Lithium batteries
What's the newest skinny on lithium batteries?
Forum Discussion
Unfortunately, lithium have their own set of things to think about:
Special balancing chargers.
They are much more prone to catching fire.
Should never be left unattended while charging.
Need to be partially discharged (but not too much!) if unused for even a couple of weeks.
Can't be stored in cold conditions
Different voltages than lead-acid, so regulators have to be added.
Very attractive due to the energy density per pound, but they need a lot more safety and babying than most people are used to, and then there is the very high cost per amp.....
I should add, there is one kind called Lithium Iron (LiFe) that is much safer, and has voltages that approach lead-acid. But, the American company noted for making them (A123) never got solid traction with the electric car market, and is now a shadow of it's former self. Most LiFe's now come from China, so who knows how good/bad they are. Plus the other issues with Lithium batteries noted above still apply to them.
Special balancing chargers.
They are much more prone to catching fire.
Should never be left unattended while charging.
Need to be partially discharged (but not too much!) if unused for even a couple of weeks.
Can't be stored in cold conditions
Different voltages than lead-acid, so regulators have to be added.
Very attractive due to the energy density per pound, but they need a lot more safety and babying than most people are used to, and then there is the very high cost per amp.....
I should add, there is one kind called Lithium Iron (LiFe) that is much safer, and has voltages that approach lead-acid. But, the American company noted for making them (A123) never got solid traction with the electric car market, and is now a shadow of it's former self. Most LiFe's now come from China, so who knows how good/bad they are. Plus the other issues with Lithium batteries noted above still apply to them.
