Lithium Battery Questions?
10-22-2018, 07:48 PM
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Lithium Battery Questions?
Hello all,
I wanted to take a moment to introduce our company. We are Antigravity Lithium-Ion Batteries, and have recently signed on as Sponsors.
Lithium-Ion is fast becoming a great alternative to the heavy Lead/Acid Starter Battery. But being a newer technology there is often misinformation and questions regarding lithium-ion batteries in Cars. We are here to answer any questions you might have about Lithium-Ion. So feel free to ask how our products compare to competitors in the market, about the safety of Lithium-Ion or whatever. The goal with this post is to educate those who are interested in a factual manner.
I'll start off with some basics...
ADVANTAGES
1) They weigh up to 70% less than a similar size Lead/Acid battery and that can save about 30 to 50 lbs (depending on the vehicle's battery size). This is absolutely the most cost-effective weight reducing product on the Market. For example our Antigravity Batteries RS-30 Lithium-Ion battery weighs 11 pounds, and is 35 lbs lighter than the H6/Group 48 battery found in most 911s, Caymans, Boxters etc. To lose 35 lbs of weight using Carbon Fiber, Titanium, or other exotic materials would be over $100k. An exhaust system is thousands of dollars to lose a max of 15 pounds. Yet our Lithium Battery is a fraction of those costs. In Performance/Race Cars this equates to shorter braking distances, better acceleration, and better handling… these are all feature that large weight loss will achieve.
2) Lithium-Ion offer significantly higher Cranking Power than Lead/Acid. In similar sized batteries this means almost twice the cranking power. This means a higher voltage at start up is kept, which means a better start. Additionally this means you can use even a smaller battery in Performance or Race Cars and still easily start the Car.
3) The life cycle of the Lithium Battery can be twice that of Lead/Acid. Lithium Cells (depending on quality) are rated at 2000-2500 cycles. Lead/Acid is rated at 1000 cycles. But additionally a product like our RS-30 has features built into the battery that protect it from the main causes that damage Lead/Acid Batteries such as over-discharge. With our particular RS-30 battery it puts itself to SLEEP if it notices it will soon be over-discharged, yet saves enough reserve energy to RE-START the Car even 6 months after it went to sleep. Simply press the RE-START button on top of the battery and start the car.
DIS-ADVANTAGES
1) In extremely cold weather close to freezing Lithium has more resistance and on the initial start attempts will be more sluggish. But they will gain power after the cells "self-warm" from current discharge.
2) For the roughly same physical size Lead/Acid offer more Amp Hour Capacity. This is beneficial for vehicles like SUVs or when there are a lot of electronics or aftermarket theft alarms that create a higher parasitic drain on the battery. For vehicles like this is it best to stick with Lead/Acid
3) Using the correct External Battery Charger. Lithium performs fine being charged by the vehicles system. But when charged by a stand-alone charger you should use a Lithium Specific Charger/Maintainer because Lead/Acid Charger can go into "De-sulfate" modes which spike voltages to Lithium Battery, also Lead/Acid Chargers can over-cycle a Lithium Battery because Lithium Battery does not have a high self-discharge rate like Lead/Acid. So getting a new Charger if you use one could be a $60 dollar added cost.
4) Lithium is more expensive initially to buy than Lead/Acid. Due to the higher cost of the Lithium Cells and a lower scale of manufacturing Lithium does have a higher price point . About twice the cost and more. But given the Benefits and over double the life cycle this can be made back in terms of a longer life and better performance overall. So the initial buy-in is more but over the life span a lithium battery becomes a better investment. This will also depend on the quality of the Lithium battery you buy.
Anyway, if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Whether it’s about a battery for World-Class racing or your daily driver performance cars or bikes. Our intention is to give you the information you need to make the most informed, best educated decision on this newer technology.
.
I wanted to take a moment to introduce our company. We are Antigravity Lithium-Ion Batteries, and have recently signed on as Sponsors.
Lithium-Ion is fast becoming a great alternative to the heavy Lead/Acid Starter Battery. But being a newer technology there is often misinformation and questions regarding lithium-ion batteries in Cars. We are here to answer any questions you might have about Lithium-Ion. So feel free to ask how our products compare to competitors in the market, about the safety of Lithium-Ion or whatever. The goal with this post is to educate those who are interested in a factual manner.
I'll start off with some basics...
ADVANTAGES
1) They weigh up to 70% less than a similar size Lead/Acid battery and that can save about 30 to 50 lbs (depending on the vehicle's battery size). This is absolutely the most cost-effective weight reducing product on the Market. For example our Antigravity Batteries RS-30 Lithium-Ion battery weighs 11 pounds, and is 35 lbs lighter than the H6/Group 48 battery found in most 911s, Caymans, Boxters etc. To lose 35 lbs of weight using Carbon Fiber, Titanium, or other exotic materials would be over $100k. An exhaust system is thousands of dollars to lose a max of 15 pounds. Yet our Lithium Battery is a fraction of those costs. In Performance/Race Cars this equates to shorter braking distances, better acceleration, and better handling… these are all feature that large weight loss will achieve.
2) Lithium-Ion offer significantly higher Cranking Power than Lead/Acid. In similar sized batteries this means almost twice the cranking power. This means a higher voltage at start up is kept, which means a better start. Additionally this means you can use even a smaller battery in Performance or Race Cars and still easily start the Car.
3) The life cycle of the Lithium Battery can be twice that of Lead/Acid. Lithium Cells (depending on quality) are rated at 2000-2500 cycles. Lead/Acid is rated at 1000 cycles. But additionally a product like our RS-30 has features built into the battery that protect it from the main causes that damage Lead/Acid Batteries such as over-discharge. With our particular RS-30 battery it puts itself to SLEEP if it notices it will soon be over-discharged, yet saves enough reserve energy to RE-START the Car even 6 months after it went to sleep. Simply press the RE-START button on top of the battery and start the car.
DIS-ADVANTAGES
1) In extremely cold weather close to freezing Lithium has more resistance and on the initial start attempts will be more sluggish. But they will gain power after the cells "self-warm" from current discharge.
2) For the roughly same physical size Lead/Acid offer more Amp Hour Capacity. This is beneficial for vehicles like SUVs or when there are a lot of electronics or aftermarket theft alarms that create a higher parasitic drain on the battery. For vehicles like this is it best to stick with Lead/Acid
3) Using the correct External Battery Charger. Lithium performs fine being charged by the vehicles system. But when charged by a stand-alone charger you should use a Lithium Specific Charger/Maintainer because Lead/Acid Charger can go into "De-sulfate" modes which spike voltages to Lithium Battery, also Lead/Acid Chargers can over-cycle a Lithium Battery because Lithium Battery does not have a high self-discharge rate like Lead/Acid. So getting a new Charger if you use one could be a $60 dollar added cost.
4) Lithium is more expensive initially to buy than Lead/Acid. Due to the higher cost of the Lithium Cells and a lower scale of manufacturing Lithium does have a higher price point . About twice the cost and more. But given the Benefits and over double the life cycle this can be made back in terms of a longer life and better performance overall. So the initial buy-in is more but over the life span a lithium battery becomes a better investment. This will also depend on the quality of the Lithium battery you buy.
Anyway, if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Whether it’s about a battery for World-Class racing or your daily driver performance cars or bikes. Our intention is to give you the information you need to make the most informed, best educated decision on this newer technology.
.
