Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries (LiFePO4)

OVERVIEW

Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries first appeared in the early 2000’s and are increasingly used in robotics and energy storage. Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries have a nominal voltage of 3.2V and are an excellent solution for applications requiring a lightweight, high capacity battery with a long lifespan and stability at high temperatures.

Lithium Iron Phosphate is based on Lithium-Ion chemistry. One of the major advantages of LiFePO4 over other Lithium-Ion chemistries is its thermal and chemical stability, which greatly improves the safety of the battery.

LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE CELLS

At Enix Power Solutions, we have been building custom battery packs over the last 10 years using cells from leading Lithium Iron Phosphate battery manufacturers such as K2 Energy and A123.

We also offer our own range of reliable LiFePO4 cells under the NX brand:

Part Number	Description	Nominal Voltage	Capacity	Max. Continuous Discharge Current	Pulse Discharge Current	Datasheet
ACL9073	IFR18650	3.2V	18000 mAh	5.4A	10A 5s	PDF
ACL9074	IFR26650	3.2V	3800 mAh	11.4A	20A 5s	PDF
ACL9076	IFR26650 HD	3.2V	2800 mAh	42A	84A 3s	PDF

We also assemble battery packs with K2 Energy 26650 LiFePo4 cells held in stock

STANDARD LIFEPO4 BATTERY PACKS

We have also designed a full range of standard UN38.3 certified (safe for transport by air, sea, rail and road) Lithium Iron Phosphate battery packs, held in stock to offer a quick and cost-effective service. Advantages of our standard LiFePO4 battery packs:

UN38.3 CERTIFIED

SOFT PACKS RANGE

Part Number	Voltage	Nominal Capacity	Config.	Max. Charge Current	Max. Charge Voltage
MGL9058	3.2V	1.5Ah	1S1P	1.5A	3.65V
MGL9059	6.4V	1.5Ah	2S1P	1.5A	7.3V
MGL9060	6.4V	3Ah	2S2P	3A	7.3V

UN38.3 CERTIFIED

HARD CASE RANGE

Part Number	Voltage	Capacity	Cont. Discharge Current	Max. Discharge Current (<3 Sec)	Terminals	Dimensions	Weight
AML9142	6V	4.5Ah	5A	8A	F4.8	70x101x47mm	0.35kg
AML9131	12V	7Ah	15A	20A	F6.35	151x65x99mm	1.1kg
AML9133	12V	12Ah	24A	30A	F6.35	151x98x101mm	1.7kg
AML9134	12V	18Ah	36A	50A	M6-M	181x77x167mm	2.7kg
AML9135	12V	33Ah	50A	60A	M6-F	195x130x178mm	4.8kg
AML9156	12V	40Ah	70A	80A	M6-F	195x175x165mm	5.8kg
AML9141	12V	65Ah	80A	100A	M8-F	262x167x212mm	9.2kg
AML9138	12V	100Ah	100A	120A	M6-F	342x173x212mm	13.6kg
AML9154	12V	150Ah	100A	140A	M6-F	483x238x170mm	18.4kg

Our range of hard case UN38.3 Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries are a direct replacement for standard Lead Acid batteries.

Advantages of LiFePO4 batteries:

Wide temperature range
Low self-discharge
High energy density
UN38.3 and IEC approved
3 times more cycles than Li-Ion
Increased safety
Excellent alternative to Lead Acid

LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE APPLICATIONS

LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE VS LITHIUM-ION

These two chemistries share many advantages and disadvantages however there are significant differences. Lithium Iron Phosphate offers a higher number of charge/discharge cycles, up 1,500 cycles at 100% DOD (depth of discharge) and 2,000 cycles at over 80% capacity.

One of the major advantages of Lithium Iron Phosphate over Lithium-Ion chemistries is its thermal and chemical stability, which greatly improves battery safety. The LiFePO4 cathode is intrinsically safer than the LiCoO2 or the manganese cathode. The Fe-PO bond is stronger than the Co-O bond, so that if misused (short circuit, overheating, etc), the oxygen atoms are much more difficult to remove. As a result, Lithium Iron Phosphate cells are much more difficult to inflame when mishandled (especially during charging). It is commonly accepted that LiFePO4 cells do not disintegrate at high temperatures. However, despite this, there is still a risk of thermal runaway in cases of continuous overcharging or incorrect charging procedures.

LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE VS LEAD ACID

LiFePO4 offers a much longer cycle life, approximately four times longer than Lead Acid (1,500 cycles for LiFePO4 vs. 400 cycles for Lead Acid), and a wider range of operating temperatures (-20°C – +60°C). Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries offer a higher energy density and are twice as light as Lead Acid.