In fact, this is due to the fact that the vast majority of cars in today's market mainly use the type of starting battery for lead-acid batteries, but lead-acid batteries that are parked for a long time or in lower temperature environmental conditions will always fail to start normally due to power loss. For older cars that have been in use for more than three years and have not had their starter batteries replaced, it is especially common for them to fail to start smoothly in the morning, especially in outdoor environments on winter nights (due to cold winds).
In addition to being prone to power loss, lead-acid batteries also have a relatively short service life, and generally speaking, they only need to be replaced after about 350 complete charging and discharging processes. This is because each discharge process produces a different degree of vulcanization reaction on the plates of the battery. Generally speaking, the lead-acid battery life of modern cars is only 2 to 3 years, and the battery has become one of the key components that often need to be replaced during car maintenance. The cost of each replacement battery is roughly between four and five hundred yuan, and for the special lead-acid battery equipped with automatic start-stop function, it is close to one thousand yuan.
Those who ask this question may wonder why lead-acid batteries, where many shortcomings lie, are still widely used and become the first choice for starter batteries by major car manufacturers. In order to save costs in the vehicle manufacturing process, car manufacturers still did not hesitate to choose the more affordable lead-acid battery as the starting battery. So has anyone ever considered whether lithium batteries with better practicality and longer service life can replace lead-acid batteries and then serve as starter batteries? The answer is clearly positive.
Since 2009, BYD has carried out research and development work on a 12V lithium iron phosphate battery system, which is intended to be an ideal alternative to lead-acid batteries. The lithium iron phosphate starting battery has broken through the history of lead-acid batteries for more than 10 years, covering almost all of BYD's DM models, which use lithium iron phosphate batteries as starting batteries, thus realizing the major trend of lead-free automotive batteries.
So from the perspective of replacing lead-acid batteries, what are the significant advantages of lithium iron phosphate batteries?
Nowhere is this more evident than in the dramatic increase in lifespan, where batteries that previously had to be replaced in an average of 2 to 3 years can now enjoy the convenience of not having to be replaced for a lifetime, a significant improvement. As long as it is properly maintained during daily use, the battery can achieve the same life as the whole vehicle, and the number of starting cycles can reach more than 3,000 times.
Secondly, the lithium iron phosphate starting battery effectively solves the problem of easy power loss of lead-acid batteries, especially for users in the north, which is undoubtedly good news. As the climate gradually turns colder, lead-acid batteries are more difficult to start, and lithium iron phosphate starting batteries can avoid such troubles. BYD is also equipped with a BMS battery management system for this type of battery, which ensures that when the starting battery power is low, the power battery can be intelligently charged, and there will be no power loss even if the vehicle is idle for a long time.
In addition, the lithium iron phosphate starter battery is more compact and lightweight, which helps to save energy consumption and also frees up more usable space in the engine compartment. In addition, lithium iron phosphate starting batteries do not contain any lead, which is a class of heavy metals that cause serious environmental pollution, which is difficult to discharge in time once ingested by the human body, directly causing damage to human brain cells. In other words, the only weakness of lithium iron phosphate starting battery may be that it is slightly higher, but relying on BYD's strong production scale and cost control capabilities, this problem has also been properly solved, so that the pressure can be appropriately reduced.
The use of lithium iron phosphate starter batteries to replace traditional lead-acid starter batteries can be described as a multi-win move. For consumers, they can enjoy more excellent driving pleasure, greatly reduce the cost of use, and also help reduce the pollution load of heavy metals on the environment. Although this is only a small step on the road of technological innovation, it is expected to be an important step in helping to promote the full realization of lead-free China's automobile industry and move towards more environmentally friendly and energy-saving sustainable development.