What is the best battery for the Marine in 2022?

The Fact

Boat owners have long relied upon the lead-acid battery to start their engines, run electric appliances, and power inverters to run household items such as refrigerators, microwaves, and more. Also, lithium batteries offer much better performance and lifespan, but at a much higher cost at an up-front price. So are you ready to switch from the old tech to the newest tech?

What factors affect the cycle life of a lead-acid marine battery?

Generally speaking, the lead-acid battery pack capacity might offer double use or between recharges in a day. This is because most lead-acid batteries can not be discharged to below 50% of their capacity, otherwise, their cycle life will diminish rapidly.

In addition, any battery's useful cycle life is affected by how deeply you discharge it each time (referred to as Depth of Discharge)， and how fast you take the power out.

What factors affect the capacity of a marine battery?

At the same time, the faster a lead-acid battery takes power out, the less overall capacity it will get. For example, a battery that will take power out to 100Ah if it is discharged at 5A, ie about a 20-hour period, will only give you an 80Ah if you are discharged at 20A, ie about 5 hours, and 50Ah if you discharge at 100Ah, ie about a nominal one hour.

This becomes especially significant if you are using a lead-acid battery to power an inverter or drive an electric boat, it means that your lead-acid battery capacity will have to be even greater.

Why would people switch from lead-acid marine batteries to LifePO4 marine batteries?

Today, some boat owners are changing their old marine batteries to LifePO4 batteries, which have the edge over lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries in terms of cycle life (it lasts 4-5x longer), work efficiency, and safety. This is a key advantage because lithium ion batteries are able to overheat and even catch fire, while LiFePO4 batteries do not. As far as I know, the Enjoybot LifePO4 battery has a system that ensures the battery stays within safe limits, which is Battery Management System (called BMS) safeguards, controls, and monitors the battery when it is in operating conditions to ensure it in safety and extend battery life.

What is LifePO4 battery?

LifePO4 battery is made with Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, which is a huge improvement over the common lithium-ion batteries most power stations, and battery banks use right now. This unit has a 10-Years lifetime & 3000-5000 cycles, 95% high efficiency, faster charging and discharging rates, a built-in BMS-Controlled system with high temp and low low temp protection, long life, and lightning-fast charging. You can check out the Enjoybot batteries here..

LiFePO4 batteries have lower energy density and lower operating voltages. They have a low discharge rate, with flat discharge curves, and are safer than other types of rechargeable batteries. The LifePO4 (LFP) battery does not contain nickel and cobalt, they are expensive and have a large environmental impact. The LifePO4 battery is rechargeable, which shows its environmentally friendly.

A common lithium iron phosphate battery is rated at 100 amp hours and is roughly the size of a group 31 lead-acid battery. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are also rated according to their maximum discharge capacity. 100 amps max discharge is common. For the LifePO4 battery, the higher the charge and discharge voltage of the LFP battery, the larger its capacity will be.

The batteries' voltage value changes with the magnitude of the discharge current. The lower the voltage, the higher the discharge current. In the absence of the current, the voltage is highest. Of course, the different battery has different remaining capacity.

Disadvantages of the lithium iron phosphate (LifePO4)batteries:
The voltage of LiFePO4 batteries is affected by ambient temperature; the lower the temperature, the lower voltage.

Is the LifePO4 battery waterproof?

LiFePO4 batteries are not waterproof. It is highly recommended to place LifePO4 batteries in a dry lock box to prevent any water damage. The Enjoybot battery has a sealed box, which has featured IP65 waterproof materials to protect it.

Conclusion

Lithium iron phosphate marine batteries operate ten times longer than lead-acid batteries, reducing costs per kilowatt-hour as result. For example, LifePO4 batteries can reach 3000 to 5000 cycles or more. Lead-acid batteries deliver only up to 500 cycles, as higher levels of discharge reduce their cycle life, and the discarded lead-acid batteries have a large impact on the environment.

Also, the LiFePO4 marine battery has ultra-low resistance (99% efficiency), which can speed up the charging speed while minimizing the loss! Lead-acid batteries lose energy quickly and reduce to a minimum during discharge.

LiFePO4 batteries are able to provide 100% of their rated capacity regardless of the discharge rate. Lead-acid batteries typically provide less energy to power equipment when discharged at higher rates. They are typically limited to 50% of their rated capacity to prevent shortened life.

Thus far, the LifePO4 battery is a win-win option to marines.