Lifepo4 compared to Lipo

[chisixer6]

today I got a shipment of Lipos from Hobbyking. these are my 1st Lipos, as I have been using Lifepo4 the past year. Here is a comparison of the batteries, according to me. comparing a Turnigy 6s 4.5a Lifepo4 to Turnigy 6s 5.0a Lipo.

Size ... Lipo is almost half the size of the Lifepo4.. about same length and height but an inch less in width

weight .. 793g for Lipo and 899g for Life

voltage.. nominal voltage is higher on Lipos, 22.2v vs 19.8v

amps... lipo is 5a Life is 4.5a

discharge ...Life has the edge 30c vs 20c

price.......Life is $70.98 Lipo is $42.66

precaution... Lipo is dangerous charging, extra care needed...Life not as dangerous charging, care is still needed.

I have not charged the batteries yet, i will do it this weekend, as I want to be around after charging to keep an eye out. I can almost sense an definite improvement in peformance and in the pocketbook. I can get 12s2p Lipo for a Life 6s2p.

next, I'll need to learn how to bulk charge the batteries.

 

[nechaus]

deep down inside i love all batteries

but for ebikes i just use rc lipo or lifep04 headways or ping made packs...

iv tried loads but i like lifep04 for my commuter and lipo for my performance kinda ebikes

lifep04 is good because if you do a diy pack, their are heaps of bms's around, for rc lipo its a bit more of a rare thing to find a bms

charing rc lipo is easy and not as dangerous as you may think

 

[chisixer6]

nechaus;

On my diy Lifepo4 packs, I haven't used a bms, so far everything has been fine.

this my 1st go with lipo, so I'll really be cautious and have my complete attention, at least in the begining.

 

[dogman dan]

Tell us more about your experience with the HK lifepo4. Those packs get asked about a lot, but most of us just repeat what was said by somebody about them. That they sagged more than expected compared to similarly c rated lipo.

Do they sag much on your bike compared to your new lipo? What c rate are you drawing from them? How have they held up in use, even vague data on lifespan would be interesting. Dud rate? We know it's as much as 10% on HK lipo packs. Personally, I just thought the HK lifepo4 packs were a bit pricy, and went for RC lipo instead.

 

[chisixer6]

dogman;

I just got the lipos yesterday, and they are still in their white boxes. Physically they are smaller, more like the size of my 3s lifepo4, weigh less and much cheaper.
your question about c rate and sag, I am not really that knowledgerable on those subjects, except advertise c rate is supoose to be 30c, i don't have anyway to tell. I don't have a cycle anylst yet. I'll need a standalone CA.
most of my riding is short distance, under 10 miles. Last sunday I did a neighborhood ride,using my yescomusa motor, total distance from house to the 12 miles and back was a total of 20 miles. I was using (4) 6c 4.5a in a config of 12s2p 9a lifepo4, charged to 3.59v each cell. I was down to 3.30v per at the end. I was also pedaling at least half the time.
Another time, I did Bike the Drive(Chicago's Lake Shore drive) , using gear hub from e-bikekit with (4) 3s 4.5a batteries(12s3p), did almost full throttle the north leg of the drive, roughly about 9-10miles, I had a little juice left, don't know how much.
I hope this gives some info, yes life is much pricy, some little $42 lipo to $73 life.

I will be using the lipos this Saturday/sunday AM on the Late Night Ride about 25 to 30 miles in the wee hours of the morning, confiq as 12s2p lpo backed up with my 12s2p life batteries.

later,
Jerry

 

[dogman dan]

Mostly I was fishing for data on the lifepo4 packs.

We get folks asking about them from time to time, and I at least keep replying I dunno? If you have a CA or other voltmeter on your bike, I'd be interested to know how much sag you get when riding. First off, what kind of amps you are drawing, or at least what controller you use. Then volts sitting, volts when cruising, and volts when taking off from a stop sign would be great for us to know.

Then we can say next time, they worked for you, and how they worked. Then we can compare cost vs benefit with for example, cellman or ping.

 

[chisixer6]

dogman;

sorry, it has been a few days since I communicated, actually I looked at your questions and I gave myself a blank stare. He wants a what? I don't have a CA yet, I have a Watts up meter, and I went and dug out the manual to see what you want. I think I will have some of your answers, give me a few days (currently storming here, my Late night ride is in Jepordy). Well, one answer is my controller on this particluar bike is an older model from E-bikekit. I'll see if I can get you the rest in a couple days.

 

[dogman dan]

Ok, maybe I put a lot into one sentence again.

So you are running a 20 amp controller. I've seen as much as 3v of voltage drop under a heavy when running a pingbattery with the same controller. Usually it's a bit less, much less at cruise speeds of about 25 mph.

So say I was at about 55v with the motor off, it might sag to 52v as I leave a stop sign, and then level out at 53.5 when cruising at 25 mph.

So if you have a voltmeter, I'd be interested in how much sag you got with your HK lifepo4 packs.

With 10 ah of HK 30c RC lipo, I'd only see about 1.5v of sag leaving the stop sign, and barely a volt of sag cruising at 25 mph.

 

[pff7]

Correct me if I am wrong,

another advantage of Lipo:

Hobbyking has a USA warehouse=faster,cheaper shipping