Lithium motorcycle battery Review / Battery FAIL & take apart at 2015

[Kiriakos GR]

By this set of pictures bellow I wish to completely demolish the illusion that these Lithium motorcycle battery cells they can be used as direct replacement of regular lead acid.

I do understand that most readers that will discover this topic are fellow motorcyclist and them have no technical background so them to evaluate in depth all technical details.
For this reason I will keep it simple.

According to the chemistry type and individual packaging of those lithium cells in that battery formation, they are incapable to supply cranking ampere which this is in safe limits for the health of the specific lithium cells type and dimensions per cell.
Therefore individual cell destruction is a certain event when motorcycle is used very frequently.

Battery capacity is another mediocre topic to discuss, especially when we talk about power drain by accessories, as for example the motorcycle alarm system.

Modern lithium cells them must be protected by a special BMS (battery management system) that is a circuitry, that activates not just about over-charging but also about over-discharge.
This must stop battery voltage output completely, so the inner cells to stay charged to their minimum voltage limit.

My battery does not have that protection, and I do not think that there is a Lithium motorcycle battery with such a protection.
Well designed Lithium batteries pack for electric bicycles’, them they do have this cut-off circuitry.
But such batteries are not limited regarding product dimensions.

Lithium cells chemistry at over-discharge condition, this create corrosion and totally destroy the plates in them, the damage is irreversible even if this event happen just once.

   
Cranking problems at slightly cold weather is another sad story, crank the starter ones then wait for few seconds and start by the second time this is one new reality that every one trusting this lithium bad designed batteries will have to accept.


Therefore you’re what ever new Lithium battery (at a price close to 100 EUR) this will always be underpowered by design and this will have poor manufacturing standards and parts.
This will not have over-discharge protection, and when battery voltage will drop lower than 8V, this will die by its own chemical reaction.
Cranking current needed for the starter is higher than what these cells can handle, and this translates to extreme lithium cells abuse.

Due motorcycle battery storage compartment limits, even if we do have today LiFepo4 chemistry of cells which this it does handle all electrical requirements’ of a motorcycle, them are much larger compared to an equal in Watt-Power lead acid.
And definably more expensive per lithium cell retail price, this could be at 20EUR for 3.2V at 10Ah. 
 
My comment will be that I am not going to trust again a Lithium battery at my motorcycle.
I spend about 90EUR to purchase this Lithium battery before 16 months time, which now after close examination of it internals, I am 100% certain that I got cheated and mislead by one of the hundreds lithium battery vendors who just care to harvest our money and give us garbage instead.