Willie S.
In this LiTime battery review, we will cover the LiFePO4 range of batteries. These batteries are available in three different voltages. Each voltage has multiple options for Ah.
Plus, in the case of the 12V batteries, multiple ‘types’ of batteries too. So, before we take a deep dive into the features that each product in the LiFePO4 range has in common, we figured that we would look at the basic specs of the individual batteries in their product range.
This is going to be highly useful information since it is likely most of the people reading this LiTime battery review will already have a rough idea of the voltage of the battery they are after.
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The LiTime LiFePO4 Battery Specs
12V LiFePO4 Batteries
The 12V range of LiFePO4 batteries is the most extensive and can be broken down into 5 broad categories.
Basic 12V LiFePO4 Batteries
We know we have called it the ‘basic’ range, but as you will probably see from the rest of the review, these batteries are anything but basic. All batteries in the LiFePO4 range are fantastic at what they do. Probably the best around. It’s just that the 12V range is extensive, and the other batteries in the 12V range have additional features that may make them more suitable for certain jobs, while the ‘basic’ batteries are good all-rounders.
These batteries are available in multiple Ah:
- 6 Ah
- 12 Ah
- 50 Ah
- 100 Ah
- 200 Ah
- 300 Ah
- 400 Ah
Yes. You read that correctly. LiTime offers 12V batteries with a massive capacity. This sort of capacity is virtually unheard of, which makes these batteries tremendous for all sorts of jobs. You can even wire them up together (in series or parallel) to give you more options from your batteries.
12V LiFePO4 Mini
The LiFePO4 Mini is only available in 100Ah.
The 12V Mini is fantastic for those that need a 12V battery in situations where space is at an absolute premium. This battery is 35% smaller than the equivalent in the basic range and 10% lighter. It doesn’t even cost that much extra either. In fact, this is probably the route we would go down if we were ever in the market for a 12V 100Ah battery. We love lighter and smaller batteries, especially when they pack a punch like the LiFePO4 range.
12V LiFePO4 Self-Heating
These batteries are available in 100Ah and 200Ah.
The self-heating batteries have self-heating pads in them. So when the charging temperature of the battery drops below 41F, the self-heating pads kick in, bringing the batteries up to a rather cozy 50F.
The self-heating batteries can be operated in temperatures where other batteries would struggle. In fact, these batteries can operate in temperatures as low as -4. So, if you are off-grid in snowy environments, this may be your best choice.
12V LiFePO4 Smart
The 12V Smart is only available in 100Ah. The Smart batteries contain a smart battery management system (BMS) that offers extra protection for your battery e.g. prevents overcharging, over-discharging, short circuit protection, over-temperature operation, and under-temperature operation.
We reckon that the LiFePO4 Smart range of batteries would work best in situations where you can’t continually be keeping an eye on your batteries e.g. off-grid locations, long-term charging, solar-charged batteries, etc.
It is a shame that there is only a 100Ah battery in this range. We would have loved higher capacities. Perhaps this is something that LiTime will consider in the near future.
12V LiFePO4 Plus
The LiFePO4 Plus range is available in three Ah: 200Ah, 400Ah and 460Ah.
These batteries allow charge loads of up to 200Ah. All the other batteries in the LiTime LiFePO4 range (including the ones we are about to discuss) are between 6Ah and 100Ah, depending on the Ah of the battery. So, the 12V Plus batteries may be ideal for those that have high output requirements and want to keep their batteries juiced up without losing their charge quickly.
24V LiFePO4 Batteries
The 24V LiFePO4 batteries are available in the following Ah. There is only one type of 24V battery (equivalent to the basic 12V batteries):
- 100Ah
- 200Ah
- 230Ah
48V LiFePO4 Batteries
The 48V LiFePO4 batteries are only available in 100Ah.
These batteries have a metal case, while the others in the LiFePO4 range have ABS plastic. This is because these 48V batteries are designed for use in server racks e.g. to provide backup power to servers during temporary power outages.
LiTime LiFePO4 Battery Features
While the LiFePO4 range of batteries is available in three different voltages (and multiple Ah), they all share broadly the same features. So, whether you pick up a 12V LiFePO4 battery or a 48V one, you know that you are getting the same LiTime commitment to quality. So, we want to take the time to discuss the various features that come as standard in all of these batteries.
We will be comparing the LiFePO4 batteries to the typical lead-acid batteries. This is because most people that pick up LiFePO4 batteries are doing so because they are tired of low-quality lead-acid options. In most cases, LiTime batteries should be a straight swap. So, wherever you are using lead acid, you can put one of these bad boys in there.
Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Cells
Every single battery in the LiFePO4 range boasts automotive-quality Lithium Iron Phosphate battery cells. These batteries have prismatic cells of LiTime’s own design. You will find out a little bit more about the benefits of these battery cells over the next few sections. However, rest assured, and LiFe battery cells are fantastic. They are lighter weight. They are more stable. They last longer than their lead-acid equivalents.
What we can tell you is that these batteries offer reliable power. These batteries will be ready to go whenever you need them. While they are fantastic as batteries to help power your day-to-day life, we know of plenty of people that are using the LiFePO4 range as a source of backup power. Even when they haven’t had to rely on their backup power for several months, they just know that if the worst should happen, their LiFePO4 batteries are there for them.
Lightweight
If you already have a battery system running lead-acid batteries, then you will know just how heavy they can be to lug about. It’s fine if the batteries are going to stay set up in one place. However, if you constantly have to haul your batteries about e.g. on RVs, boats, etc., then you want the lightest, smallest batteries possible. Particularly in RVs and on camping trips. After all, space is going to be at a premium.
Obviously, each battery in the LiFePO4 range will have a different weight. The larger the voltage and the more capacity, the heavier it is. However, all these batteries, no matter the size, are about 1/3rd of the weight of the lead-acid equivalent. Considerably smaller too. For example, the 12V, 6aH battery weighs 1.76 lbs, while a lead acid equivalent would be a little bit over 5 lbs.
Long Lifespan, Long Warranty
LiFePO4 batteries last for a minimum of 10 years. This is significantly longer than lead-acid equivalents. They cap out at about 3 years, depending on how much they get used. So, while you will be paying more for the LiFePO4 batteries, you will be replacing them less often. You would need to buy three lead-acid batteries before you even replace a single LiFePO4 battery. In the long run, it works out significantly cheaper to buy LiFePO4 batteries.
To show how much LiTime believes in their batteries, all products in their range come with either a 3-year or 5 years warranty. As near as we can tell, they offer one of the longest and best warranties in the battery business. We even looked at a few lead-acid battery warranties, and most of them were between 6 and 12 months. It goes to show how little trust those manufacturers have in their products. We don’t know about you, but we have always been fans of long warranties. It is an indicator of a quality product. Chances are, you would probably never need to claim the LiFePO4 warranty anyway. These batteries are incredibly well-built.
Charge Cycles
LiFePO4 batteries have a maximum of 4,000 charge cycles (taking the battery from fully-drained to fully charged). This, again, means that this is a battery built for the long term. You could charge the battery every single day for the minimum battery lifespan of 10 years, and you still wouldn’t hit that 4,000 charge cycles figure.
Your standard lead-acid battery? You would be lucky to get 500 charge cycles out of it, with most capping out somewhere between 200 and 400.
Remember, the maximum number of charge cycles can vary depending on how the battery is being used. LiTime does state that the number of charge cycles per battery is between 2000 and 4000. So, even if we consider the lower end of this range the ‘cap’, it is still significantly higher than lead-acid batteries.
High Depth of Discharge (DOD)
For us, this is the real highlight of the LiFePO4 batteries.
As you may know, you aren’t supposed ever fully to discharge lead-acid batteries. If you fully discharge them, you will damage them. What most people don’t know is that lead-acid batteries start to get damaged somewhere around the 50% charge mark. So, if you have a 100Ah lead-acid battery and the charge drops below 50Ah, then you will damage your battery. Keep doing that? You will be replacing your battery sooner rather than later.
The LiFePO4 batteries have a high DOD. In fact, you can drain every last drop of the quoted Ah. So, if the LiFePO4 battery claims it offers 100Ah, then feel free to use all of that 100Ah before you charge the battery again. Well, technically, you can drain the batteries 90%. This is because the actual Ah of every battery is 10% higher than the quoted Ah. LiTime has built a little bit of a buffer into their batteries. So, 100Ah batteries are actually 110Ah. The extra 10Ah is there to ensure that you don’t fully drain the battery but still have 100Ah of usable power. We love this.
The high DOD means that LiFePO4 batteries work incredibly well if you don’t have continual access to a charging system. For example, if your solar panels aren’t operating at peak capacity due to low sunlight or if you are out there on the road with literally no access to power.
We don’t think there are any other batteries on the market that come even close to offering that LiTime offers with their LiFePO4 batteries.
Low Self-Discharge Rate
Do you know why lead-acid batteries make awful backup power? It is because they need to be continually charged. If you don’t keep them topped up, your battery could have fully drained itself. You don’t even have to have anything plugged into it. The average lead-acid battery will lose 15% of its maximum charge in the first 24 hours of charging and a further 15% of its charge every month.
This isn’t an issue with LiFePO4 batteries. They still self-discharge. You can’t stop a battery from doing that. However, the self-discharge rate is incredibly low. The battery will lose around 3% of its charge in the first 24 hours and just 1-2% per month after this. You could literally fully charge one of these batteries for one year, put it to one side for 5 years, and it barely would have lost any of its charges.
This is what we mean by reliable power. LiFePO4 batteries will always be ready for you, even if you haven’t been keeping their power topped up.
Battery Management System (BMS)
Every LiFePO4 battery has an in-built battery management system (BMS) that helps to protect the battery from a variety of issues including:
- Over-charging
- Over-discharging
- Over-current
- Short circuits
- Over-temperature
The BMS basically allows your battery to last longer with far fewer issues. Your standard lead-acid battery? No BMS. So, you have to keep a watchful eye on your batteries or hope that your battery charger is going to be preventing some of these issues.
The BMS allows the max charge current to be high too. How high will be dependent on the Ah of your battery? Below 100Ah, the max charge current will be equivalent to the Ah. Above that (assuming you are not getting the 12V Plus batteries), it will always be 100Ah. This means that it is incredibly easy to keep your battery topped up. It also means that your batteries charge a whole lot faster. In fact, getting a LiFePO4 battery fully charged will happen in a fraction of the time it takes to get a lead-acid battery fully charged.
Environmentally Friendly
If this LiTime battery review hasn’t already sold you on how great these batteries are, how about a little sweetener? The LiFePO4 batteries are far more environmentally friendly than lead-acid batteries. But, of course, this isn’t just due to the lack of lead either (although that is a major part of it).
The in-built BMS means that your batteries won’t overcharge, saving power. LiTime has gone to great lengths to use renewable green products where possible. Of course, these batteries are not 100% green at the end of the day. No battery is. However, buying these is far better for the environment than the other options.
Pros & Cons of LiTime Batteries
Pros
- High Capacity.
- Multiple options.
- You can easily wire batteries together.
- Long lifespan.
- Environmentally-friendly.
Cons
- Cost.
- The included manual isn’t that great.
Read Also: The Ultimate Guide to LiFePO4 Batteries Reviews
LiTime Batteries: Are They Right For You?
As you can probably tell from this LiTime battery review, these batteries are absolutely fantastic. With multiple options in the LiFePO4 range, you should have absolutely no issues finding the right battery for the job.
If you want lightweight, long-lasting batteries that will give you every drop of promised power, then we can’t think of anything better than the LiFePO4 range.
There is a reason why so many people are using these for a variety of jobs including powering RVs, backup power in homes, trolling motors, and much more.
They are good. Really good. So, why not ditch your lead-acid batteries? Pick up something better. The LiFePO4 batteries may cost a little bit more, but they will give you more bang for your buck.
References
https://www.litime.com/products/litime-48v-100ah-server-rack-lifepo4-battery
https://www.litime.com/pages/rebranding-announcement
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/71D18660-BA69-4469-B357-89B6667BC660
https://www.laserax.com/blog/prismatic-vs-cylindrical-cells
