Lithium iron phosphate is one of the most promising energy solutions for electronic devices and vehicles of all kinds, such as cars, buses, and…. forklifts! The batteries offer powerful battery cells, leading performance, and have significant added value over traditional lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries. In this article, you will learn more about the benefits of lithium iron phosphate.
There are many types of batteries on the market today for use in multipurpose industries. The best known are gel batteries, lead-acid batteries, and the emerging lithium-ion batteries. Lithium technology is gaining ground in many industries due to its many advantages over traditional lead-acid batteries.
However, it is not the well-known lithium-ion technology that offers the most interesting properties for use, but a variant of it: the lithium-iron-phosphate battery. Also known as LFP or LiFePo4.
Super-Fast Charge
The main advantage of LiFePo4 batteries in daily practice is that it is fully charged very quickly, i.e. in only about 1.5 hours (may vary slightly depending on the size of the battery and the charger chosen).
Unlimited opportunity charging
The LiFePo4 battery has a very compact density, resulting in a very constant discharge, giving the cell continuous full power until fully discharged. The lithium iron phosphate battery does not need to be fully charged immediately, allowing for the unlimited opportunity for charging at strategic moments such as breaks.
In combination with the super-fast charge, the possibility of unlimited opportunity charging enables easy multi-shift operation without changing the battery. Every break, whether it's a 15-minute coffee break or half an hour for lunch, can be used to place the device on the charger. A quarter of an hour of charging gives you enough energy to move forward for a few hours.
Long service life
The battery can be charged at least 2000 times, after which it still has a good capacity. The LiFePo4 battery has less capacity loss than lead acid batteries, resulting in much longer service life. After more than 10 years, the lithium iron phosphate battery still has about 75% capacity after more than 2000 charging moments.
More stable and safer
While lithium-ion batteries still have some disadvantages such as igniting when overheated or lacking capacity under severe conditions, the LiFePO4 cells are non-flammable if damaged or mishandled during charging and discharging. They can withstand extremely high temperatures and there is no risk of explosion if overloaded, overheated, short-circuited or damaged. This is in contrast to lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries.
The lithium technology frequently used in electronic devices is mostly lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2). The technology used in lithium iron phosphate has high thermal and chemical stability, resulting in better safety conditions. Above a certain operating temperature, lithium-ion technology has the problem that it can become unstable. For this reason, among other things, lithium-ion batteries are always equipped with a battery management system. However, this does not guarantee 100% that the risk has disappeared. The lithium iron phosphate battery eliminates this problem as there is no heat generation.
Environmentally friendly
The lithium iron phosphate batteries contain no toxic acids or heavy metals. In addition, they are 100% recyclable. As a result, the batteries are much less harmful to the environment. When the batteries are no longer suitable for transport and transportation due to a loss of capacity, they continue to be used to store wind and solar energy.
No charging station is required.
Special battery compartments with ventilation are no longer required. After all, no pollutants are released during charging and there is no heating. It is therefore absolutely safe to place the devices on the charger anywhere you want. You save time and money.
