Our lithium battery experts share the best answers to our customers’ most pressing and frequently asked questions.
Global demand for lithium batteries is expected to grow by 25 percent every year to 2030. To secure the long-term supply of critical battery minerals, lithium batteries need to be recycled at the end of ...
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Battery-as-a-Service® is Polarium’s circular business model for companies that want to reap the full benefits of energy storage built on lithium batteries, but not own the solution themselves. Polarium takes full responsibility for the battery, ...
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Lithium - this soft, silvery metal is lightweight and superefficient. With so many applications, life without lithium seems almost impossible. We are indebted to the man behind this important metal – Johan August Arwedson, born in January 1792 in Sweden.
Yes, all Polarium lithium batteries can be recycled. Polarium has a global partnership with Northvolt Revolt’s recycling division in Sweden to accept recycled NMC and Lithium batteries. Contact your local Polarium sales representative for more information.
Compared to chemistries such as VRLA and Ni-Cad, Polariums Lithium technology which does not contain any heavy metals is considered more environmentally friendly. In addition, Polarium’s lithium batteries have a very long service life and are made of recyclable materials.
Polarium makes a wide range of batteries in two different chemistries and a large number of form factors. Depending on your exact requirements and application, Polarium can recommend the correct battery to meet your needs.
Yes. UN38.3 is a global standard regarding the safety and durability of transporting lithium batteries. Every battery must meet these stringent requirements in order to be safely and legally transported by road, sea, or air. All Polarium batteries meeting the UN38.3 standards for shipping.
Lithium batteries are generally shipped by sea or road freight and must be packed according to strict safety guidelines as outlined by UN38.3. All lithium batteries must be shipped at a charge state of less than 30%. Polarium has engineered special air shippable lithium telecoms batteries up to 100Ah which are under the 35kg weight limit for air transportable lithium batteries. Please contact us for more information.
The primary function of the BMS is safety. A well-engineered BMS will continuously monitor the battery and the internal cells on 100s of individual parameters in order to allow the battery to perform safely, efficiently, and to allow a long cycle life with maximum performance. The BMS ensures the battery performs according to specification and protects the battery from any external or internal factors that could compromise safety.
Polarium makes a wide range of lithium telecoms batteries in the 48V range. Polarium also has a Commercial and Industrial division which manufactures high voltage energy storage solution systems and can provide solutions up to 1000+ volts.
At this time, Polarium does not allow its 48V telecoms batteries to be serial connected.
Yes. Polarium’s lithium telecoms batteries are designed to work with existing rectifiers, controllers and cabinets using common form factors and easy installation. You can install and connect a Polarium lithium battery in less than 10 minutes.
A battery cell pack should be designed around safety and longevity of the battery cells. It should have a robust casing that resists dirt and moisture and the cell pack designed should be approved by the cell manufacturer. The most important part of the cell pack design is the BMS as this is the key to a safe and efficient battery. The battery should be designed with flexible mounting options and should meet all the relevant safety standards and certificates for the market it is to be used in. The battery cooling should be designed to work of the front of the battery instead of using the battery pack as the heat sink.
The protection circuit in the battery protects every cell in the battery pack from overcurrent, overvoltage, undervoltage, over/under temperature protection, charge/discharge protection, and short circuit protection. By monitoring these parameters, the protection circuit ensures a safe, efficient and long-lasting battery.
There are many advantages of Lithium batteries over VRLA. Lithium batteries are ¼ the weight and ½ the volume of VRLA. Lithium batteries can be discharged to 100% vs 50% on VRLA on a cyclic application. Lithium batteries do not have to be fully charged or have a balancing charge as VRLA batteries do in controlled intervals. Lithium, batteries can withstand much greater temperature ranges (-20C – 60C) and typically have a 7-10-year life as a minimum. The lithium batteries BMS allows easy monitoring and predictability of charge and discharge energy as opposed to VRLA.
Both NMC and LFP are lithium battery technologies. NMC (Nickel Manganese Colbalt) cells are more energy dense, are considered to have a greater cycle life and have a lower self-discharge rate than LFP. They also are more flexible in packaging which allows greater energy in the same size form factor than LFP. LFP (Lithium Ferro Phosphate) cells are less expensive than NMC, have a lower cycle life and energy density, but can perform very well in the appropriate applications. The lower energy density of LFP means there are fewer choices in size of batteries available. Polarium has both options available in our product catalog.
Polarium batteries come with a wide variety of mounting options in 19” and 23”, 2U and 4U configurations. Polarium batteries can be rack or shelf mounted and can mounted horizontally or vertically as required.
A safe battery pack is one that has been designed from the beginning with safety in mind. This means a state-of-the-art BMS designed specifically for the battery which monitors all the elements internal to the battery. The battery must be designed with a proper battery management system that is capable of handling both the battery size and the environmental conditions the battery will operate in. The battery must be designed with a robust case and full protection from propagation of any cells. Good practice is to always determine that the battery maker has complete control over the design and manufacture of the BMS as this component is critical to both the battery safety and functionality.
Lithium-Ion cells are the most common type of battery cells in use today. They can be found in every type of consumer electronics, cars, power tools, aircraft, and industrial equipment. Each individual cell has safety features including but not limited to a Current Interrupt Device (CID), a safety vent in the top of each cell and a shutdown separator, all contained in a robust metal casing with the appropriate certifications from an independent testing organization.
The most energy dense batteries on the market today are the Polarium NMC batteries with an energy density of 6Ah/l compared to 3.1Ah/l for the Polarium LFP batteries and 2Ah/l for VRLA batteries.
Lithium batteries should meet the following international safety standards: IEC62619, IEC62368, IEC60950, and UN38.3. Lithium cells should meet UL1642 or IEC62133. Lithium batteries for the USA market have to meet UL1973 in addition.
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