Lead-acid or lithium batteries?

The main characteristics that differentiate lithium batteries (we mean Lithium-Ferrophosphate or LiFePO4) from conventional lead-acid batteries are:

- Resistance to charge and discharge cycles
battery life should not be measured in years, but in the number of charge/discharge cycles... and in this respect, lithium batteries guarantee on average 10 times more charge/discharge cycles than lead-acid batteries. It should be remembered that the life of the battery (both lead-acid and lithium) is also greatly influenced by the Depth of Discharge (DOD): the more deeply the battery is discharged, the fewer cycles it will be able to withstand. Lithium batteries also resist near-discharge better.

- Energy density (saving weight and space)
Or more simply: the amount of energy that can be stored in a certain volume. In this case, lithium batteries are much more efficient, providing the same amperage with 50% less weight and volume.

- Voltage stability
All batteries decrease in voltage (volts) as they discharge, lithium batteries do so to a lesser extent, but more importantly, after an immediate slight reduction, they remain constant until almost completely discharged, thus minimising voltage fluctuations, which are not good for the instrumentation and electronics of your racing car, whether you are driving a rally car or racing on the track

- High charging speed
While lead-acid batteries accept charging currents of around 20% of their capacity (to prevent premature damage), lithium batteries can be charged with currents that, theoretically, can reach 100% of capacity.... of course if a sufficiently powerful charger is available.
This means that while lead-acid batteries take a long time (it can take more than 12 hours to charge a lead-acid battery) to fully charge, lithium batteries can potentially be charged in just over an hour. Fast not only on the track... but also in charging!

- Increased energy efficiency
To summarise, if we charge a lead-acid battery to 100%, it will only release 80% of its stored energy in the discharge phase. The remaining 20% is mainly lost in heat. In the lithium battery, the efficiency reaches around 95%. A not inconsiderable saving.
In addition to all this, it should not be forgotten that lead-acid batteries discharge more quickly if not used, and if not 100% recharged, they are ruined and lose their capacity considerably. This does not happen (or happens to a much lesser extent) with lithium batteries.

But how much do lithium batteries cost? Are they much more expensive than lead-acid batteries?

Well, the question is legitimate, but the answer is not so obvious.
Yes, the price of a lithium battery is higher, but some deeper considerations have to be made in order to evaluate the investment: if we look at the longer life of a lithium battery, the fact that for the same amount of energy delivered, a battery with a lower capacity will be needed, well, the calculations have to be redone. And those who have done them have found that, considering the life of a battery, the cost per stored and released energy is around 60 cents/kWh for a lead-acid battery, compared to 40 cents/kWh for lithium batteries.
Not forgetting the possibility of being able to count on greater reliability to reduce the risk of spending the weekend suffering in the pits or even on the sofa.
We have gathered this information. Now it is up to you to choose between a lead-acid battery (here you will find Deka Super Sport and Odyssey Extreme Racing) or a lithium battery (we offer you the high-performance Super B).... And enjoy the competition!