Are Lithium-ion Jump Starters Better Than Lead Acid Jump Starters?

1 What Are Lithium Acid Starters?

Depending on the type of battery, different electrolyte compounds are used. Lithium-ion technology is the reason for many battery improvements today. This battery is used in electric cars, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other technology and electrical devices. The lead-acid battery’s size and weight are the most important and noticeable differences. Lithium-ion batteries are much smaller and lighter than lead-acid batteries for the same amount of power. A lithium-ion jump starter means the device is much easier to carry around. With this technology, a jump starter requires minimal space because it is smaller, lighter, and can be charged quickly.

2 What Are Lead Acid Starters?

As the name suggests, a lead-acid jump starter possesses lead-acid battery. Lead-acid batteries store and send electricity with the help of lead plates and sulfuric acid solution. Since the beginning, this technology has been at the heart of car batteries because it is reliable and easy to maintain. As a result, it was widely used in jump starters as well. But the lead-acid battery, even though it is cheap and reliable, has some problems, especially compared to other options today. Lead-acid batteries are big and heavy for how much electricity they put out. It isn’t a big deal for car batteries, but it can be a problem for a jump starter. 

The best jump starter is one that you can keep in your car and quickly grab when you need it. With lead-acid batteries, jump starters with enough power to start larger vehicles tend to be very heavy and hard to move around, especially in an emergency. The other problem with lead-acid batteries is that they need to be charged carefully and slowly because of how they work. If you’ve ever charged the battery in your car, you know that it can take up to eight hours. If you charge it faster than this, it could throw off the chemical balance inside the battery, making it less powerful. If you need to use your jump starter quite often, then the lead acid jump starter isn’t the right choice for you.

3 5 Reasons Lithium Acid Jump Starters Are Better Than Lead Acid Jump Starters

As we approach the winter, the number of occasions to jump-start your vehicle increases. It is now more important to take proper winter care of your vehicle regularly to avoid getting stranded. You might have used lead-acid jump starters for a very long time. You can now get rid of all the problems you were experiencing with lead-acid jump starters by exploring lithium-acid jump starters.

Value For Money

Only in terms of price do lead acid batteries seem a better option than lithium-ion. A lead acid jump stater may cost hundreds or thousands of dollars less than a similar-sized lithium-ion system. Lithium-ion jump starters cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000, including installation, but this range can go higher or lower depending on the jump starter battery size you need. A jump starter’s lithium-ion battery doesn’t cost as much due to its compact size.

Lead acid batteries are usually cheaper to buy and install than lithium-ion batteries, but the value of a lithium-ion battery over its lifetime makes up for this.

Enhanced Capacity

The capacity of a jump starter is a way to figure out how much energy it can store and then give off. Even though different jump starter models and manufacturers make them with various capacities, lithium-ion jump starters have been shown to have a much higher energy density than lead-acid jump starters. A lithium-ion jump starter’s battery can store more power in the same amount of space. Because lithium-ion technology can store more energy, it can also release more energy. It means that it can power more devices for more extended periods.

Discharge Depth

The depth of discharge of a jump starter is the amount of energy that can be taken out of it without hurting it. It is normal to use 85 percent or more of a lithium-ion jump starter’s total capacity in a single cycle. However, lead-acid jump starters should not be discharged past about 50 percent, as doing so shortens the jump starter’s life. Lithium-ion technology has a better depth of discharge than lead acid. It means that lithium-ion jump starters have an even higher effective capacity than lead-acid jump starters, especially since lithium-ion technology has a higher energy density.

Better Efficiency

Like the efficiency of solar panels, the efficiency of jump starters is an important metric to look at when comparing different choices. Most lithium-ion jump starters are at least 95% efficient. It means that at least 95% of the energy stored in a lithium-ion jump starter can be used. On the other hand, lead-acid jump starters are more like 80 to 85 percent efficient. Jump Starters with a higher efficiency charge faster, and just like with the depth of discharge, higher efficiency means a higher capacity.

Extended Lifespan

Jump Starters are also like solar panels in that they lose their effectiveness as they get older. One “cycle” is when you use a jump starter to power your battery and recharge it with energy from the sun or the grid. Depending on the study, lithium-ion jump starter batteries tend to last for several times as many cycles as lead-acid jump starter batteries. It means that lithium-ion products have a longer useful life.

4 What Are The Pro Tips from Auto Mechanics To Choose The Right Jump Starter?

You need to consider following points before purchasing jump starter for your vehicle to make an informed choice:

• Energy Density In Volume: Lithium-ion gives you up to four times more power in the same amount of space as lead-acid.
• Energy Density in Weight: Lithium-ion gives you up to six times more power for the same weight than lead-acid.
• Less Self-Discharge: While sitting on a shelf, all jump packs lose a little bit of their power. But some jump starters run out of energy faster than others, and if you need it months later, it might not be able to help you. Rate of lithium-ion discharge: 3–5% of charge per month; Rate of lead-acid discharge: 5–15% of charge per month. 
• Life Cycle: The life cycle of a battery is the number of times it can be fully charged and drained before it needs to be replaced. Having a longer cycle life means living longer. One can use lead-acid jump starters about half as many times as lithium-ion ones. Since each model has a different chemistry, the exact numbers will depend on the model in question.
• Maintenance: In general, lead-acid jump starters need more care than lithium-ion jump starters. They lose charge quickly and don’t last as long as lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries don’t need as much care and can go longer without being fixed.
• Strength and Power: Lithium has much more power and capacity than lead acid, even though it is smaller. Lithium is made of solid chemicals packed into a small space.
• Relative Cost: Due to the trade-off between more power and smaller size, lithium is cheaper than lead acid.
• Performance In Cold Weather: While no battery offers best performance in freezing weather, lithium batteries performance are much better than lead-acid and other battery types. 

Both have pros and cons, but it’s easy to see how the lithium-ion option can meet most jump-starting needs. Lithium-ion has a lot of benefits, such as its self-discharge rate, cycle life, and easy maintenance. 

Compared to lead acid jump starters, lithium-acid jump starters offer ease to carry, better efficiency and overall supreme performance. It is not easy to carry lead-acid starters in your vehicle. Hence, lithium-acid jump starter is a better alternative and offers even better performance with extended life.