Advantages & Disadvantages of Different Types of Lithium Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries:

Advantages:

High energy density: small size and light weight, can store more electricity in a smaller size and weight, convenient for use in portable electronic devices and other scenarios with high space and weight requirements.

No memory effect: can be charged at any time, no need to wait until the battery is completely exhausted, more convenient to use.

Fast charging and discharging speed: can charge and discharge quickly, meet users' needs for fast charging and high power output, suitable for some devices with large power demand and need to replenish power quickly.

High open circuit voltage: high output voltage, can provide stable power supply for electronic devices.

Wide operating temperature range: usually can work normally in a wide temperature range, generally - 25℃ to 45℃, some products are expected to break through - 40℃ to 70℃ in the future.

Green and environmentally friendly: does not contain heavy metal harmful substances such as cadmium and mercury, less pollution to the environment.

Disadvantages:

Poor safety performance: Under abnormal conditions such as overcharging, over-discharging, short circuit or high temperature, it is easy to cause safety problems such as explosion and fire, and it is necessary to be equipped with a complete protection circuit to ensure safe use.

High cost: The raw materials and manufacturing process requirements for the production of lithium-ion batteries are high, resulting in relatively high costs.

Aging problem: Its aging has little to do with the number of uses, but is greatly affected by temperature. In high temperature environments, the life of lithium-ion batteries will be significantly shortened.

Difficulty in recycling: Due to the differences in structure and materials of different types of lithium-ion batteries, recycling is difficult and the recycling cost is high.

Lithium iron phosphate battery:

Advantages:

Long life: The cycle life of a single cell is more than 2,000 times, and some can even reach more than 3,500 times. The life of the battery pack after grouping can also reach about 800-2,000 times, with a long service life, which reduces the cost of use and replacement frequency.

High safety: Lithium iron phosphate batteries have good thermal stability, and the thermal runaway temperature of the material can reach 350℃-500℃. Under overcharge or high temperature conditions, they will not react violently like ternary lithium batteries, which is safer and reduces the risk of safety accidents such as fire.

Good high temperature performance: The operating temperature can reach about 75℃, which is more stable than other lithium batteries in high temperature environments. It is suitable for some high temperature working environments or scenarios with high requirements for battery temperature stability.

Relatively low cost: The price of raw materials is relatively low, and it does not contain precious metal elements such as cobalt, so the production cost is relatively low, which has a certain price advantage.

Light weight: Under the same specification and capacity, the volume of lithium iron phosphate batteries is 2/3 of the volume of lead-acid batteries, and the weight is 1/3 of lead-acid batteries, which is easy to install and use.

No memory effect: Like lithium-ion batteries, they can be charged at any time, which will not affect the battery life or cause the generation of irreversible capacity.

Environmental protection: The battery does not contain heavy metals, is green and environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and pollution-free.

Disadvantages:

Poor low-temperature performance: In low-temperature environments, the lithium iron phosphate positive electrode itself has poor electronic conductivity, slow lithium ion diffusion, and is prone to polarization, resulting in reduced battery capacity and significantly reduced mileage. Its use in cold northern regions is subject to certain restrictions.

Relatively low energy density: The energy density of a single cell will not exceed 200Wh/kg at most, and is generally 120-140Wh/kg after being grouped. Compared with ternary lithium batteries, the energy density is lower, and less power can be stored in the same volume or weight, resulting in a relatively large volume and weight of the battery.

Relatively low product consistency: From the perspective of material preparation, the synthesis reaction of lithium iron phosphate is a complex multiphase reaction, and it is difficult to ensure the consistency of the reaction, resulting in large performance differences between single cells and battery packs.

The cost of the battery management system is relatively high: Since the open circuit voltage and SOC (State of Charge) of lithium iron phosphate batteries change very little between 30% and 70%, the battery management system needs to use other methods to predict the health status of the battery, which increases the difficulty and cost of the battery management system prediction.

Ternary lithium battery:

Advantages:

High energy density: The energy density of a single cell is relatively high. At present, the energy density of a single cell of a ternary lithium battery can reach up to 350Wh/kg, and it can reach 160-200Wh/kg after being grouped. It can store more electricity in a smaller volume and weight, which helps to improve the range of electric vehicles and other equipment.

High voltage platform: The discharge voltage platform of a single ternary lithium battery is as high as 3.7V, which is higher than the 3.2V of a lithium iron phosphate battery. Under the same conditions, it can provide higher output power, better acceleration performance and climbing ability, and is suitable for electric vehicles and other equipment with high power performance requirements.

Good low temperature performance: In a low temperature environment, the performance attenuation of the ternary lithium battery is relatively small. Even in cold areas, it can maintain a good range, which is suitable for use in low temperature areas such as the north.

High charging and discharging efficiency: The migration speed of lithium ions between the positive and negative electrodes is fast, the charging and discharging efficiency is high, and it can charge and discharge quickly, saving charging time.

Disadvantages:

Poor safety: The nickel-cobalt-aluminum 18650 battery in the ternary material will self-heat when it exceeds 180℃, and it is difficult to control after catching fire. The safety is relatively low, and the thermal management system of the battery is required to be high.

Relatively short cycle life: The cycle life of a single cell is about 1,000 times. After being grouped, the cycle life will be further reduced due to the complex working environment, and the life is shorter than that of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

High cost: Due to the presence of precious metal elements such as nickel and cobalt, the cost of raw materials is high, resulting in a relatively high price for ternary lithium batteries.