For a great number of years, drivers have had to rely on big and bulky batteries to power their cars. It didn’t matter the size of the vehicle. From the AMC Gremlin to the Ford F750, it didn’t matter how much cranking power your engine needed, it had to content with a big lead-acid battery.
In recent times though, lithium-ion technology has come to the rescue of drivers. As you work on increasing the performance and safety of your vehicle, and your pockets, saving weight everywhere you can is going to be crucial. For this, a lightweight lithium car battery is the much more desired option.
So, which lightweight lithium car battery is the best for you?
Here is my list of batteries:
1. AntiGravity Batteries RS-30
2. Super B SV12V25P-SC
3. Mighty Max ML100-12LI – 12V 100AH Deep Cycle Lithium Battery
The best lightweight car battery is one that will work even in adverse conditions. Well, we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t set out to find a variety of batteries.
I worked tirelessly to curate a list of batteries that will give you the best value for money and performance. Most people have become accustomed to waking up one morning only to find the car’s engine cannot crank. The battery is dead.
Find Out More About These Top 3 Lightweight Lithium Batteries
1. AntiGravity Batteries RS-30
American technology and innovation for the win. This battery packs a punch. It is capable of starting big engines, including loud and growling V8 motors. This battery was purpose built to be the power reserve of choice for performance vehicles. Weighing in at only 12 pounds, it is 70 percent lighter than lead-acid batteries of similar size.
It is loaded with a variety of nifty features. One of them, and the best, is known as Re-Start. This is a purpose-built system specifically to prevent you from getting stranded. In case you do leave your lights on, your battery will switch itself off to prevent draining.
It is loaded with other features as well. These include:
• Cranking amps rated at 1200 amps.
• A suite of battery management systems. These are to prevent the battery from taking on too much charge and letting out too much charge.
• Thermal protection and lithium cell balancing. The idea here is to have your battery operating in optima conditions and to help maintain a long lifecycle.
• Battery capacity of 30Ah. This can still crank up an engine better than a 90Ah lead-acid battery.
• The ability to be turned on and off when you plan to put it in storage for long stretches of time. This could also act as a security feature as your vehicle could not be started when the battery is off.
• A built-in capacity indicator. This allows you to monitor the charge available.
• The battery management system also helps the battery from over-discharging when it is in storage.
One thing this battery is not good at is powering deep cycle electronics such as high wattage audio systems. This battery is purpose built to crank up your vehicle, and offer significant weight savings for those track days in pleasant weather.
2. Super B SV12V25P-SC
Super B is a company headquartered in the Netherlands. They pride themselves on making batteries that are robust and efficient. A history in motorsport has definitely guided them as they were developing a variety of lithium ion products.
Not only do they manufacture batteries for cars, they also have expertise in different applications such as marine, ATVs, industrial and recreational. All this combine knowledge brought out this battery.
This particular battery model is miniature powerhouse. It weighs in at only 9.26 pounds but still packs a big punch. With a capacity of 100 to 130 Ah, you have enough power stored to push you through your endurance race, or a drive across various state lines.
This battery is well designed for serious use. It is shock proof as it was designed to meet standards required for vehicles operating in the Dakar Rally. This means it can operate in some of the most demanding environments.
Some of the features of this battery include:
• Lithium iron phosphate technologies. This gives this battery longevity that outlasts various types of battery technologies, including lithium ion. This technology also gives it a characteristic of consistent discharging no matter the conditions or environment.
• The lithium iron phosphate also means that this battery is more environmentally friendly than other types of battery technologies.
• The same compound also makes this battery excellent for the environment as it does not contain pollutants.
• A 3-year warranty. Nothing says peace of mind like having a long guarantee on a product you rely upon heavily. This shows excellent trust and belief in the workmanship put into the product.
Like other performance batteries, this model of Super B batteries is not good at applications that require deep cycle discharging. They even warn against it as this may end up damaging the battery permanently when it is discharged to empty.
3. Mighty Max ML100-12LI – 12V 100AH Deep Cycle Lithium Battery
Mighty Max is a company known and respected for what they bring to the industry. For a market segment that is still young, Mighty Max have made significant strides in the products and services they provide.
One of their products, this particular model, is a proper multipurpose power backup option. It has been known to power various machines and appliances. These range from motorcycles, motor boats, ATVs, and performance vehicles. On the appliance spectrum, this includes things like UPS’s, alarm systems and storage for solar systems.
As this battery is manufactured with lithium ion phosphate, you are guaranteed a product that will last you several years. In this case, Might Max do claim the product will last a proper five years. To guarantee this, they have put a one-year warranty on every battery purchased.
This product is loaded with features such as:
• A battery management system. This helps to protect the battery from a variety of issues that may arise. These include surge protection, protection against low current, over-discharge of power and over-charge. The protection also covers high temperatures, internal and external short circuits.
• A rated output of 12 volts and a capacity 100 Ah.
• A weight of only 30 pounds. This is half the weight of equivalent lead acid batteries which weight in excess of 60 pounds.
• 2500 cycles, making it an excellent option for deep cycle operations such as uses in an RV and other off grid systems.
A general warning is that the terminals will heat up when not covered properly. This can cause significant damage to the battery and reduce its life.
How Much Does a Lightweight Lithium Car Battery Cost?
Being a relatively new development for cars, lithium ion can cost quite a princely sum. However, the benefits that this battery provides makes all the money spent on it worth it.
Lithium ion batteries have been mainly used to power smaller applications such as golf carts, motorcycles and ATVs. When it comes to cranking a car engine, it requires serious power usage that ends up affecting other functions.
As this is still a developing technology, few companies have taken up the cause of developing lithium ion batteries that can comfortably power both a car’s engine and other electronics. As such, in comparison to lead-acid batteries, lithium ion batteries are significantly expensive.
However, if you don’t need to power both the engine and electronics, a lithium ion battery is your best bet. When it comes to powering a performance vehicle, the weight savings offered by a lithium ion battery could be invaluable in forcing that win. Less weight means more horsepower directed towards propelling the vehicle.
When it comes to powering electronics, nothing else offers such longevity and environmental friendliness that a lithium ion battery offers.
Terms that You Should be Familiar With
When shopping for a battery, you will come across a variety of terms that may not make sense to you. My responsibility is to clear up this confusion by giving you as much information as possible. Here are some common terms.
• Deep cycle battery: This is a type of battery that is designed to give sustained power over long periods of time until it has discharged more than 80% of the power it contains. At this point, it will need to be recharged and the process can begin again.
• Starting battery: As the name indicates, these batteries are used to start up machines. Unlike deep cycle batteries which let out power slowly, a starting battery will provide great current in a short period of time.
Also, they only give out 2 to 5% of their power before getting charged by the car’s alternator. Allowing them to go flat will significantly shorten their life span. They are also known as Starting, Lighting, Ignition batteries.
• Cranking amps: This is the amount of power a battery can give out when starting a car. This measure is used in conjunction with Cold Cranking Amps. This is the amount of power a battery will give you while the temperature is at 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius.
