Lithium Battery for Marine

Whether you use your boat for fishing, racing, or sailing, the last thing you want with you on your trip is extra weight, both in terms of maximizing speed as well as space. It’s important to keep in mind that lithium batteries weigh significantly less than traditional lead-acid batteries. In fact, they are on average about one-third to one-half the weight of lead-acid batteries of the same capacity.

Boost your boat's fuel efficiency
Heavy lead acid marine batteries drag your boating speed and performance down. When you have a small boat, a heavy battery also reduces your fuel consumption efficiency. Instead, you need a lightweight lithium marine battery that’s optimized for high performance. When you increase your boat’s fuel efficiency, you save time because you don’t have to take as many trips to the fuel dock. You also save on fuel costs, especially if you’re out on the water frequently. Additionally, the less fuel you use helps reduce your carbon footprint by decreasing emissions.

If you’re like most boat owners, you’re going to carry gear and supplies on board when you’re going out. Lures, tools, and cases of beverages all add up in terms of extra pounds. One of the easiest ways to improve fuel efficiency is to reduce a boat’s weight. With a lightweight lithium battery, you don’t have to sacrifice as much of your gear to achieve greater fuel economy.

Increase your boat's speed
Heavy lead-acid batteries only slow your boat down. Extra weight causes your boat to displace more water as it moves, which means it must use more energy to push through the water. As a result, you can’t travel as fast. Being lower in the water also increases drag and inhibits acceleration. A high level of buoyancy is preferable for shallow water boats and other small craft. Without a heavy battery, you are able to change directions more quickly and maximize your top speed.

While heavier boats have more momentum, this benefit is usually only helpful under poor weather conditions. Plus, after your boat stops, it takes more energy to get back up to speed. All-in-all, it’s better to keep your boat as light as possible.

Reduce your boat's draft
You’re able to reduce the distance between your boat’s lowest point and the surface of the water when you’re running lithium technology. Boats with small drafts are able to navigate shallow waters, allowing you to access out-of-the-way ports or even take your boat right up to the beach.

While it’s useful to consult charts and observe watermarks on surrounding structures, you may not always know how deep the water is if you’re navigating an area where the tide rolls in and out. It’s important to have a small draft when you travel in shallow waters to avoid hitting underwater objects or getting stuck on sandbars.

Not only are marine lithium batteries smaller and lighter, but they also last longer than all other battery options, which translates to much lower replacement costs and fewer headaches. The average lead-acid battery is supposed to last about 1,000-1,500 cycles in its lifespan, but less than half of lead-acid batteries actually reach near this lifespan.

A lithium battery, on the other hand, has an average life of 3,000-5,000 cycles, depending on the depth of discharge.Notably, this higher life cycle does not even require the high levels of maintenance that most lead-acid batteries require for their shorter life spans. With a lithium battery, you can get a battery life that is sometimes as high as 10x longer than a lead-acid battery.

Beyond the advantages of weight reduction, lithium batteries have several other attributes that make them ideal for your marine application. When buying a battery for your boat, you would expect that, at a minimum, it would be able to be fully discharged up to the rated or marketed capacity (i.e., 1,200 Wh, 2,400 Wh). Unfortunately, lead-acid batteries can become damaged when more than 50 percent of their capacity is used. This is not the case for lithium batteries, which can be discharged as high as 80 to 100 percent without incurring any damage. Lithium batteries’ much greater discharge capacity means you receive more energy throughout every charge/discharge cycle every day, allowing you to truly maximize your time on the water.

LifePO4 batteries have low self-discharge rates. This helps extend storage time and eliminates the need for frequent battery charges.

Installing LiFePO4 on your boat gives you ample power to run all of your GPS systems, graphs, live fishing wells, radios, and anything else you may need for a full day out on the water.

Lithium batteries are not only capable of operating at full capacity and lasting longer but also charge faster as well. A lithium battery can charge in little as 4 hours as opposed to lead-acid batteries. Lithium-ion marine batteries also have a low resistance, which promotes these faster charging times and helps sustain voltage under heavy discharge loads. Additionally, a lithium battery can be recharged multiple times a day, but it is usually recommended that a lead-acid battery only be charged once in a 24-hour period so as to not further reduce the battery’s lifespan. With a lithium battery, you get to enjoy a faster charge time and a charge that lasts much longer than a lead-acid battery, allowing you to make the most of your time on the water.

For the safest choice in a power source, LiFePO4 batteries are the clear option. While any battery could malfunction, lithium iron phosphate batteries include a fail-safe measure, causing the battery to automatically disconnect if the unit nears overheating.