Today, lead-acid batteries use a combination of materials such as sulfuric acid and lead plates. In 1859, this was the first type of battery that could be recharged. On the other hand, lithium-ion batteries are a recent invention. Their commercial production began in the 1980s. Below are some of the main advantages of LiFePO4 batteries. Read on to find out more.
1. No voltage dip
With lithium batteries, their discharge curve is flat. This means that you get the same performance with a 20% charged device as with an 80% charged device.
And this can prevent many problems due to “voltage drops”. Also, there is almost zero percent voltage loss. In other words, lithium-ion units can provide full rated capacity at high current rates. On the other hand, lead-acid units can lose up to 40% of capacity if you heavily load these units.
2. Longer life cycle
If you get a high quality LiFePO4 unit, you can get thousands of cycles from the product. In real life they can offer up to 2000 cycles considering 80% depth of discharge at 1C discharge rate. And the rest of the capacity stays over 80%. It is important to note that these values depend on the discharge rate and product quality.
In addition, these charging cycles are higher than with NCA or NMC. On the other hand, you won’t be able to get more than 1000 cycles with the best lead-acid products.
3. Optimal capacity
Unlike a lead-acid device, LiFePO4 devices allow you to use up to 90% of the rated capacity. In some cases the capacity is even higher. For example, if there is a 100 amp hour device, you can easily get up to 90 amps out of it.
4. Easy to care for
Ease of maintenance is another benefit of these devices. The balancing system ensures that all battery cells are fully charged. All you have to do is charge the device and you can go for hours.
5. Efficient loading
The good thing is that you can quickly charge lithium-ion batteries to their full capacity. On the other hand, the lead acids have an absorption phase if you want to have the 20% saved. If you use a powerful charger, you can also charge these devices much faster. In fact, you can charge your device in just 30 minutes.
6. No waste of energy
From an efficiency standpoint, lead-acid batteries take forever to store energy. Lithium units charge at around 100% efficiency, as opposed to the 85% efficiency offered by most lead-acid units. This applies if you charge the devices with a solar system.
In short, these are just some of the main benefits of LiFePO4 batteries in the here and now. Hopefully you can get the most out of these units.
Thanks to James Yuan | #advantages #lithium #iron #phosphate #batteries #LiFePO4
