Essential Li® Owners
Thank You For Choosing Essential Li®
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As the proud owner of the Essential Li® Lithium-Ion deep cycle battery, you have made an excellent decision to enhance your energy independence. To support you in getting the most out of your investment, we have compiled useful information readily accessible at your convenience. This page and our user manuals provide detailed instructions on how to operate, maintain and troubleshoot your battery. We understand that lithium-ion batteries have different charging needs than other types of batteries, and hence we have included comprehensive charging information to optimize your battery’s performance. Additionally, we have created data sheets to help you understand your battery’s energy capacity, output voltage, and other technical details. All this information and more are downloadable pdfs, making it easier for you to refer to or print-out. At U.S. Battery, we are on a mission to empower people to enjoy their freedom to enjoy our Lithium-Ion batteries, and we hope the information we have provided will help you achieve that effectively.
Jump to
As the proud owner of the Essential Li® Lithium-Ion deep cycle battery, you have made an excellent decision to enhance your energy independence. To support you in getting the most out of your investment, we have compiled useful information readily accessible at your convenience. This page and our user manuals provide detailed instructions on how to operate, maintain and troubleshoot your battery. We understand that lithium-ion batteries have different charging needs than other types of batteries, and hence we have included comprehensive charging information to optimize your battery’s performance. Additionally, we have created data sheets to help you understand your battery’s energy capacity, output voltage, and other technical details. All this information and more are downloadable pdfs, making it easier for you to refer to or print-out. At U.S. Battery, we are on a mission to empower people to enjoy their freedom to enjoy our Lithium-Ion batteries, and we hope the information we have provided will help you achieve that effectively.
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Essential Li® Datasheets
Charging Recommendations
Before Charging
Proper charging is critical to maximize battery performance and life. Both under- and over-charging batteries can significantly reduce the life of the battery and cause a safety hazard. For proper charging, refer to the instructions that came with your equipment. Most chargers are automatic and pre-programmed. Some chargers allow the user to set the voltage and current values.
- CHARGING PROFILES- When charging lithium-ion batteries, it is important to select the correct charge profile/setting to ensure safety and performance. Using incorrect charging profiles or methodologies can reduce performance and life and may result in battery fault conditions. When in doubt, contact U.S. Battery.
Lithium-ion batteries most commonly are charged using a two-stage profile often called IU or CC-CV profiles. The two stages consist of a constant current (CC) charge step (charge current is fixed while voltage rises) followed by constant voltage (CV) charge step (voltage is held constant while current falls).
U.S. Battery has worked with major charger manufacturers to develop more advanced charging profiles to enhance performance and life of the batteries. When possible, select the U.S. Battery lithium-ion charge profiles available from the charger manufacturer. - CELL BALANCING
Lithium-Ion battery packs contain multiple cells in series and/or parallel arrangements. Due to inherent variations in cell manufacturing processes, no two cells are identical.
As a result, during charging and discharging, cells become “unbalanced” meaning they are not at equivalent states of charge. If not properly managed, this can cause premature failure of the battery pack. To address this the battery management system (BMS) “balances” cells by discharging the cells that are at a higher state of charge. This brings these cells in closer alignment with other cells in the pack.
For this to occur properly, it is very important proper charging procedures are followed. Cell balancing occurs at the end of charge and as a result this is the most critical charging period.
- CHARGING PROFILES- When charging lithium-ion batteries, it is important to select the correct charge profile/setting to ensure safety and performance. Using incorrect charging profiles or methodologies can reduce performance and life and may result in battery fault conditions. When in doubt, contact U.S. Battery.
Lithium-ion batteries most commonly are charged using a two-stage profile often called IU or CC-CV profiles. The two stages consist of a constant current (CC) charge step (charge current is fixed while voltage rises) followed by constant voltage (CV) charge step (voltage is held constant while current falls).
U.S. Battery has worked with major charger manufacturers to develop more advanced charging profiles to enhance performance and life of the batteries. When possible, select the U.S. Battery lithium-ion charge profiles available from the charger manufacturer. - CELL BALANCING
Lithium-Ion battery packs contain multiple cells in series and/or parallel arrangements. Due to inherent variations in cell manufacturing processes, no two cells are identical.
As a result, during charging and discharging, cells become “unbalanced” meaning they are not at equivalent states of charge. If not properly managed, this can cause premature failure of the battery pack. To address this the battery management system (BMS) “balances” cells by discharging the cells that are at a higher state of charge. This brings these cells in closer alignment with other cells in the pack.
For this to occur properly, it is very important proper charging procedures are followed. Cell balancing occurs at the end of charge and as a result this is the most critical charging period.
Charging FAQs
This answer depends on the specific charger as some chargers contain multiple settings. If the charger can be re-programmed or the settings can be changed to accommodate “lithium iron phosphate” cells, then yes. However, lead-acid charging profiles or settings are not compatible. Contact the charger manufacturer or authorized U.S. Battery distributor for information on how to determine if your charger can be re-programmed.
There are several factors that impact charge time: charger output power (wattage), number of parallel batteries in pack, and state of charge of pack when charging starts. But as a general idea, a 30A charger can charge a 48V 60Ah battery pack from 0 to 100% in about 2.5 hours.
Yes, this is a great feature of lithium-ion batteries. They can be charged during a break in usage and can quickly regain capacity. A good example would be plugging in for an hour while on lunch to get extra runtime. While this does not harm the batteries, it is important that full charge cycles are completed as often as possible for cell balancing
Lithium-ion batteries under normal operating conditions do not “gas”. The only ventilation required would be for cooling the batteries if charging in high temperature climates.
The charging temperature range of the cells is 0-55ºC (32 -131ºF)
No, equalization charging is specific to lead-acid batteries and may result in battery fault conditions.
Recommended Charger Manufacturers*
*Note: Users should consult the charger manufacturer for proper charger selection, programming of algorithm-controlled chargers, and connection procedures for their specific application(s). This list of compatible chargers is intended ONLY to assist customers in search of charging solutions which, when tested under laboratory conditions, have met certain industry standards. U.S. Battery does not provide a warranty for any charger-related issues, including the charger, overcharge, undercharge, or incorrect wiring. Nor does U.S. Battery accept any liability in issues related to charger failure or malfunction.
