LiFePO4 Batteries | Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries Advantages and Disadvantages | Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Discharge Rate and Their Future

Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries (LiFePO4 Batteries)

Lithium iron phosphate or Lithium Ferrous Phosphate or Simply, Lithium Ion (LiFePO4 Batteries) is actually a subtype of its more generic li-ion class, although it is distinctive enough that it is frequently classified individually.

Lithium Iron Phosphate Disadvantages

LiFePO4 cells both are hefty and much less energy dense than other li-ion cells. This implies that battery packs made from LiFePO4 batteries will be larger and more voluminous than other li-ion or RC lipo batteries with the same voltage and capacity. The precise quantity varies depending on the cell type, but you should anticipate a LiFePO4 batteries to be about twice as big and twice as heavy as a similar lithium-ion battery. LiFePO4 batteries are therefore more expensive than lithium-ion batteries.

They are also among the most costly types of cells available today. They are more expensive than lithium-ion cells of the same capacity because of a variety of variables, including cell size, format, vendor, and location. However, you may anticipate spending approximately 20% more cost for LiFePO4 batteries than other lithium-ion batteries of the same capacity. Many LiFePO4 batteries, including those that are widely accessible, have a lower discharge rate, which means they can’t provide as much power, but this isn’t always the case.

Certain cells, such as the one manufactured by the high-quality battery firm A123, may provide tremendous amounts of power, but they come at a high price and are difficult to come by. Those are mainly marketed to OEMs for usage in consumer goods like power tools.

Even though LiFePO4 cells is often praised for some of their high discharge rates, most LiFePO4 batteries often have low discharge rates, unless you obtain LiFePO4 batteries that have been specially engineered for high discharge rates.

Lithium Iron Phosphate Advantages

Why would anybody want to use LiFePO4 batteries in the first place, given all of its disadvantages? There are really two significant benefits to adopting LiFePO4: the long cycle life and the high level of safety. The rated cycle life of LiFePO4 batteries is the longest of any lithium battery cell currently on the market today. Many of them have a life expectancy of over 2,000 cycles. Additionally, the chemistry of these lithium batteries is also one of the safest that exists.

Even though flames originating from LiFePO4 batteries were recorded, they are very uncommon in nature. When it comes to combusting effectively, the electrolyte employed in LiFePO4 cells simply can’t oxidize fast enough, necessitating very high temperatures for spontaneous combustion, which are often greater than the combustion temperatures of many materials.

However, when could you make use of LiFePO4 batteries? A wide range of projects with long cycle lifetimes and strong safety requirements, as well as projects with no significant space or weight constraints, and projects that do not need very high levels of power are the ideal candidates for LiFePO4 cells (unless you specifically source high-power LiFePO4 cells).

Lithium Iron Phosphate Discharge Rate

The LiFePO4 batteries nominal voltage is 3.2 V, and its discharge-charge voltage range is 2.5 V – 3.65 V. Discharging below 2.5 V will cause irreversible damage to the cell, just as it does with li-ion cells, but it is not always hazardous, as we saw with the RC lipo cells that we already discussed about this in the previous articles.

Lithium Battery is a cell of the future because

In clean rooms across the world, lithium ion cells are being tested on lab tables. These cells can charge fully within a few seconds, weighing a fraction of just what earlier cells weighed, and accomplish plenty of other incredible feats. But they are all research- and development-stage batteries that haven’t been put into production. Batteries that we can purchase and use today were created years, if not decades, ago and have gone through lengthy research and commercialization procedures before reaching our workbenches, our homes, and our offices.

As we enter a new age of lithium batteries, it is probable that the characteristics detailed in the earlier versions of such an article will begin to steadily change and improve over a period of many years. That might happen in the next five years, or it could happen in the next twenty years. For the time being, however, the descriptions provided above are limited to the batteries that are usually accessible for us to use today.

To view a comparison between Lithium Iron Phosphate and other rechargeable batteries, please refer to the table below:

Chemistry	Voltage	Energy Density	Working Temperature	Cycle Life	Safety	Environmental Protection	Cost based on life cycle
LiFePO4	3.2 V	>120 wh/kg	-20 to 60 °C	>2000	Safe	Good	0.15 – 0.25
Lead acid (SLA)	2.0 V	> 35 wh/kg	-20 to 40 °C	>200	Safe	Not Good	1
NiCd	1.2 V	> 40 wh/kg	-20 to 50 °C	>1000	Safe	Bad	0.7
NiMH	1.2 V	> 80 wh/kg	-20 to 50 °C	>500	Safe	Good	1.2 to 1.4
LiMnxNiyCozO2	3.7 V	> 160 wh/kg	-20 to 40 °C	>500	Better than LiCo	OK	1.5 to 2.0
LiCoO2	3.7 V	> 200 wh/kg	-20 to 60 °C	>500	Unsafe w/o PCM	OK	1.5 to 2.0

For what reason are LiFePo4 batteries used in inverters?!

It is a well-known fact that the effective lifespan of home inverters are significantly influenced by the quality of their batteries. According to the International Energy Agency, lithium batteries have gained widespread acceptability across the globe in contrast to other battery technologies such as nickel, silver, and lead. As a result, lithium has a high electrochemical potential and may be replenished on a continuous basis. Consequently, lithium batteries have low maintenance requirements and a longer life cycle.

With the benefits that are common to lithium batteries, Lithium Iron (LiFePo4) batteries (also known as Lithium Ferrous Phosphate Batteries (LiFePo4) batteries (LiFePo4) have improved thermal and chemical stability, and as a result, they have improved safety characteristics. They may significantly increase the overall efficiency of your inverter since LiFePo4 batteries are more dependable, stable, and require no maintenance whatsoever.

LiFePo4 batteries offer a greater charge and discharge efficiency than regular batteries, as well as a higher capacity than conventional batteries. They have a consistent amount of power production. They are much less in weight than other batteries. The design and total weight of your power backup system may as a result be significantly altered as a result of their additions. They are non-toxic and beneficial to the environment. LiFePo4 batteries have a ten-fold longer lifetime than traditional sealed  lead-acid batteries and need virtually no maintenance. As a result, it has the potential to improve the cost-effectiveness of your home inverter.

In addition, they have double the battery capacity and can manage temperature changes more efficiently than previous models. They feature a greater energy density, as well as improved safety characteristics. Lithium-ion batteries need less time to charge than other types of batteries. When handled improperly, they are usually noncombustible. They have improved stability when subjected to short circuits and excessive charging. As a result, they are considered to be among the safest batteries currently available on the market.

They feature a steady discharge voltage that remains close to 3.2 V until the battery is completely depleted of its capacity. LiFePo4 batteries are similar to other lithium batteries in that they do not need priming.