Battery Tender Lithium Replacement
I do not see where anyone else has reported on this so I will jump in with my experience. Needed to replace the battery in my '05 Elise. I saw that Battery Tender was offering a new line of Li batteries. I got model #BTL35A480C with 480 CCA for $249 from Stored Energy Products (SEPBatteries.com) through Amazon. It weighs something like 5 lbs. I called Battery Tender tech support and asked if I could use my Battery Tender Plus to charge the battery and they said no. I had to buy a Battery Tender Junior for $19. They said that they are coming out with a specific Li charger later in the spring.
Installation was perplexing me until I realized that the battery's motorcycle type terminals would connect directly to the cables from the Elise after I removed the large clamps that connect to battery posts (Duh). Used a large cable tie to secure it although I need to do something more secure.
Left it on the Jr. charger till it turned green and then took the car our for some errands. It was low 20's F here in Jersey and it started strongly every time. When I got home I plugged it back into the Jr. and the light was red which means that the car was not keeping it fully charged. These were 3 short 20' trips so I do not know how well the charging system of the Lotus will charge the battery. I guess as long as it will not destroy the battery I will be happy to take it home and throw it back on the charger.
I will see how it goes when this crappy winter is over and the car gets more use.
Installation was perplexing me until I realized that the battery's motorcycle type terminals would connect directly to the cables from the Elise after I removed the large clamps that connect to battery posts (Duh). Used a large cable tie to secure it although I need to do something more secure.
Left it on the Jr. charger till it turned green and then took the car our for some errands. It was low 20's F here in Jersey and it started strongly every time. When I got home I plugged it back into the Jr. and the light was red which means that the car was not keeping it fully charged. These were 3 short 20' trips so I do not know how well the charging system of the Lotus will charge the battery. I guess as long as it will not destroy the battery I will be happy to take it home and throw it back on the charger.
I will see how it goes when this crappy winter is over and the car gets more use.
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And more CCA.
I called Shorai to ask about details for a battery I could not find on their website. As I was about to end the call the representative asked about my Shorai battery. It was way beyond the battery warranty period but they decided to send me a reconditioned battery at no cost. I couldn't tell it wasn't new. Outstanding customer service and I wasn't looking for a "freebie". About $160 for the battery they sent.
San
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Hmm I wonder if the battery tender junior going red is just part of it's "welcome back car" cycle. How long did it stay red for? If it's just under 5 minutes, it may not indicate any troubles, just might be a sampling cycle before going into maintenance mode.
I've been using Alien Motion 8 & 12 cell in my track car for years. I've never had a problem starting the car. Admittedly I have no accessories remaining in the car.
Thanks! I'll look into it. :up:
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A Shorai engineer told me that a little Schumacher tender is OK. He said just don't ever use a charger with a "de-sulfate" cycle.
My Shorai charger started acting ignorant again mid-season, so I have been using just the little Schumacher with no problems at all.
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I have the Shorai battery sized for a Honda Gold Wing in my Elise. No problems with the battery, but the Shorai charger has not been worth it.
I'm running a "Scorpion Stinger" battery which looks to share at least a charging instructions label if not a manufacturer with the Battery Tender one. 3.1lb, $230. SSTX20HQ-FP. Had it for a bit over a year now.
It works really well even in the cold and never struggles to start the car, but will only keep the security system armed for about 5 days. I just use a battery cutoff when the car is in the garage now, but my Battery Tender Junior seemed to work fine to keep it topped off.
It also has a Charge Status button on top which seems handy for some people considering so many "is my battery dead" threads!
It works really well even in the cold and never struggles to start the car, but will only keep the security system armed for about 5 days. I just use a battery cutoff when the car is in the garage now, but my Battery Tender Junior seemed to work fine to keep it topped off.
It also has a Charge Status button on top which seems handy for some people considering so many "is my battery dead" threads!
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Look here young Battery Adventurer...I've been using a 3 lb Lion battery for over a year now. For 13 months I used a run of the mill "Battery Tender" (not the Jr) and it worked fine. Then one day I didn't plug my car into the tender for 1 week and ever since then the battery wouldn't come back up to full voltage.
So, I've just ordered a new Lion (Ballistic Evo2 16), but this time I'm going to use the correct Lion Ballistic Charger ($99 amazon) on it. Hopefully it lasts more than a year this time, but they warranty the battery 100% if it doesn't.
So, I've just ordered a new Lion (Ballistic Evo2 16), but this time I'm going to use the correct Lion Ballistic Charger ($99 amazon) on it. Hopefully it lasts more than a year this time, but they warranty the battery 100% if it doesn't.
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Battery Chargers
I see a lot of comments in this thread about battery chargers. A charger for a lead acid battery will run at different voltages than one designed for a lithium ion battery. Even different lithium ion chemistries need different voltages. Here's a sample chart showing the different voltages for LiFePO4 and lead acid:
Many battery chemistries - including lithium ion and lead acid - do well with a charger that starts out with constant current then switches to constant voltage as the battery approaches peak voltage. Using a lead acid charger on a LiFePO4 battery will result in applying too much voltage as the battery approaches a full charge, and then overcharging the battery as the charger tries to get the battery to the higher lead acid peak voltage. Additionally, some lead acid chargers will employ anti-sulfation routines that can damage the LiFePO4 battery, or they may employ a float charge regime (typically about 13.5V for lead acid) that will not fully charge the battery.
The best way to charge a LiFePO4 battery and ensure it's optimum life is to use a purpose-built charger. Some battery manufacturers offer a companion charger for their batteries. I occasionally have to charge the Chimera LiFePO4 battery in my Elise outside the vehicle after long periods of storage (or if I make a mistake and leave a load on it). When this happens, I use an iCharger 306B powered by a Mean Well SE-600-24 power supply. My Chimera LiFePO4 battery is a 4S2P, where each cell is 8 Ah, for a total of 16 Ah. A 2C charge rate is conservative for this type of cell (they appear to be rated at a 10C charge rate - very high). My charger will output a maximum of 30A, so it takes a little over a half hour to fully charge the battery from minimum voltage.
The charger and power supply I mentioned above were acquired to charge LiPo batteries for my RC helicopters and airplanes. They are about a $300 combination, so that's probably too much for someone who just wants to charge a car battery. But whatever charger you acquire, make sure it is application specific to ensure the greatest battery life and the least number of fires (an easy-to-achieve consequence of improperly charging lithium ion batteries, even LiFePO4).
Glen
I see a lot of comments in this thread about battery chargers. A charger for a lead acid battery will run at different voltages than one designed for a lithium ion battery. Even different lithium ion chemistries need different voltages. Here's a sample chart showing the different voltages for LiFePO4 and lead acid:
Code:
Per Cell...
Type LiFePO4 Pb
Nominal V 3.30V 2.00V
Peak charge V 3.60V 2.45V
Storage V 3.30V NA
Min discharge V 2.00V 1.75V
Y
For cells in series (a battery) as indicated...
Type LiFePO4 (4S) Pb (6S)
Nominal V 13.20V 12.00V
Peak charge V 14.40V 14.70V
Storage V 13.20V NA
Min discharge V 8.00V 10.50VThe best way to charge a LiFePO4 battery and ensure it's optimum life is to use a purpose-built charger. Some battery manufacturers offer a companion charger for their batteries. I occasionally have to charge the Chimera LiFePO4 battery in my Elise outside the vehicle after long periods of storage (or if I make a mistake and leave a load on it). When this happens, I use an iCharger 306B powered by a Mean Well SE-600-24 power supply. My Chimera LiFePO4 battery is a 4S2P, where each cell is 8 Ah, for a total of 16 Ah. A 2C charge rate is conservative for this type of cell (they appear to be rated at a 10C charge rate - very high). My charger will output a maximum of 30A, so it takes a little over a half hour to fully charge the battery from minimum voltage.
The charger and power supply I mentioned above were acquired to charge LiPo batteries for my RC helicopters and airplanes. They are about a $300 combination, so that's probably too much for someone who just wants to charge a car battery. But whatever charger you acquire, make sure it is application specific to ensure the greatest battery life and the least number of fires (an easy-to-achieve consequence of improperly charging lithium ion batteries, even LiFePO4).
Glen
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The Ballistic batteries get terrible reviews.
Their charger gets poor reviews. I was told by Shorai that the Deltran Battery Tender is fine for charging, but to pull it off after the battery is at full charge.
San
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I've had an Alienmotion battery in my car for about a year now. It has been rock solid. I balance charge it once, but never had any problems with it. I also have ALL of the normal accessories.
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