Lithium batteries are made using the safest lithium chemistry. Voltamiles takes pride in its batteries as they are very safe. LiFePO4 batteries are popular for their safety because of their stable battery chemistry.
These batteries have an internal battery management system (BMS) that ensures that every individual cell in the battery remains in a safe range. This careful design increases battery lifespan and ensures excellent operation over a long time with high efficiency.
The BMS keeps the following things in check:
- High Temperature.
- Low Voltage (UVP - Under Voltage Protection).
- High Voltage (OVP - Over Voltage Protection).
- Over Current and Short Circuits.
The BMS is handy since it shuts the battery down if the values go out of range. People switching from lead-acid batteries to lithium batteries might find this new since lead-acid batteries don’t have a battery management system.
With lead-acid batteries, there is a vicious cycle of self-deterioration until death. They keep discharging until they are ruined. Therefore, it is pretty rare to see zero volts on the terminals of a lead-acid battery.
However, Voltamiles’ lithium batteries can have zero volts on their terminals when they are shut down upon entering protection mode. Usually, it is a condition which needs to be resolved. Most of the time, it will be resolved automatically, and the battery can turn back on itself.
Temperature Protection
Temperature protection is vital for times when the battery reaches high temperatures. Although this is less frequent, the battery must cool down to turn on. Mostly, a high current can cause scorching temperatures for a battery. Poor ventilation can also overheat a battery. Lithium batteries will switch off if such a thing happens. However, you can reduce the charge rate, improve the ventilation, or reduce your load to switch the battery back on safely.
Current Protection
This kicks in when there is a short circuit or a large load. You need to disconnect your loads and understand if the problem is large loads or a short circuit. If the fault is corrected, then the battery will switch back on.
Voltage Protection
This protects the battery from high and low voltage. You should remove the charge source to correct the high voltage, and the battery will switch back on. In the case of a low voltage, you might have to try a few things.
In UVP or (Under Voltage Protection), the battery needs to be topped up by recharging. Smart chargers are ideal for this. They will begin to charge if they sense that a battery is connected to them. When the battery is shut down, you can do three things to turn it on:
- This will take some time, but you can remove all the loads connected to your battery, so it regains its voltage.
- In this, you need to connect the charger and check if it senses the battery. If it does sense the battery, you will need to manually select a mode, often called “force mode” to start the battery.
- Connect the charger and then jump the battery with your battery which matches its nominal voltage. Once the charger senses the other battery, it will start charging. Then you can disconnect that battery, and your battery will be charging.
We advise you to avoid UVP mode by charging your battery beforehand or turning off all the loads so your battery is within the range of connected devices. To check the range after which the battery goes into protection mode, you can check the datasheet for your battery model or contact us at Voltamiles to help you.