The Differences Between Lithium Ion Batteries And Lead-acid Batteries

The Differences Between Lithium Ion Batteries And Lead-acid Batteries

In recent times, lithium ion batteries are emerging as a substitute for lead-acid batteries and taking over their place in most cases. Let us compare and contrast the two to bring out their pros and cons in this article.

Cost

The cost of a battery depends on a colossal number of factors ranging from its construction, demand, application, manufacturing process and distribution, and so on. Considering all the necessary points, we can observe that lead-acid batteries are the more cost-effective option.

Charging Time

The charging efficiency for a lead-acid battery is as low as 75% in most cases. Hence, it requires an overall higher time and energy for recharging but delivers less power than it receives. It can take over six to eight hours to complete the entire charging process.

On the other hand, lithium-ion batteries can charge up to 100% of their total capacity within a short period. They can deliver almost the same amount of energy as received and complete the charging process in as little as 25 minutes.

This feature allows individuals to put lithium-ion batteries to use much faster than the lead-acid batteries, even if they start charging simultaneously.

Weight of the Battery

Generally, lithium-ion batteries weigh around 6kg while lead-acid batteries, about 30kg. The difference in weight signifies that the former is almost five times lighter than the latter.

The lightweight nature of lithium-ion batteries allows them to find applications in devices like laptops and mobiles where a lesser mass is beneficial.

Maintenance

Lead-acid batteries require a high level of maintenance. The upkeep can include repairing the filling system, removing oxide from the terminals and the elements, and other necessary procedures. These processes need to get carried out frequently to sure their long life. Hence, a combination of them adds up to increase the maintenance charge of lead-acid batteries significantly.

Contrarily, lithium ion batteries require minimal to no maintenance. Hence, no extra expenditure on the upkeep of gas, water, and infrastructure is necessary.

Durability

Lithium-ion batteries have a higher number of cycles of recharging and discharging and thus a greater lifespan. They can continue to work their entire life with consistent and satisfactory effectiveness, performance, and output.

It is not the case for lead-acid batteries since they have less than three times the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries. Additionally, they do not work at 100%, losing their capacity over time.

Safety

Lead-acid batteries hardly have any safety measures in place and can release hydrogen gas during their charging process. They do not come with adequate protection against overheating, overcharging, and other related hazards.

On the other hand, lithium-ion batteries give off no emissions and have several attributes for proper safeguarding. They come with automatic disconnection, balancing, remote control, and management systems.

Energy Density

Lithium-ion batteries have a significantly higher energy density compared to lead-acid batteries. The former may have a value over ten times that of the latter. That is why lead-acid batteries get used in places where the area is abundant with a low energy requirement. Conversely, lithium-ion batteries find application in power-hungry scopes.

Applications

Lead-acid batteries get used in material handling industries, stationary storage, emergency lighting, electric vehicles and wheelchairs, submarines, forklifts, etc. Lithium-ion batteries find application in urban buses, emergency power storage and backup systems, alarms, surveillance cameras, medical equipment, phones, tablets, and so on.For more about the differences between lithium ion batteries and lead-acid batteries,you can pay a visit to JB Battery at https://www.jbbatterychina.com/lithium-ion-vs-lead-acid-batteries.html for more info.