Comments on: Lithium Iron FAQ

By: Malcom

Malcom — Sun, 08 May 2016 14:53:17 -0700

Hi
Looking at a cranker battery for a turbo diesel Landcruiser 4×4.
Currently using a D31a Yellow Top 900cca.
As well as cranking, the battery occasionally powers a winch drawing some 300-400 amps in 1-2 minute bursts with the alternator running.

What do you recommend for this?

By: Bill Whittaker

Bill Whittaker — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 15:01:14 -0700

after paying about $250 for a 27ah Shori battery for my Motorcycle I was very very disappointed in how sensitive they are to a little cool weather. Keep in mind that I live in South Florida and on occasion it dips to 45-55 degrees. Yes I read all about warming the electrolyte if cool weather. However the lead acid battery I previously had did not exhibit any inability to start my bike unless it was seriously cold – like below freezing – 32 degrees F or lower. Finally, I replaced the Shori 27ah battery with another lead acid battery of only 18 ah rating and have not had any cold starting issues.

By: David

David — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 07:26:15 -0700

Do you have a battery I can use for a airboat starting a 220 hp aircraft engine ?

By: adidasguy

adidasguy — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:43:02 -0700

To provide some supplemental power in a motorcycle, I am considering a dual battery system. This is so extra equipment will not have a power dip when the starter motor in engaged. Normal running they would be tied back in parallel for charging. During starting they would be separated. Should both batteries be the same (LIFX14) or can one be the LIFX14 and the second one be a smaller battery?

By: franky

franky — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:20:06 -0800

bonjour je suis a la recherche d une batteri pour mon vtt honda rubicon 2005 je travail souvent avec un treuil de 4500lb qui demande un minimun de 14 ah. j aimerais savoir quel est la meilleur batterie pour éffectuer mes travaux dure avec mon vtt et mon winch. donner moi le meilleur qui peux touffé lor des déchange profonde de la batterie merci

By: KFran

KFran — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:34:30 -0800

I put 3 36ah Shorai batteries in parallel and hooked them up to a 2000W peak pure sine wave inverter. I managed to use 3 different high current devices; a Foreman Grill (700W), a toaster (700W), and a 1000W electric kettle. I only used one device at a time! I harvested 2 Bubba burgers (well done), 4 slices of toast (also well done) and 1 cup of Starbucks Via (piping hot)…. After all of this work, the batteries still had 12.8V left in them! They started fully charged @ 14.2V. I use a Deltran 5A charger to charge the 3 batteries and they usually fully charge if I leave them to charge over night! At best, it is a pricey \“green\” generator and a worse, they make a really cool lunch conversation…total price = somewhere in the $1200.00 range!

By: Wayne

Wayne — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:26:02 -0800

What about auto applications. Currently I run a ETX18L size AGM in my daily driver, but for a race car we are building the weight savings of the Shorai would be nice. Will the Shorai battery survive a typical automotive alternator charging system?

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 06:47:40 -0800

I‘am considering installing a Lithium battery on my bike. because of trip meters and the clock, and possibly EFI, they say my bike has about 3 ma of parisite draw on the battery. Do you think this is a problem, and if so will connecting my Delton Battery Tender to the Shorai during winter months keep the battery charged? The oem AGM battery stays up good.

By: Frank Santore

Frank Santore — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 08:46:26 -0800

Thanks for this well designed, informative site. My application is a 110 volt observatory shutter motor currently running via a 1KW inverter connected to 2 12volt 20 ah AGM batteries wired in parallel. Two batteries provide the starting capacity, as well as meet the mounting limitations on the dome wall. Starting capacity at the end of the night to close the shutter is deemed to be insufficient. A typical nightly run is 2 × 2mins (shutter open/close) at 300 watts out of the inverter, plus the problematic startup load, plus 12 hours (a night) of 12v control circuit loading. The latter needs quantifying, but it is a single small processor/wireless communications circuit board assume to be low loading. As an analogy to the motorcycle application, this would be similar to cranking the cycle for 2 minutes, running the radio for 12 hours, and then cranking the cycle for another 2 minutes. Recharging can be performed every day if multiple night capacity is not obtained. I would appreciate comments on this usage, and thank you very much.

By: billy gibson

billy gibson — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 04:35:37 -0800

What size lithium iron battery do you recommend to run an electric trolling motor that draws about 17 amps? I currently use lead acid batteries on my motorized kayaks which on a typical kayak tour run about 90 miniutes. Cost?

By: H.Hubble

H.Hubble — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 15:38:49 -0700

I have a 1980 FXE harley davidson 1340cc that is being customized and I need the smallest battery that will still reliable crank the bike. We will be attempting to hide the battery under the seat. The engine is low 8.5/1 compression.

By: Jeff Boatright

Jeff Boatright — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:05:42 -0700

Thanks for an interesting and useful set of articles.

Can Shorai LFX batteries be used in a total loss motorsport application, and if so, how do you determine what amperage can be drawn steadily for how long? For instance, if my total need is 3 amps per hour, how many hours would a LFX18 12V without harming the battery?

Different question: Will it harm a Shorai to be used in a charging system that uses a tractor dynamo with regulator/rectifer? In this charging system, whatever power is not needed coming from the dynamo is converted to heat and dissipated by fins on the regulator. A friend tells me that exotic batteries like the Shorai do not do well in these systems, something about overcharging or uneven power coming from the charging system.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Jeff