80/20% Lithium Update

I'm working on more answers for this seemingly simple question...

Hey, we’re having fun now (seriously)!

My article yesterday on how to charge Lithium batteries for best lifespan got a lot of response. Some of you got deeper into the technical explanation by Dennis Wieske from Progressive Dynamics, while others said our explanation was too complicated and wanted a simple answer. If you missed it, reread the article HERE.

No Simple Answers

While it would be great to be able for me to come up with a simple Yes/No, Go/No-Go answer there’s so many different Lithium battery manufacturers right now that it will be nearly impossible to come up with a blanket statement for ALL Lithium batteries. So I’m going to focus on three large manufacturers that I already have contacts with. That’s Battle Born, Lion Energy and Renogy. I’ve already sent emails to each of them asking their engineering teams to answer the question of recommended charge/discharge DoD (Depth of Discharge) procedure.

It could be a few weeks before their engineers get back to me with a simple answer, but once I have that information I’ll post it here. I’ll also ask if any of them would be a guest with me on an interactive Ask-the-Expert Video Webinar.

It’s (more) complicated…

A number of you asked about more in-depth information on charging different battery chemistries. I’ll do my best to translate as much engineering-speak as possible, but this will begin to get complicated. However, I’ll mark any of these more complex articles with a Blue Square Intermediate Trail Sign. So be warned…

It’s (really) complicated!

Since I’m asking for their engineering white papers as well, for those of you with deep technical backgrounds, I’ll republish what I’m allowed to here under a Black Diamond Advanced Trail sign. As many of you already know, I’m currently a consultant to a number of manufacturers on highly technical topics, so I’ll publish what my NDA contracts allow. But I really won’t be able to simplify the white-paper explanations much since there’s a lot of background engineering terminology you’ll need to know in order to decipher the raw data. But I’ll do my best to explain the deep dive.

Please Stand By for Learning

I’ll post what I know when I know it. I think this is a very important topic for anyone spending big bucks on Lithium battery upgrades, so watch for my Easy, Intermediate and Advanced trail signs and you won’t be going any deeper than you want to.

Let’s play (and learn) safely out there…Mike