As a fundamental component of transport truck models, liftgates have served as a crucial part of logistics and last mile delivery for over 100 years. Allowing for items to be loaded and unloaded with ease has served various markets, both as factory-installed liftgates on many truck models and as after-market add-ons.
Historically, lead acid batteries have powered much of the industrial equipment market, including liftgates. Liftgates have prominently been powered by lead acid batteries in a battery bank with dual purpose—liftgate function and chassis starter battery. Lead acid batteries have a recommended discharge of just 50%, and with no voltage requirement set on liftgates, there can be consistent damage on those batteries, resulting in underperformance and a shorter lifespan.
In this study, we test the historic lead acid battery compared to the performance and advantages of lithium iron phosphate, including long-term cost savings and increased capacity, in a liftgate application.
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Lead Acid vs. Lithium Battery Discharge in Liftgates: What We Tested
In our study, we tested the number of cycles (lift and lower) a liftgate was able to perform with the two flooded lead acid batteries (at a 10V cutoff) compared to the two 100Ah 12V LiFePO4 batteries at various load weights. Battle Born Batteries were tested in this specific study, the direct-to-consumer brand of Dragonfly Energy.
What we found was that lithium was able to perform 54% more cycles than lead acid was able to perform at a 10V cutoff. Additionally, while the LiFePO4 batteries have a state-of-the-art BMS, or battery management system, with low-discharge disconnect to protect the longevity and performance of those batteries, the lead acid continually experiences a 100% at a 10V discharge, causing permanent damage and a shorter lifespan.
Overall, with 54% increase in performance and the safety of the BMS in the lithium-ion batteries, liftgate operators could expect to purchase between 7 and 8 life cycles of lead acid batteries compared to just 1 life cycle of a Dragonfly Energy lithium-ion battery.
Read the full study and the entirety of the benefits of lithium-ion batteries over lead acid in a liftgate application by downloading the whitepaper: The Robust Way to Power Liftgates: LiFePO4 vs. Lead Acid Battery Performance.
Download the Whitepaper
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