It’s no secret that lithium battery packs offer serious advantages in terms of performance and operability when compared to lead-acid batteries, which, it should be noted, make use of technology that is well over a hundred years old.
Lithium battery packs are increasingly being used to power small electric vehicles such as golf carts, as well as in RVs and other small vehicles. Some boaters are even replacing their conventional lead-acid boat batteries with deep cycle marine lithium batteries.
Here are just some of the glaring reasons why lithium batteries are the future.
Higher Energy Density, Greater Power
First and foremost, lithium battery packs deliver some of the highest energy densities of any commercially available rechargeable batteries, sometimes exceeding 300 watt-hours per kilogram.
This equates to more power, for running electronics, lights or trolling motors, for starting an engine, or for accelerating or climbing grades, if the vehicle is powered solely by the battery pack itself and lacks an internal combustion engine.
Moreover, unlike lead-acid batteries which are the conventional alternative, lithium batteries don’t experience the voltage drop that results in slow and sluggish performance. Lithium batteries deliver peak power and performance as long as they hold a suitable charge.
Faster Charging Times
At low currents, it can take 24 hours or more to fully charge a dead lead-acid battery. By contrast, lithium battery packs can usually take a full charge in a few hours at most. This saves time and is far more convenient.
Smaller, Lighter and More Compact
Modern lithium battery packs can actually be fairly large and heavy, but there are many, many light and compact lithium batteries, and by comparison to lead-acid batteries, they are featherweights.
It is common for 12V lead-acid batteries to weigh between 40 and 80 pounds each, and sometimes they weigh much more than this. Lithium battery packs of the same or comparable ratings as lead-acid batteries usually weigh as much, if not less.
This makes them much more convenient to handle and transport, not to mention the fact that it gives them performance advantages when they are used on small electric-only vehicles, such as golf carts or small boats powered only by electric trolling motors, in which the weight of the battery is basically dead weight.
Low Maintenance Compared to Lead Acid
Lead-acid batteries need to be watered every few months or after several intense charge and discharge cycles, and more frequently during the hotter months of the year. If you fail to keep the electrolyte solution balanced, performance will flag, the battery will experience a sharply reduced lifespan, and the plates will likely corrode.
By contrast, lithium battery packs are effectively maintenance free. They never need to be watered and aren’t prone to forming corrosion at the terminals like conventional batteries, either, so they are much, much lower in maintenance needs.
Safer: No Gasses Emitted During Charging
When you charge a lead-acid battery, through electrolysis of water in the electrolyte solution, hydrogen atoms are split from the water and released as free hydrogen gas.
While hydrogen gas is not necessarily biologically hazardous, it is extremely reactive and explosive, which is why it is critical to be careful never to charge lead-acid batteries in the area of an ignition source, and to be certain always (and only) to charge them in well-ventilated areas from which the emitted hydrogen gas can escape.
The same precautions do not need to be taken for lithium battery packs, making them not only more convenient to charge, but safer while charging.
Better at Higher and Lower Temperatures
Lead-acid batteries don’t perform well at extreme temperatures, especially in the cold. They can also discharge more quickly and die more easily in extreme cold.
Not that any batteries, lithium batteries included, perform notably well in extreme cold, but lithium batteries don’t experience the same sharp performance drops as other alternatives, specifically lead-acid batteries.
Low Self-Discharge
All batteries lose a little bit of charge over time, even when the battery is not hooked up to a circuit. How quickly batteries will lose their charge naturally depends on the conditions where the battery is stored as well as the battery itself.
That being said, lithium batteries experience a very, very low self-discharge rate, usually around 2% to 3% per month, and very often much lower than that. This means that you can leave lithium battery packs charged for a prolonged period of time with minimal risk that you’ll encounter a dead battery once you need to use it.
By contrast, lead-acid batteries self-discharge fairly quickly – as high as 4% to 6% per month, and worse under adverse conditions.
Longer Lifespan: Offsets Cost and Improves Environmental Friendliness
How long a battery will last, or to be more specific, how many charge-discharge cycles it will support before it dies and will not take or hold a charge, is not just a product of the type of battery, but how the battery is stored and maintained.
However, no matter how you look at it, lithium battery packs are longer-lasting than lead acid batteries. Depending on how deeply it is discharged and how well it is maintained, a lead-acid battery might last through anywhere from 300 to 1,500 discharge cycles, but most last fewer than 1,000.
By contrast, lithium ion batteries usually last between 300 to 2000 cycles, but since they have much higher energy density, that usually means they last significantly longer than comparable lead-acid batteries.
This helps offset the high upfront costs associated with lithium battery packs, and saves you money on replacements, since you’ll have to make them less frequently.
Explore Lithium Battery Packs for a Variety of Practical Applications
Here we carry a wide variety of lithium battery packs for an equally wide variety of applications, including marine batteries, golf cart, recreational vehicles and vans, and even batteries for off grid use. Shop our collection and if you have any questions on what we sell, or would like a recommendation based on the power you need, get in touch with us and we would be more than happy to help.
