Lead-acid batteries have been used in automobiles since time immemorial. But the two have completely different chemistries. ( Lead-acid batteries can be sulfated if repeatedly undercharged, but that’s a distinct and separate problem.) Myth: Lithium Batteries Are Interchangeable with Lead-Acid Batteries Yes, nickel-based chemistries like Ni-Cd and Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are subject to a memory effect if repeatedly charged/discharged to the same state of charge, but neither lead-acid nor lithium batteries are subject to this effect. The “memory effect” of batteries has become an urban legend. Myth: Lithium Batteries Have a Chemical “Memory”įact: No, they don’t. If the BMS detects subfreezing ambient temperature, it will use incoming electricity to warm up the battery first, and then switch to charging thereafter. These heating pads are controlled by the BMS (remember the electronic brain?). Most lithium RV battery manufacturers, such as Expion, RE-liON, Victron, and Battle Born, now offer batteries with integrated heating systems. Charging a frozen LiFePO4 RV battery can do sudden, irreparable damage to the battery cells. Many can be discharged as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit! In fact, they excel in cold temperatures, where unlike lead-acid batteries, they retain most of their usable power.įact: A non-heated lithium battery can’t be charged at freezing temperatures. Note I said “charged,” not “used.” Lithium batteries can actually be discharged well below freezing. Regular lithium batteries cannot be charged at temperatures below freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Anyway, this myth also has a grain of truth. Myth: Lithium Batteries Can’t Be Used in Freezing Weather EMS software prevents lithium batteries from being overcharged or short-circuited (except in cases of mechanical failure). A BMS is like an electronic brain that controls how the battery is charged, discharged, and cycled. Secondly, all RV lithium batteries have an integrated Battery Management System (BMS). LiFePO4 batteries just aren’t as susceptible to thermal runaway as other chemistries. The problem, they discovered, was a short circuit in the PCB.īut somehow “exploding phone batteries” turned into “all lithium batteries are explosive,” and that’s simply not true.įact: Today’s RVs use LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) battery chemistry, which is essentially non-combustible and non-flammable in normal use. Samsung eventually ‘fessed up and recalled more than 2 billion units, even though the flaw affected a tiny percentage of devices. In 2017, exploding lithium-ion batteries in Samsung Galaxy tablets and phones caused international uproar. Like a game of telephone, this myth is based on a true story.
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