Lithium: what you need to know continued...
Lifecycle claims
We could not verify the cycle life claims of the batteries we tested, but they are all between 2,500-5,000 at 80% DoD, so are unlikely to all be wrong.
Having said that, when we asked the suppliers how they arrived at these cycle life claims, most admitted that the actual battery had not been cycled 5,000 times by them – it would take around 10 years to carry this out – but were based on figures quoted by the manufacturers of the individual cells inside the batteries.
And hereby comes one of the possible issues with lithium batteries. Nearly all lithium cell production is taking place in the Far East, and production standards and safety standards in their manufacture are difficult to verify. While there is an international standard for Transportation, UN38.3, as far as we can find there are few – if any – internationally agreed standards for battery production.
This is an issue that is concerning the UK Government Office for Product Safety and Standards. PBO spoke to them during our test, and they confirmed they are looking into the question of all batteries, including lead-acid, but in particular lithium, with regards to safety in use, and claimed performance, and safety when being transported.
They are looking at composition, capacity, labelling and chemistry, and their first report is due out soon. We will keep you updated on their conclusions, but you can look yourself at www.gov.uk/guidance/ batteries.
This is not to say that the batteries we have tested are unsafe, but we would suggest that it is in order for you to ask the supplier of any battery you are thinking of buying to supply you with any relevant test reports supporting compliance and safety.