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At this time, there are two popular battery technologies; these are lead acid (PbA) and Lithium (Li) Batteries. Each of these are discussed below.
Lead Acid
Lead Acid batteries are the most common type of battery; they have been used for the last hundred years. The industry is mature. Lead acid batteries are the most recycled commodity with about 97% of batteries being recycled.1 This compares to only 55% of aluminium cans.
Batteries for on-road EV use are made as 6V, 8V, and 12V batteries. This allows one to choose different batteries for the same voltage. For example, you can use 12-12V batteries, 18-8V batteries, or 24-6V batteries in order to have a 144V system. The limitation is the space available and the payload capacity of the vehicle to be converted.
The advantage of PbA batteries is:
Lead Acid
Lead Acid batteries are the most common type of battery; they have been used for the last hundred years. The industry is mature. Lead acid batteries are the most recycled commodity with about 97% of batteries being recycled.1 This compares to only 55% of aluminium cans.
Batteries for on-road EV use are made as 6V, 8V, and 12V batteries. This allows one to choose different batteries for the same voltage. For example, you can use 12-12V batteries, 18-8V batteries, or 24-6V batteries in order to have a 144V system. The limitation is the space available and the payload capacity of the vehicle to be converted.
The advantage of PbA batteries is:
• Affordable
• Readily available from reputable manufacturers
• Available in different sizes
• Recyclable
The disadvantages are:
• High Weight to Power Density
• Energy Density
The good news is that this industry is developing Advanced Lead Acid Batteries. For example, East Penn Manufacturing Co. (www.eastpenn-deka.com) announced an "Ultra-battery" which combined lead acid batteries with super-capacitors in a single unit. They stated that this design quadruples battery life while improving power density by 50%.
Lithium Batteries
At this time, we recommend Lithium Batteries for specific applications. They are light-weight, but they can be expensive ($8,000 -14,000). One must use caution in selecting the best lithium battery for the application and the lithium supplier. We also make people aware that they may damage their first battery pack due to insufficient charging, deep discharging, or neglect. It may be be better to damage a lower cost Lead Acid pack vs a more expensive Lithium Pack.
Our objective is to protect the consumer.
1Battery Council International
