If you want a battery that lasts longer, packs more of a punch with less weight, and has a fast charge time, switching to lithium batteries is most likely the right move for you. However, not all lithium battery brands are created equal, particularly when it comes to battery safety, the company’s track record, and customer support. So how can you ensure you select the right brand in order to make the most out of your energy storage investment?
Here is a list of the top factors to consider when making your lithium battery selection:
- What Is The Lithium Battery’s Chemical Makeup?
- The Company Ethics
- UN38.3 Certification
- The Variety In Product Offerings
- Customer Experience
What Is The Lithium Battery’s Chemical Makeup?
Lithium battery chemistry is significant, as it directly impacts the safety and longevity of your energy storage system. There are many different lithium battery chemistry options to be aware of, ranging from Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP or LiFePO4) to Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) to Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) to Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA). The most widely used lithium battery chemistries can be categorized as either cobalt-based or non-cobalt-based (e.g. LiFePO4 or LFP) lithium batteries, with the latter representing the safest, most environmentally benign, and longest-lasting lithium battery chemistries on the market.
The oxygen and the phosphorus atoms in LFP batteries are strongly linked by covalent bonding, unlike the weaker cobalt-oxide bond in cobalt-based lithium batteries like LCO, NMC, and NCA. This is advantageous because the phosphate-oxide bond offers enhanced stability. On the other hand, lithium cobalt-based batteries can release excessive heat and create fire hazards when they are overcharged or subjected to damage. Due to their superior chemistry and resulting in greater safety, LiFePO4 batteries are able to be installed on their side and in more space-restricted compartments. RELiON exclusively offers lithium batteries that utilize lithium iron phosphate chemistry for these reasons.
The Company
Although the first commercial lithium-ion battery was developed over three decades ago, the use of LFP batteries in high power applications is still relatively new. As a result, top-tier lithium battery manufacturers have had to continually innovate and build their knowledge of the technology to maintain a competitive advantage. Lithium batteries contain much more sophisticated technology than lead-acid batteries, so designing, engineering, testing, and manufacturing the highest-quality lithium batteries requires highly developed technical skills and expertise.
When considering a lithium battery brand, the experience of the company is tantamount. RELiON’s engineering and manufacturing teams have honed their lithium battery expertise, specialty over the past several decades and have a proven track record to stand behind with distribution networks located on nearly every continent. RELiON has cultivated a team of experts with a combined 190 years of experience and invests exclusively in people with the necessary expertise, training, and relationships to ensure customers’ success.
The financial security and robust operations of a company are important to consider, too. With RELiON, customers don’t have to worry that the company won’t be around if they want to seek customer support down the road. RELiON’s recent acquisition by Brunswick, a major player in the marine industry, has taken RELiON’s reliability to the next level. Customers can have peace of mind that the company not only has strong financial backing but will be there to support them and their systems, should the need arise in the years to come.
UN38.3 Certification
Lithium batteries must go through a rigorous testing and certification procedure to meet UN38.3 standards and be certified for transportation. However, the responsibility of certification falls on the seller, and there are many products in the market that fail to meet the UN38.3 standard. To be approved, the battery must not rupture, leak, disassemble, or catch fire through eight rounds of testing that include altitude, thermal, vibration, shock, short circuit, impact, crush, and forced discharge testing. These tests provide an extremely important safeguard for the customers, which is why RELiON invests in the certification of all products, ensuring they meet the industry’s quality and safety standards.
Variety Of Product Offering
Having options for how much power and space you need is important to make sure you find the best lithium battery to fit your specific needs and application. Most lithium battery manufacturers offer limited options in terms of battery shape, size, and voltage due to the fact that it is often more cost-effective for them. However, RELiON has one of the largest LFP product offerings available - ranging from 12V to 24V to 48V batteries that power nearly every application. RELiON batteries also come in virtually any shape or size to enable you to find the perfectly sized lithium battery for a wide range of installation locations. Facilitated by the years in the field under their belt, RELiON’s expert engineering team has also developed the ability to customize batteries, enabling outside manufacturers to integrate them into their own products. To learn more about how to calculate your energy needs and find the optimal battery for your application and usage, visit our Lithium Battery Selector Tool.
Customer experience
Choosing a company that will work closely with you to provide expert guidance - both when you are deciding which battery to select for your specific situation as well as after you have made your purchase - is necessary when investing in lithium batteries. Being able to communicate easily with experts about this technology will ensure that you are able to get the most out of your equipment and use it hassle-free long-term.
RELiON’s dedicated team of customer service and technical support staff are always there for you whenever you need them. RELiON customers are able to directly engage with their experts and receive the highest-level guidance because RELiON offers users the ability to buy directly from their site, in addition to major retail stores.
RELiON has been in the industry for 20+ years, which means that as a customer, you will have a talented team of experts ready to assist you in any way. Don’t just take it from us though; RELiON’s reviews speak for themselves:
“Why did we switch to RELiON? Easy: their reputation. We didn’t have much experience with lithium batteries, but knew we’d be in good hands based on all of the positive feedback our friends in the RV community provided about RELiON batteries and RELiON’s excellent customer service.” - Leigh and Brian, RV campers
“Our experience with RELiON and their LiFePO4 batteries has been very positive from the very beginning. While installing our two RB200 batteries into our RV I had some technical questions and was connected directly with a RELiON engineer who answered them quickly and thoroughly. Now, nearly a year later, we are still 100% satisfied with the performance of our RELiON batteries.” - Fate Unbound, RV camper
“Their customer service is top-notch and their batteries have been proven time and again to be very reliable and long-lasting. I know a lot of professional anglers that have made the switch to RELiON batteries.” - Matt Arey, Bassmaster Elite Pro Angler
Lithium batteries can provide you with a lighter, more powerful alternative to lead-acid batteries to help you challenge your limits by spending more time on the water and off the grid. Before you decide to make the switch, it’s important to research which brand will help you reach your goals best by taking into consideration if a company makes LFP batteries or not, the variety they offer, and the company’s expertise and customer relations reputation. These are all factors that play heavily into the successful integration of lithium batteries into your energy system.