Lithium Battery Charger 14.6V 10AMP (For 12V LiFePO4 Batteries)

14.6V 10AMP Lithium Battery Charger

Can I charge my lithium battery with a lead acid charger?

Lithium batteries are not like lead acid and not all battery chargers are the same.

A 12v lithium LiFePO4 battery fully charged to 100% will hold voltage around 13.3-13.4v. Its lead acid cousin will be approx 12.6-12.7v. A lithium battery at 20% capacity will hold voltage around 13V, its lead acid cousin will be approx 11.8v at the same capacity. As you can see, we are playing with a very narrow window of voltage with lithium, less than 0.5V over 80% capacity.

Lithium Batteries:

• Has higher voltage per cell
• Tighter voltage tolerances
• Absence of trickle or float charge at full charge
• Cannot accept overcharge
• LiFePO4 is a “clean” system and only takes what it can absorb

Lithium Charger Algorithm:

As you can see from the above charge graph, the lithium battery has a steep rise in voltage at the very end of the charge cycle. At this stage the charge current drops extremely quickly and the charger then switches to power supply mode.

Lead Acid Batteries:

• Offers some flexibility in terms of voltage cut-off

Lithium chargers are based on a CV/CC (constant voltage/constant current) charge algorithm. The charger limits the amount of current to a pre-set level until the battery reaches a pre-set voltage level.  The current then reduces as the battery becomes fully charged.  This system allows fast charging without the risk of over-charging and is suitable for Lithium Iron and other battery types.

Ultimately, using a battery charger with a specific Lithium charge algorithm is the best option for maximum performance and lifespan of any lithium battery.  Using any other charger may cause damage to the Lithium battery.