As the electrical appliances continue to get more sophisticated, the world is rapidly shifting to more efficient energy solutions such as lithium batteries. Importantly, this new trend has stressed the need to understand the best battery charging practices.
By reading this post, you’ll discover the ideal option between fast and slow charging of lithium batteries. We’ve also explained how fast or slow charging can benefit your batteries, plus all the associated disadvantages. Let’s begin!
Some Key Special Things You Should Know About Lithium Batteries
Lithium batteries are a significant improvement on the traditional lead-acid accumulators. They brought along numerous benefits, including the ability to accumulate large amounts of electrical energy per unit space and the capability to withstand larger depths of discharge (DoD).
Lithium batteries also possess remarkable chemical and physical stabilities, which make them the go-to option for most modern-day applications. Currently, you’ll find lithium batteries powering electric vehicles (EVs), solar power systems, fishing boats, and many other electrical appliances.
Portability and extended lifespans are two other advantages of using lithium batteries. Due to their small sizes, it’s easier to carry them around and accomplish your electrical power demands no matter where you are. Then, unlike their lead-acid counterparts, a lithium battery can reliably serve you for up to 10 or more years before requiring a replacement.
Lithium Battery Power And Charging Characteristics
One solid reason behind the continuously growing popularity of lithium batteries in various fields is their outstanding performance. With your lithium battery, you can run even operations that need a lot of energy without any compromises on the battery’s health.
A lithium battery boasts high energy density per unit volume, allowing even smaller units to sufficiently power energy-intensive operations. This means that these batteries are incredibly immune to high rates of discharge, something their traditional counterparts cannot achieve. The other thing to mention is the allowable depth of discharge for lithium batteries.
You can drain a lithium battery up to 20% without harming its cycle life or total capacity in any way. Interestingly, lithium batteries also generally get recharged much faster than lead-based units. This makes them irreplaceable in power backup installations, among other uses.
How To Rapidly Charge Your Lithium Battery
Just as the name suggests, fast charging involves charging a lithium battery more rapidly than usual. During the process, a high current or voltage is supplied to the battery unit, thus allowing it to hit maximum capacity quickly. This usually takes between 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the capacity of the lithium battery in question.
While fast charging a lithium battery brings in the advantage of saving time, you need to note that there are a few things to sacrifice as well. Below is everything to keep in mind while fast charging your lithium battery.
Is Fast Charging a Lithium Battery Ideal?
Well, the short answer is YES because high-speed charging lets you enjoy some benefits. Rapid charging of lithium batteries is appropriate because it shortens the charging time significantly.
By going for the fast charging option, you create some extra time for yourself, as it will take a much shorter duration to finish than normal(slow) charging. The shorter duration, therefore, makes fast charging ideal in emergency situations when we want to just recharge and use our batteries as soon as possible.
Another case in which you will find fast charging quite reasonable is when you're on a long-distance journey using an Electric Vehicle(EV). Taking advantage of the EV’s lithium batteries means that you can get your car back to its full capacity as you enjoy some quick coffee by the roadside and continue with your journey.
Not to mention, first charging lithium batteries is also instrumental in large power backup or off-grid installations and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems in areas with rampant outages. This means that the storage units get full faster when the power is back, ready to take care of the next outage.
The Challenges Associated With Fast-Charging Lithium Batteries
Despite all the benefits we've highlighted up there, fast charging a lithium battery comes with its problems that you, as a user, should note down. Here are the most critical drawbacks of high-speed charging.
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High Chances of Malfunction - Speedy charging of lithium batteries increases the likelihood of their damage and eventual malfunction. This happens because fast charging increases the unit's internal resistance, which in turn generates a lot of heat that can damage the battery and its components.
But the possibility of damage isn't the only problem with fast-charging lithium batteries. Injuries may also occur if the overheating is severe and the battery explodes.
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Limited Battery Lifespan - One of lithium batteries' key founding goals was to improve longevity with unprecedented performance. But with the overheating resulting from fast charging in play, your Lithium unit's lifespan could quickly fall below 10 years and even cycle life below 3000, and that's not okay.
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Higher Electrical Bills - While fast charging your lithium batteries offers incredible efficiency and convenience, you'll have to dig deeper into your pockets because the process consumes a lot of electrical energy. The high voltage and current supplied maximize power consumption, and the cost may be a bit tricky unless you rely on renewable sources such as solar panels.
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Relatively Higher Initial Costs - Unless it's an EV, which you always recharge at designated stations, you may need extra equipment to be able to fast-charge your devices or a lithium battery at home, and that requires some additional cash. However, some batteries and devices come already packed with fast-charging enhancements.
Some popular devices that support high-speed charging include mobile phones (iPhone and Android), power tools, and EVs, among others.
How To Slow-Charge a Lithium Battery
Now that you already know what fast charging is, we want to take a step further to explain slow charging, its benefits, and notable disadvantages so that in the end, you can pick the right one for your needs. Unlike fast charging, slow charging involves supplying low voltage or current to a lithium battery.
It usually takes longer for a battery to hit its maximum capacity when using low-speed charging due to the low voltage supplied to it. This can range from 5 hours to several hours, depending on the charging equipment and the capacity of your lithium battery. Slow-charging lithium batteries present various benefits and disadvantages alike. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of low-speed charging.
Benefits
Resorting to low-speed charging of Lithium batteries and devices is game-changing because of;
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Lower Heat Generation - Since slow(standard) Lithium battery chargers supply relatively smaller amounts of current, the battery does not overheat during the charging process. Therefore, low charging reduces the risk of battery malfunction or even explosions that can be immensely catastrophic if not handled carefully.
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Increased Battery Lifespan - One of the ideal ways of ensuring better longevity of your Lithium battery is to subject it to slow charging. The lower voltage or current associated with slow charging preserves the battery's chemical and physical integrity, thereby extending its years of operation.
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Affordability - Slow charging of Lithium batteries uses lower current and power, which, in turn, lowers the cost of electrical energy. This means that you can save some coins over time if you slow-charge your battery most of the time. The other thing contributing to affordability is the fact that slow charging does not require any additional or special devices, therefore keeping the initial and maintenance costs down.
Drawbacks
Just like high-speed, slow charging a Lithium battery has its negative sides. The following are some of the potential challenges when using low-speed charging on Lithium batteries.
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Time Wastage - Even though slow charging reduces overheating and malfunction, among other problems, it usually takes several hours for a battery to get fully charged. This wastes time and makes slow charging unfavorable under certain circumstances. For example, you can't opt for slow Lithium battery charging if you're on transit because there's not enough time to wait.
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Not Good For Mobile Operations - Slow charging isn't exactly an ideal option where portability is necessary. For example, you can't use slow charging when you want power to operate cutting tools, or if you want a battery to go camping, or for any other outdoor application.
Despite its downsides, slow charging of Lithium batteries excels in other cases, including charging energy storage systems, old model mobile phones, and laptops.
Slow or Fast Charging: Which One is Perfect for Your Lithium Battery?
The best charging option depends on numerous factors, as we have explained below.
When To Go Fast
You might want to consider high-speed charging for a lithium battery if time is limited. For example, if you're driving an EV along the highway, the ideal option is fast charging because you don't have enough time to wait for many hours. Likewise, an area that experiences frequent outages requires fast charging of backup storage so that power can always be available at the right time.
Another situation that might need fast charging is when you're about to leave home but your devices have no power. In such a case, only a fast charger can guarantee you adequate power with minimal time wastage.
When To Go Slow
Experts generally recommend going for slow charging unless you have to recharge your lithium battery quickly. Low-speed charging boosts battery health and extends its service life. You'll want to prioritize slow charging if you have plenty of time for recharging, for example, overnight. You may also opt for slow charging when you're at work and have the whole day to let your battery reach its maximum capacity.
Final Verdict
Both fast and slow charging are essential in modern-day life, but their suitability depends on one's goals and priorities. If you value efficiency over your lithium battery's health, then fast charging is the ideal choice for you. However, if you want your battery to last, you may want to consider using low-speed charging.
Older models of electrical devices also require slow charging because they lack robust power regulation mechanisms. So, to balance between the two options, you can always stick to low-speed lithium battery charging and resort to fast charging only when it's absolutely necessary.
