How to Charge Lithium Batteries Safely in 60 Minutes

Your battery charger choice is crucial in terms of charging speed and battery longevity. Your choice between fast or slow charging rates also impacts this element of battery care.

Avoid overcharging your battery! Overcharging can accelerate premature aging and may even result in thermal runaway.

Chargers

Lithium batteries found in your e-bike, scooter or electric car require special care when charging them. Left plugged in too long they may become overcharged and even explode if left too long plugged in – therefore only plug them in when necessary and never leave more than several hours at a time unattended.

Lithium batteries require a very slow charge rate to prevent overcharging and fire hazards, with no faster rate than what can take to reach 80% charge. This gives the electrodes time to absorb lithium ions into their graphite sheets without being overwhelmed with charge from fast charges like 4C or 10C; although faster charges might still work in certain applications but will shorten battery lifespan significantly.

A battery charger should be carefully designed for each type of battery it will charge, with a microprocessor equipped to analyze its health status and determine its ability to accept full charges. This enables the charger to adjust charging current accordingly and avoid overcharging; some batteries feature built-in protection circuits which stop overcharging from occurring.

Batteries used regularly should be stored between 40%-70% of their capacity for optimal longevity. To bring a discharged battery back up to this storage level, charging for 60 minutes should do the trick.

Researchers at UC San Diego have developed a lithium-ion battery anode capable of charging to 80 percent in under an hour, using a mix of different particle sizes and spaces in its composition to produce what TechXplore describes as an “extremely large surface area.” Furthermore, during production special heating and cooling treatments were implemented to minimize exposure of the anode to high temperatures for as little time as possible – promising significant time savings when charging electric cars, portable electronics or other battery powered devices.

Batteries

Lithium is an integral component of lithium batteries due to its light weight, high electrochemical potential and rapid electron transfer rate – qualities which enable more power density per battery pack while keeping overall size smaller. Lithium currently dominates battery production due to its availability and cost considerations; however, sodium ion batteries have made rapid strides over the last several years as lower cost alternatives for many applications.

Rechargeable batteries have recently ignited in fires across the nation, including one incident in June that claimed four lives at an e-bike store in New York City. Yet research indicates that many fire departments lack adequate training to deal with lithium-ion battery fires.

Battery types made with different lithium chemistry vary in terms of cycle life, internal resistance and self-discharge rates. The best way to gauge battery health is through its capacity; loss determines when replacement will become necessary. Cycle count cannot provide an accurate indicator since discharge depth varies and there are no universal standards that define what constitutes one cycle (for more details see our BU-501: Basics About Discharging document).

Flash Batteries are engineered with safest, highest quality cells to deliver optimal performance. Our Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) chemistry delivers extended lifespan and superior safety, as well as optimal use of each cell through our Mastervolt Battery Management System (BMS). Afterward, our Flash Balancing System monitors their status during both charging and discharging cycles to balance out high and low performing cells automatically.

Control electronics of battery packs must be able to withstand high charge/discharge currents, wet environments and mechanical shocks. At Mastervolt we achieve this through our fully integrated NMEA 2000, CZone or MasterBus battery management system which facilitates battery monitoring/balancing during operations and integration into power systems that drive your equipment.

Turvalisus

New technology and innovations are outpacing the ability of safety organizations and fire departments to keep up, leading to lithium battery fires in cities like New York and San Francisco which reportedly caused severe structural damage.

Though lithium is an inert element, batteries are very sensitive to environmental conditions like temperature and chemical exposure. Therefore, new safety standards have been implemented in order to prevent and manage battery-related incidents and accidents; such measures include keeping them away from metal objects, not touching them with liquid or saltwater, and keeping them out of high humidity environments.

Batteries are susceptible to stress when being recharged, particularly under extreme temperatures or with too high a state-of-charge (SoC) setting. Exposing it to excessive heat or remaining at an extreme SoC results in increased internal resistance and capacity loss; using lithium-ion batteries at mid SoC provides optimal longevity and performance.

Chemical leak-prone batteries may fail during charging. Such leakage may trigger short circuiting that leads to thermal runaway of nearby cells and eventually spreading fire rapidly and becoming difficult to contain.

Recent lithium-ion battery designs employ ultrathin separators, increasing calendar life but being susceptible to contamination from impurities or nails/sharp objects that could potentially penetrate them and trigger thermal runaway that cannot be stopped.

Concerns also exist with lithium being used in vehicles, where it could be exposed to road accidents or abuse that can spark fires. A recent study conducted by Andersson et al found that when introduced early into a fire situation such as low expansion foam or nitrogen gas as fire suppression agents can help cool down batteries quickly while extinguishing flames quickly.

Fire suppression aside, battery-powered vehicles should always be handled by an expert mechanic certified for hybrid and electric vehicles. This ensures they are properly inspected before flooding occurs as well as being kept at least 50 feet from any flammable materials.