Advantages of Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries

 Lithium iron phosphate battery, a lithium-ion battery using lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) as the cathode material and carbon as the cathode material, has many advantages over lead-acid batteries and other lithium batteries (LiFePO4 or LFP). This article will specifically introduce the advantages of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

 

High Efficiency

In a like-for-like comparison with systems using other lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) offers a superior combination of characteristics designed to improve discharge and charge efficiency and the ability to deep cycle while maintaining performance. Typically LiFePO4 cells have four times the energy density of lead-acid batteries and can be charged five times faster than lead-acid batteries.

 

Better High and Low Temperature Performance

Fortunately, LiFePO4 cells can withstand a wide range of temperatures without degradation at either end of their temperature range. They typically operate at full capacity over a temperature range of -20°C to 70°C.Therefore it is also commonly used in RV camping.

 

Light Weight

Compared to lead-acid batteries, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP) chemicals have about 50% more usable capacity and weigh 70% less. LiFePO4 cells are also lighter than some lithium-ion batteries, about half the weight of lithium-manganese oxide (LMO) batteries.

 

Environmentally Friendly Manufacturing

Unlike lithium and lead-acid batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries do not contain toxic, heavy or rare earth metals such as cobalt, nickel or lead. liFePO4 is composed of common materials such as graphite, iron and copper. These materials are cheaper to source, more abundant and require less energy to mine and process, making it a more environmentally friendly option for boat owners seeking a green electric boat propulsion solution.

 

Easy to Recycle

Lithium iron phosphate batteries are more environmentally friendly to manufacture and they also pose a much lower environmental risk throughout their working life than other lithium batteries.
The phosphates used in lithium iron phosphate batteries are far less soluble than the metal oxides used in other lithium batteries. This makes it much less likely that LiFePO4 battery​ will leach chemicals into the environment, so LiFePO4 cells are also easily recycled at the end of their useful life.

 

Zero Maintenance

Unlike lead-acid batteries, LiFePO4 batteries do not require any maintenance to extend their service life. liFePO4 batteries also do not suffer from any memory effects due to incomplete discharge prior to charging.