What Is the Difference Between Lead-Acid Batteries and Lithium-ion Batteries?

Lead acid and lithium-ion are the most commonly used batteries in the world. Whether it's electric cars or fossil fuel cars, you will find these batteries playing one of the leading roles in running them.

Each of these battery options has its advantages. They have several differences, primarily because the electrode and electrolyte materials are different. It's crucial for one to know these differences when deciding which one to go for.

This guide will help you make an easy decision by discussing the main differences between lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries. We mainly focus on their distinct characteristics and energy density.

Keep reading.

Characteristics of Lead-acid Batteries

When choosing batteries, one of the most important factors to consider is the characteristics. There are always certain things that you need to compare to make the right choice.

For any battery, lifetime, depth of discharge, and maintenance requirements are the most significant characteristics. They affect the charging, temperature, and age performance of the battery.

Let's look at what lead-acid batteries can offer:

Depth of Discharge and Capacity

Nothing makes a battery more useful than its capacity combined with depth of discharge. This fundamental parameter determines how much performance you will get from the battery and how long it can last.

Lead acid batteries come as deep cycles or shallow cycles. Deep cycle are batteries with a depth of discharge greater than 50%?

and it can go beyond 80%. Shallow batteries, on the other hand, have a lower depth of discharge. However, they often come with a larger capacity to achieve the same function.

The discharge rate of batteries is largely affected by both internal and external temperatures. Under 20 C, the battery capacity falls by about 1% for every degree. Higher temperatures can negatively impact the battery more since they raise the discharge capacity.

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Lifetime

Another crucial parameter to remember when looking for batteries is their lifetime. Generally, batteries degrade over time due to sulfation and shedding of the active material.

Some batteries degrade faster than others, affected by different factors. In most cases, the charging/discharging regime, DOD, exposure to a prolonged state of discharge, and the average working temperature are the main players determining battery longevity.

Overcharging and undercharging a lead-acid battery leads to the shedding of active materials, which can reduce its lifespan. Combine this with temperature issues, and you may have a bad battery within a few cycles.

Lead acid batteries have a lifespan of 500 to 800 cycles. This is one area where lithium-ion batteries have thrived since they offer a much larger life cycle performance.

Maintenance

Lead acid batteries produce hydrogen and oxygen gas, which causes the loss of water. This means the battery water must be replaced regularly. This is the only part that requires such a level of care.??

Technology has led to the production of sealed and dry lead-acid batteries, eliminating the need for regular maintenance. This has also improved battery performance and made things much easier for consumers.

Efficiency

No one will want a battery that does not promise the highest level of efficiency. Everyone wants their batteries to deliver optimum performance, which is highly crucial to lead-acid batteries.

Lead acid batteries have columbic efficiencies of about 85% and energy efficiency of around 70%. This makes them extremely useful in certain areas.

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Operating Temperature

As stated earlier, temperature is another crucial factor to consider when choosing batteries for any task. This is especially important for lead-acid batteries. One thing about them is that they are more tolerant to temperatures than lithium-ion batteries.

Lead acid batteries operate well between 20C and 60C. Even though some can operate at lower or higher temperatures, you should always ensure the one you buy can withstand the pressure.

Characteristics of Lithium-ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries have grown in popularity over the past several years thanks to their abundance of features. They are superior to lead acid batteries in several areas, including reliability, longer lifespan, portability, energy density, and temperature tolerance.

Let's look at some of the characteristics more closely:

Reliability and Availability

The best batteries for any application must be reliable and available. No one wants a battery that will work for a few hours and then die out completely.

Li-ion batteries are designed to withstand a wide range of user conditions, which makes them more reliable than lead-acid. These batteries have a much lower failure rate thanks to different manufacturing processes. They deliver longer lifespans.

Maintenance

Lithium-ion batteries require little to no maintenance. Perhaps the only care required is to ensure proper charging and discharging. Aside from that, you don't need to check and add water to these batteries.

This can be an issue with wet lead-acid batteries, which require constant checking of water levels. Hence, Li-ion batteries are considered superior.

Lifespan and Lifecycle

Another area of reliability from lithium batteries is their longer lifespan. The manufacturing processes ensure these batteries can last much longer than lead-acid batteries with lower maintenance requirements.

Generally, these batteries supply 500 to 7000 charge cycles and can last up to 15 years. Compared to lead-acid batteries that can last for about five years, it is right to say that lithium batteries are superior.

And that is not enough; li-ion batteries have a much lower discharge rate. You can store them for longer and still find them useful.

Weight

Lithium-ion batteries are much lighter and portable than lead-acid. The heavies could be about 1/3 of lead-acid. This has significantly reduced their cost even as it increases performance.

Energy Density Comparison

Energy density is another crucial parameter when comparing batteries. It determines how much you will get from the battery and for how long. Thus, you are advised to check this factor every time you embark on buying batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries come with a higher energy density and power density. Thus, they can deliver the same energy as lead acid, only in smaller sizes.

Also, these batteries can work better in strenuous conditions like high temperatures. Li-ion batteries can achieve an energy density of 125-600+ Wh/L. This means the vehicle using these batteries can afford more range compared to the 50 – 90Wh/L energy density of lead-acid batteries.