We have prepared a cost comparison for Lithium Leisure batteries with that of Lead acid using a simple table to help illustrate the key points to consider when purchasing a 12v lithium leisure battery over the cheaper 100 year old technology, lead acid, AGM or GEL. This comparison uses a highly respected market leading brand in the battery sector. The comparison data was obtained from the manufacturers website and the links to the datasheets can be found below the table
The cost comparison expresses cycle life in watt hours. Which is a measure of power over time. This can be calculated by multiplying the nominal voltage by the ampere capacity of the battery.
12.8V
32 KGS
1280Wh
400
50%
640Wh @ 50%DOD
2 YEARS
NO
UPRIGHT ONLY
FIRST 50% ONLY
6 HRS @ 20A
256KWh
£275*
£0.43
15
£4125
12.8V
33 KGS
1280Wh
500
50%
640Wh @ 50% DOD
2 YEARS
NO
UPRIGHT ONLY
FIRST 50% ONLY
6 HOURS @ 2OA
320K/Wh
£278*
£0.43
15
£4170
12.8V
9.9 KGS
1280Wh
3000
100%
1280Wh @ 100%
5 YEARS
YES
NO RESTRICTION
UPTO 95%
2HR @ 50A
3.84M/Wh
£499
£0.43
1
£0
No special charger is required, any normal Lithium battery charger is fine. Many battery chargers will have settings for different battery chemistries. For Lithium batteries, select the LiFePO4 profile or the closest to 14.2-14.4v
You can charger your Lithium Battery in 3 basic ways:-
1. Using a DC-DC Battery charger will use your alternator’s surplus power to generate a regulated 14.4v charge voltage. Click here for DC-DC Chargers
2. Using a MPPT Solar Charge Controller you can charge your leisure batteries at a regulated voltage utilising your solar panels ability to harness the suns energy. Click here for Solar Charge Controllers
3 Using a Mains hook-up Charger you can use a domestic 240v electricity supply to charge you leisure batteries via hook-up or shore power. Click here for Mains Chargers
IMPORTANT: When you first receive your battery you should charge it fully until you get a Cell Over Voltage COV notification and then complete a full discharge until you get a Cell Under Voltage notification. This way your BMS will be able to calibrate your State of Charge SOC correctly, knowing both ends of the spectrum.
Your Lithium Battery with a Constant Current Constant Voltage charger CCCV with a LiFePO4 charging profile.
Absorption should be set to 14.2-14.4v
Float should be set to 13.5-13.9v
Desulfation/Equalisation must be turn off
Most Victron chargers already have a Lithium charging profile. However, should you wish to personalise your settings, please use the following;
Absorption voltage: 14.2V
Absorption time: Recommended setting is half an hour per 100ah of LiFePO4 battery (for example if you have 2x 150ah batteries select 90mins).
Float Voltage: 13.5V
Equalisation voltage: This must be disabled on all Lithium batteries as this can damage the battery with pulses of high voltages. This is designed for lead acid batteries to add with desulfation.
Temperature compensation: This should also be disabled on Lithium batteries.
Charged Voltage: This is where your battery is considered fully charged – Lithium batteries should be set to 14.4V for Victron equipment.
Low Temperature cut-off: The Drift batteries have low temperature charging protection built into the battery. You can leave this off.
Discharge Floor: 0%
Tail Current: This is the minimum current at which the Smart Shunt considers charging or discharging finished. We recommend 4%.
Peukert Exponent: Not required – this is for Lead Acid batteries.
Yes our SMARTIQ Series batteries are all ‘Drop-In’ Lead-Acid replacements. They are exactly the same size and shape as your old Lead-Acid batteries with the exact same terminal posts, so there is not need to change your electrical connections. They even have the base rail at the base to safely secure your battery in place. No need to look for inventive ways to strap a chinese replacement battery down. Click here for ‘Drop-In’ replacement batteries.
Yes, all LithiumPro Energy batteries can be connected in Series or Parallel up to a maximum of 4 units. Our SMARTIQ BMS APP with also be able to display your battery system as a whole in both Series or Parallel configurations.
Lithium batteries are extremely reliable technology. If care for and looked after according to the manufacturers guidelines you should still be using your battery in 10 years time. LithiumPro Energy only use traceable Grade-A Prismatic cell technology in all of their batteries which are capable of over 4000 cycles at 80% depth of discharge. Meaning if used every day it will last over 11 years, and still retain 80% of its rated capacity. All our batteries are covered by our comprehensive 5 year warranty.
Yes, you can safely discharge your Lithium Battery down to temperatures as low as -20ºc However, Lithium batteries cannot be charged in temperatures below zero unless they have heaters embedded within the battery. All LithiumPro Batteries have a safety feature built into the battery to prevent it charging below 0ºc unless it has heaters on-board Click here to see our ARCTICXTREME Battery designed for charging in colder climates.
Yes, our SMARTIQ SERIES range have been exclusively designed to fit under the front seat of your motorhome or campervan. You can even fit 2 in parallel for 300AH under the seat of Fiat Ducatos, Peugeot Boxers, Citroen Relays, Merc Sprinter, VW T6, VW Crafter, Transit Custom. Click here to see installation guide.
ONLY 9.9kgs
ONLY 10KGS - IP67 WATERPROOF
ONLY 15KGS - IP67 WATERPROOF
So looking at spec sheet both batteries appear to be the same with virtually identical specifications. However, their outputs, longevities and chemistries are very different. Lithium batteries have a specific energy of up to 160wh/kg compared to 40wh/kg for an lead acid agm battery. Meaning they are inherently more powerful. This can be seen in the compact lite’s ability to produce 7.5x more cycles than the agm or gel battery. Alternatively when expressed as a percentage its a massive 650% increase in cycle life.
Another major advantage when using a 12v lithium leisure battery over a lead acid battery is once they have reached 3000-5000 cycles they still retain up to 80% of their original capacity. In the case of a 100AH Battery, it means the battery will still continue to provide 80ah or 1024wh per charge. Conversely, a lead acid battery will not be able to hold its charge or be able to supply any meaningful power for any duration thus requiring another complete replacement.
The battery monitoring system (BMS) in the integrated brains of the battery. This gives the 12v lithium leisure battery its major advantage over the traditional Lead Acid batteries. The BMS controls the parameters under which the lithium cells can operate. It does so by regulating all the batteries parameters. As result of this strict governance, it protects the battery from damaging itself. In the case of battery parameters being exceeded, the BMS automatically shuts down the battery if it senses operations that may cause damage. Most importantly, when charged correctly it balances all the cells within the battery to achieve the best capacity and longevity for the battery.
£4125
£499
LITHIUM PRO ENERGY is Licenced Producer of Batteries in the UK BPRN09101
CALL 07400 787 282
LITHIUMPRO ENERGY LTD
Company No. 13386185
VAT GB441069218
