ABQ RV Brings Lithium Batteries to N.M. Balloon Fiesta

Jordan Madrid wires a solar system on an RV owned by Minnesotan Mike Schuette. (Photo: Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal)

Jordan Madrid, owner of Albuquerque-based RV rental and service company Echo One Adventures, said he’s seen every campground near balloon fiesta over this past week, accordig to a report by Alaina Mencinger at the Albuquerque Journal.

“Everyone’s here,” Madrid said, adding that most campgrounds are fully booked. “… Just a parking nightmare pretty much everywhere.”

Madrid has been visiting campgrounds installing lithium batteries and solar power systems on-site, as part of a Balloon Fiesta partnership with Nevada-based Dragonfly Energy, which produces Battle Born Batteries.

Madrid said the goal of Echo One Adventures is to make traveling “stress and headache free.” This is the first time that Echo One Adventures has installed batteries at Balloon Fiesta; Madrid was surprised by the interest in the service.

Madrid said he’s been doing two to three battery installations per day during Balloon Fiesta, with many customers booking in advance to upgrade their RV power systems during the weeklong event. Madrid said that the company is also doing at least one full power system builds per day, and they’re booked a week out on builds.

“We didn’t plan for it to be as big as it was,” Madrid said.

Lithium batteries generally last longer and are lighter than traditional RV batteries. Eric Carter, technical sales specialist at Dragonfly energy, said they also charge faster, reducing “battery anxiety” at events where the “primary goal is to have a great time.”

Top read the complete Albuquerque Journal report, click here.