The replacement of lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries by lithium-ion batteries is an ongoing trend. So, what are the characteristics of lithium-ion batteries in comparison?
1. It has a higher energy-to-weight ratio and energy-to-volume ratio;
2. High voltage: A single lithium battery has a voltage of 3.6V, which is approximately equal to the voltage of three nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries connected in series;
3. Low self-discharge allows for long-term storage, which is the most outstanding advantage of this battery.
However, lithium-ion batteries also have the disadvantage of poor safety performance.
In terms of high energy density, lithium-ion batteries weigh half as much as nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride batteries of the same capacity, and their volume is 40-50% that of nickel-cadmium and 20-30% that of nickel-metal hydride.
In terms of high voltage, the operating voltage of a single lithium-ion battery cell is 3.6V (average), which is equivalent to three nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride batteries connected in series.
In terms of environmental pollution, lithium-ion batteries do not contain harmful metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury.
In terms of cycle life, under normal conditions, lithium-ion batteries can have more than 500 charge-discharge cycles, and some can even reach 8,000 cycles.
Regarding the memory effect, it refers to the reduction in capacity of nickel-cadmium batteries during charge-discharge cycles. Lithium-ion batteries do not exhibit this effect.
In terms of charging, a constant current and constant voltage charger with a rated voltage of 4.2V can fully charge a lithium-ion battery in one to two hours.
In addition, lithium-ion batteries do not contain metallic lithium, and therefore are not subject to restrictions on air transport such as the prohibition of carrying lithium batteries on passenger aircraft.
