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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*

Charged By Delta-Q Technologies
Lester Electrical logo

*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.

US 48V & 24V GC2 Quick Start Guide

Turning On

 To turn on the battery, press and hold the button for 5 seconds. LEDs should light up, indicating the SOC of the battery. Voltage should be present at the terminals, and the Button LED should flash green every 5 seconds. Note that if multiple batteries are connected in parallel, turning on one battery will turn on all batteries in the string.

Turning Off

To turn off, tap once and then tap and hold the button for at least 6 seconds. LEDs 2 and 4 should light up indicating you can release the button to power off. Voltage should no longer be present at the terminals and the Button LED should no longer be flashing. Note that if multiple batteries are connected in parallel, with CAN cables installed, turning off one battery will turn off all batteries.

Charging

It is important to only use chargers programmed and set for lithium iron phosphate chemistry batteries! Use of improper chargers can result in loss of warranty. Contact the charger manufacturer for information on available battery chemistry profiles.

When the battery is charging, the LEDs will pulse to indicate SOC progress. For example, if the battery is at 31%, the first LED will be solid (0-20%) and the second will be pulsing (20-40%).

Essential Li GC2 Wake button

Faults

When faults (condition outside of BMS safety parameters) are active, the button LED will flash red every 5 seconds. To determine the specific fault(s) that is active press the button once. The Button LED will stay solid red for 5 seconds and the LEDs will indicate the specific fault. If multiple faults are active, tap the button to cycle through the faults. Once all faults have been displayed, the SOC will be displayed, which is indicated by the button LED changing from red to green.

Reading GC2 Model Fault Display

When faults are active, the Button LED will flash red every 5 seconds. To determine the specific fault(s) that is active tap the button once. The Button LED will stay solid red for 5 seconds and the LEDs will indicate the specific fault.

If multiple faults are active, tap the button to cycle through the faults. Once all faults have been displayed, the SOC will be displayed, which is indicated by the Button LED changing from red to green.

**See User Manual for faults solutions.**

Fault
LED 1
LED 2
LED 3
LED 4
Under Voltage
Over Charge Current
Over Discharge Current
Short Circuit
Charge Over Temp.
Charge Under Temp.
Discharge Over Temp.
Discharge Under Temp.

CABLING AND HARDWARE INSTALLATION

Cable size has a direct influence on the voltage drop across the system. A trained professional should verify that your system’s cables are correctly sized and installed. Exceeding rated capacities of cables and/or connections can cause unsafe operating conditions.

During installation and handling, ensure that terminals are covered with supplied terminal protectors and only remove when ready to attach cables. It is recommended that cables be installed while the battery is turned off.

PARALLEL CONNECTIONS

Lithium-Ion batteries should never be installed in series connection, only in parallel connections. Never install multiple batteries in parallel without first checking the state of charge on the display. The best way to ensure batteries are matched is by fully charging each battery prior to installation in parallel. Another way would be to check each battery voltage prior to installation. Always install the batteries in the “Off” state and verify all connections prior to turning “On”.

ACCESSORIES

Never connect accessories directly to the batteries (except for the U.S. Battery compatible remote display). 12V accessories should use a DC-DC power converter/reducer that is tied into the key switch of the vehicle. Accessories should be installed in a way that they do not drain the batteries while not in use. Please consult your U.S. Battery dealer when installing accessories on vehicles using lithium-ion batteries.

SLEEP AND PULSE

After 72 hours, if no charge/discharge is detected the battery will go into a sleep state to conserve power to ~1mA. The battery can be awakened by following the same instructions to turn it on.

When in sleep or low SOC protection mode, the battery will “pulse” so that it can be awakened with charging. This pulsing frequency decreases as time goes on. If a charger is connected while battery is in sleep mode, it will awaken with charging.

CAN Bus

Each GC2 battery is supplied with a CAN jumper cable that should be installed between parallel batteries to allow for communication. This jumper should connect from the “OUT” port of one battery to the “IN” port of the next battery. For installations not using a remote display, the last battery in the string should use a CAN termination plug in the final “OUT” port.

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