Facts About Lithium Vs. Lead Acid Batteries
Amp Hours converted to Watt Hours
Lead, which is the heaviest non-radioactive metal, has been the standard in batteries for decades. Why should you consider a lithium battery conversion? Here are seven features explaining the disparity between lead acid and lithium-ion batteries.
1) Weight: Lithium-ion batteries are one-third the weight of lead acid batteries.
2) Efficiency: Lithium-ion batteries
are nearly 100% efficient in both charge and discharge, allowing for
the same amp hours both in and out. Lead acid batteries’ inefficiency
leads to a loss of 15 amps while charging and rapid discharging drops
voltage quickly and reduces the batteries’ capacity.
3) Discharge: Lithium-ion batteries
are discharged 100% versus less than 80% for lead acid. Most lead acid
batteries do not recommend more than 50% depth of discharge.
4) Cycle Life: Lithium-ion batteries cycle 5000 time or more
compared to just 400-500 cycles in lead acid. Cycle life is greatly
affected by higher levels of discharge in lead acid, versus only
slightly affected in lithium-ion batteries.
5) Voltage: Lithium-ion batteries maintain their
voltage throughout the entire discharge cycle. This allows for greater
and longer-lasting efficiency of electrical components. Lead acid
voltage drops consistently throughout the discharge cycle.
6) Cost: Lithium-ion batteries are higher upfront in cost but the true cost of ownership is far less than lead
acid when considering life span and performance.
7) Environmental Impact: Lithium-ion batteries are a much cleaner technology and are safer for the environment.
Though they are used to power the same applications, that is where the similarity between lithium-ion and lead acid batteries ends. Lithium batteries deliver higher-quality performance in a safer, longer-lasting package.
Amp Hours converted to Watt Hours
Formula is (Ah)*(V) = (Wh). For example, if you have a 10
Ah battery rated at 48 V, the power is 10Ah * 48V = 480Wh. Convert Watt
hour to Amp hour (Wh to Ah).