Can you charge a lithium battery with a regular battery charger?

How can I charge a lithium battery? This is a question that is asked daily by the public. Understanding the chemistry behind lithium batteries is the key to knowing how you can charge a lithium battery. No matter the marketing speech made by some companies about their allegedly magic lithium batteries that can be charged with any charger; it is entirely wrong and shows a complete lack of knowledge of the chemistry of lithium batteries, the limited range of voltage that a lithium battery operates in and the consequences of utilizing a regular battery charger to charge the cells of a lithium battery. 

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Can you charge a lithium battery with a normal charger?

Can you? Definitely. Do you have to? This question deserves a detailed explanation. If you attempt to charge a lithium battery with a normal charger, the lithium battery will be charged. However, the lithium battery will charge at a slower rate. This is because the standard chargers, as designed, use a lower voltage. Please note that if the operating voltage range of batteries is not significantly limited, batteries will experience overheat, which will lead to fire or an explosion. However, there is a more detailed explanation outline herein.

It is relevant that you comprehend the range of voltage that a regular battery like a lead-acid battery and a lithium battery operates in. Usually, a 12v Lithium battery that is ultimately charged to 100% will have an estimated voltage of 13.3V to 13.4V. However, a lead-acid battery will hold an estimated voltage of 12.6V to 12.8V when fully charged. At 20% capacity, the Lithium battery holds an estimated voltage of 13V; however, a lead-acid battery will have an estimated voltage of 11.8V at the same 20% capacity. You can see, we are talking about quite a narrow range of voltage of about 0.5V from a fully charged Lithium battery at 100% to 20% capacity. At 25% charging capacity, the Lithium battery holds an estimated voltage of 12.8V, while a lead-acid battery holds about 11.7V with a voltage range of 1.1V.

Since a regular lead-acid charger uses a relatively lower voltage to charge a battery, a normal charger can only charge a lithium battery up to 80% of its designed capacity. This is not okay for a lithium battery as it affects the chemistry of the lithium battery and reduces its lifespan. As a result, you will not only require more hours of charging with a typical battery charger; you will, in the process, be harming your lithium battery.

In addition, a typical Lithium battery charger limits the charging voltage to the battery to 14.6V. This keeps the voltage across the individual cells connected in series to 3.65V. Therefore, a normal battery charger will usually charge above the limited voltage of 14.6V for a Lithium battery. This may overcharge the individual cells of the lithium battery that is serially connected and cause a significant reduction in the life of the cells or permanent battery damage.

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Do you need a special charger for lithium batteries?

A Lithium battery has several benefits in comparison to a regular (deep-cycle lead acid) battery. Lithium batteries guarantees faster charging, no active maintenance, are lightweight, provide much power, have a longer lifespan (fewer replacement batteries), and are more friendly environmentally. With all these benefits, you do need a special charger for Lithium batteries. 

Ideally, a lithium battery is charged with the help of a lithium iron phosphate battery charger. A lithium battery charger will charge a lithium battery five times more than a normal lead-acid charger. If this is not sufficient reason to consider using a special charger, let look at a couple of other reasons. First, the voltage of a normal lead-acid battery drops as it discharges and increases load. Lithium batteries which offer peak power and constant voltage even with increased load, do not experience such voltage drop.

A lithium iron phosphate battery charger is programmed with the correct voltage limits for a lithium battery to operate the battery in. It is optimized to guarantee the battery's best performance and longevity. A normal battery charger generally has a higher limit of voltage. This higher voltage limit might cause the lithium battery's BMS (Battery Management System) to enter high voltage disconnect at protection mode at about 15V. This might make fault codes to be displayed on the charger and inadequate charge performance, although the battery will not be harmed. For lithium batteries without the internal BMS, the battery becomes an open circuit, and it is turned off until you recognize this and reset the charging process. 

What is the best way to charge a lithium-ion battery?

Lithium-ion is the battery that is most often utilized in consumer electronics products. Therefore, charging a lithium-ion battery correctly and using the best methods is important and directly affects the battery's life and performance. Below are recommended guidelines for charging a lithium-ion battery:

Disconnect the load that is on charge or switch off the device to enable the current to drop easily during saturation.

Charge at a reduced temperature and not at a freezing temperature 

Lithium-ion batteries ought not to be charged fully; a partial charge is okay.

Using a charger and a battery should be stopped if the battery becomes extremely warm.

Before storing an empty lithium-ion battery, ensure you apply some charge (40 to 50% State of Charge is ideal)

Conclusion 

If you require and expect the best in Lithium batteries with reliability, longevity, and unique performance, you should use chargers specifically designed for Lithium batteries. Extra caution should be taken when using a regular battery charger to charge lithium batteries. A normal battery charger can undercharge, damage, or minimize the capacity of the lithium battery over a while. If using a regular battery charger was as easy as claimed by sellers of these products, then companies like Enerdrive, Projecta, REDARC, InterVolt, Victron and other lithium battery charger suppliers wouldn't have invested millions of dollars in specific models of lithium-ion batteries.