery isn’t a big concern.
Yes, but over 5 years is definitely too much IMO.
I highly doubt that the original distributor got that battery recently.
Yeah it’s tough to say. I was shipped 21 date code Smart Lithium batteries straight from the local VE warehouse as recently as late 2025, so I don’t discount the possibility… only the originating distributor will be able to tell!
I know we also get some old devices sometimes but not batteries (as far as I know).
Maybe it takes so much time to ship to the US? 
Hahaha that’s likely some of it, or just finally made it to the bottom of the shelf in the back at the warehouse. I know inventory rotation is practiced to be sure the older stuff goes out first, but I imagine that’s a bit more difficult when dealing with shipping containers packed with batteries.
I did immediately raise concern with VE on behalf of my customers, but was assured that the warranty period on them was still from the date of my purchase from VE, and not related to the (already expired) calendar date based on the SN.
Thanks for your reply, yes I did enter the serial no. on the Victron website, and that showed the UK distributor, who were very helpful, but their database got rejigged many years ago apparently and that particular battery no longer shows up.
I am also curious why an installer would change the bluetooth code and rename the battery?
According to Google -
Yes, LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries do deteriorate with age, even if they aren’t being used.
Calendar Aging: Even sitting idle on a shelf, natural chemical reactions within the battery cause it to lose a small fraction (around 1% to 2%) of its total capacity each year.
Not sure but I think he should be able to check in Victron e-order.
But that also is an indication that they bought the battery before the database got rejigged.
You have to remember that Google is not a reputable source, especially since its “AI Search Experience” is now pulling random nonsense from Reddit or just straight hallucinating and presenting it as truth. AI knows nothing, and is exceptionally confident about it.
Tech U of Munich tested cells stored for 10 years and found between 2 and 4% capacity loss after 10 years: https://2025.battery-power.eu/en/vortraege2/6628/
Cyclic aging is a much greater concern and temperature during either cyclic or calendar aging is an even greater concern than that, but regular calendar aging without cycling or temperature extremes is, while not non-existent, arguably negligible since the SEI (solid electrolyte interphase) growth slows in shelf storage, eg without any cycling:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352152X25014872
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775325028903
Regardless, however, yes as @M_Lange says, the distributor can still look up when they purchased your specific serial number from Victron, through Victron’s e-Order platform… and if they don’t want to do that for you, that’s a bit more concerning than the age of the battery itself, and raises several more questions indeed.