Croustibat
01-11-2013, 07:21 AM
So ... my S13 battery died, again. My fault again for not using the car enough and not charge it ... But i need to remove the intercooler cold pipe to remove the battery, and that really is a pain. I decided to move on and get a very small battery, like an odissey one.
Then i came across these lithium batteries. They do look appealing; very lightweight, same price as an odissey battery, and seem to fit cars that dont get used so often, amongst other things.
I wonder if some people here are using them ? Please chime in if you do, or know something about these.
This is what i have learned so far:
Pros:
Weight/price ratio. Fancy a 200$ / 3lbs battery ?
supposedly 10x more life cycles than lead batteries.
Voltage does not drop until battery is out (like other. Empty battery is at around 12V, full is around 12.8/13V)
Safe, environment friendly and dry cells: no need for a battery box.
Very low internal resistance => very good at starting cars, and very low losses when not used. also, very fast at charging ... 30mins charge. Then you have to wait 30mins for it to cool... Way better than my 24h slow charger.
Small, and can be installed in any position.
Cons:
it needs some electronics, and not a lot of suppliers fit it on the battery.
Their ratings are fake. divide Ah by 3 to get the real rating.
PCA rating is a fake CCA too. Shorai started these fake ratings to compare the batteries to a lead one. Nearly everyone followed. If you see a 20AH battery for less than 600$, it means its a faked rating.
terminals are not car terminals.
mostly used on bikes, powerboats, skidoos. Not on cars.
Techs:
It looks like there are 2 types of cells mainly, cylindrical and prismatic ones. Prismatic is supposed to be better.
You can get your own cells and electronics from ebay, and build your own. That will still be chinese ebay stuff though ... i would not use that.
You really need that electronic board, called BMS, IN your battery. Some manufacturers sell their battery without, then put one in the charger. That is a bad idea really, as the battery is unprotected when used in the car. The BMS is not cheap, i think i saw 60$ on ebay. They protect from over and undervoltage, which both kill cells, and they balance cells. Some also limit the max discharge current. If you are getting that kind of battery, get a BMS that do all of that and have it fitted at the battery, not in the charger. Unless you like buying new batteries often.
Makes:
Ballistic:
Someone on sxoc was using an "Evo2" 16cells one. Seems to work. The 12cells are used to power kawasaki vulcan 1500cc custom bike. These dont include the electronics.
EarthX:
Seen some comments around, looks legit. Assembled in USA from chinese parts. They do however include the electronics (balancing, under/over voltage protection, current limiter). I may go for that brand. They do a 24AH (read 7.4AH) model which i think would suit my CA18DET. There also are 18 and 36AH versions. I still dont understand what the "C" or "D" at the end of their references means.
Shorai:
dont know much.
XSpower:
not the one that sells crap i believe. These ones have been the first, but their price range is unbelievably high.
If you feel i am missing something, please comment.
Then i came across these lithium batteries. They do look appealing; very lightweight, same price as an odissey battery, and seem to fit cars that dont get used so often, amongst other things.
I wonder if some people here are using them ? Please chime in if you do, or know something about these.
This is what i have learned so far:
Pros:
Weight/price ratio. Fancy a 200$ / 3lbs battery ?
supposedly 10x more life cycles than lead batteries.
Voltage does not drop until battery is out (like other. Empty battery is at around 12V, full is around 12.8/13V)
Safe, environment friendly and dry cells: no need for a battery box.
Very low internal resistance => very good at starting cars, and very low losses when not used. also, very fast at charging ... 30mins charge. Then you have to wait 30mins for it to cool... Way better than my 24h slow charger.
Small, and can be installed in any position.
Cons:
it needs some electronics, and not a lot of suppliers fit it on the battery.
Their ratings are fake. divide Ah by 3 to get the real rating.
PCA rating is a fake CCA too. Shorai started these fake ratings to compare the batteries to a lead one. Nearly everyone followed. If you see a 20AH battery for less than 600$, it means its a faked rating.
terminals are not car terminals.
mostly used on bikes, powerboats, skidoos. Not on cars.
Techs:
It looks like there are 2 types of cells mainly, cylindrical and prismatic ones. Prismatic is supposed to be better.
You can get your own cells and electronics from ebay, and build your own. That will still be chinese ebay stuff though ... i would not use that.
You really need that electronic board, called BMS, IN your battery. Some manufacturers sell their battery without, then put one in the charger. That is a bad idea really, as the battery is unprotected when used in the car. The BMS is not cheap, i think i saw 60$ on ebay. They protect from over and undervoltage, which both kill cells, and they balance cells. Some also limit the max discharge current. If you are getting that kind of battery, get a BMS that do all of that and have it fitted at the battery, not in the charger. Unless you like buying new batteries often.
Makes:
Ballistic:
Someone on sxoc was using an "Evo2" 16cells one. Seems to work. The 12cells are used to power kawasaki vulcan 1500cc custom bike. These dont include the electronics.
EarthX:
Seen some comments around, looks legit. Assembled in USA from chinese parts. They do however include the electronics (balancing, under/over voltage protection, current limiter). I may go for that brand. They do a 24AH (read 7.4AH) model which i think would suit my CA18DET. There also are 18 and 36AH versions. I still dont understand what the "C" or "D" at the end of their references means.
Shorai:
dont know much.
XSpower:
not the one that sells crap i believe. These ones have been the first, but their price range is unbelievably high.
If you feel i am missing something, please comment.