Lithium Ion Battery | FerrariChat

Lithium Ion Battery

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by spirot, Jan 10, 2020.

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  1. spirot

    spirot F1 World Champ

    Dec 12, 2005
    14,500
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Tom Spiro
    I was cruising through an old Panorama PCA magazine and came across an ad for a Lithium Ion car battery that is supposed to be a direct replacement for P car battery. one of the selling points was way less weight and much longer life... wondering if anyone uses one in modern Ferrari - 2008 or newer?

    Given the parasitic draw on the newer cars would this be a good alternative to keeping it on the tender all the time? ( my car 2008 599.)
     
  2. jeffdavison

    jeffdavison F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Jul 29, 2002
    2,544
    Suwanee Georgia
    Full Name:
    Jeffrey Davison
    Thinking about getting one myself.... good video:
     
  3. vraa

    vraa F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 31, 2003
    3,492
    Texas
    Full Name:
    Mr. A
    Very expensive but it's possible
    Just make sure if you do put it on a tender, the tender can work on lithium batteries
     
  4. Redneck Slim

    Redneck Slim Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 10, 2011
    1,440
    Palo Alto,CA,USA
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    Walt Kimball
    A friend bought an Antigravity battery for his car and is pleased with it. I wanted one for my Corvette but Antigravity doesn't make a bolt-in one for that car,so I bought one from Braille. Antigravity sells a nice tender which I use. As pointed out above,you can not use a tender which is not specifically for such batteries.
     
  5. boxerman

    boxerman F1 World Champ
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    May 27, 2004
    18,627
    FL
    Full Name:
    Sean
    My experience with Lithuim batteries is that they should be kept on a tender, or you need a battery cutoff switch. Left on their own they can hoild a charge fro years, but are not good with parasitic draw like car alarms etc. So if it over a week it should be on a tender. Some of ythe new batteries have automatic cutoff switches for when the volatge gets dangerously low.

    The weight savings is yuge, depending on the battery youre replacing youll be loosing 30-50 lbs. Or the equivalent of 75k worth of ferrari carbon fiber in weight savings. Depeding on where the battery is located the effect on handling etc is large.
     
    Bobby_P, JCR, greg328 and 1 other person like this.
  6. krazykarguy

    krazykarguy Formula Junior

    Apr 17, 2014
    716
    Fort Mill, SC
    Full Name:
    Matt
    I've had Shorai LiFePo3 batteries in my motorcycle for years. There is no comparison when it comes to cranking power and longevity, and the battery itself is half the size and 1/4 the weight of an equivalent Pb Acid or AGM battery. On my bike, I keep the digital clock (the only parasitic draw when switched off) going and keep it plugged into a Battery Tender Jr. all the time - this discharge/recharge keeps the battery healthy. Current battery in the bike is going on 6 years old - I've only gotten 1-2 seasons from previous Pb batteries (that were removed from the bike in winter and float charged during that time).

    I just worked on my bike this past weekend that had sat for a long time, and required extensive cranking to get her fired up again. I was more worried about burning up the starter and the starter clutch than nuking the battery.

    With all that said, I'd hesitate before installing one in our 355 Spider. With the Pb battery in the front of the car, I'd actually be inclined to think that it helps out with weigh balance and handling. Only acceleration and braking could be negatively impacted by retaining a Pb battery in the car. I doubt that anyone could even detect it on a butt dyno.

    A battery in a motorcycle is typically centrally located and fairly high up in the frame. In addition, weight savings on a bike will be a much higher percentage of total weight than on a car. A 5 pound savings on a 500 pound bike is huge (1%). A 15 pound savings on a 3500 pound car (0.4%)? Not so much.

    Despite all these benefits, I will say however, that LiFePo3 (as well as any other Li-based battery) are EXTREMELY sensitive to charge status and charge levels. If you have an over-voltage situation, that sucker is going to pop. Verify the health of your charging system (especially alternator regulator) prior to installing one on your F-Car.
     
    f355spider and Qavion like this.
  7. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    Same. I have a Deltran brand lithium ion battery on my old Kawasaki Ninja. I used to replace wet cell batteries every three to four years. This is now 6 years old and going. And, it cranks stronger and never needs constant checking of electrolyte level. I'm happy with AGM batteries in my cars, the right balance of cost versus performance.
     
  8. 360+Volt=Prius

    360+Volt=Prius Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 1, 2013
    1,736
    Western Mass
    Full Name:
    Raimondo
    I’ve had an antigravity in my 360 for 4 years.


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     

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