The electric vehicle industry has grown for more than 20 years, and in recent years a rising star has appeared in the electric vehicle battery market: the lithium battery. So which is better, lead-acid batteries or lithium batteries?

Advantages of lead-acid batteries:

1. Good safety performance. Lead-acid batteries are easy to live with: even after being knocked around, a little repair lets them keep working.

2. Low price. The price of a lead-acid battery is roughly one third of a lithium battery, which shows how affordable it is.

3. Recyclable and repairable. Lead-acid batteries are highly recyclable. When one wears out, you can trade it in at an electric vehicle shop, pay the difference, and get a new set of batteries, minimizing the loss, a real benefit for users. The lead inside the battery can also be recovered and reused, reducing environmental pollution.

Disadvantages of lead-acid batteries:

Heavy weight, limited capacity, and a shorter life. A lead-acid battery generally manages fewer than 400 full charge-discharge cycles and lasts around two years.

Advantages of lithium batteries:

1. Light and compact. A lithium battery is about two thirds the volume and one third the weight of a lead-acid battery. At the same size it holds more capacity than lead-acid, and the lower weight makes the vehicle lighter while adding roughly 10 percent to the range.

2. Long lifespan. The average life of a lithium battery is about four years, roughly 1.5 times that of a lead-acid battery, with more than 500 charge-discharge cycles, no memory effect, and strong vibration resistance.

3. Good tolerance of overcharging and charge-discharge. At normal temperatures a lithium battery can be charged continuously for 48 hours without swelling, leaking, or rupturing, keeping more than 95 percent of its capacity, and with a dedicated charger it can also take fast charging and discharging.

Disadvantages of lithium batteries:

Lithium batteries cost a lot to produce. The manufacturing equipment is expensive, labor accounts for around 40 percent of production cost, and the retail price is about three times that of a lead-acid battery. This triple price does not bring triple value, and can feel flashy but hollow. Lithium batteries are also not recyclable: once worn out you can only throw them away or bury them somewhere, and in a few thousand years later generations might dig one up as an antique. The most serious problem is the fire and explosion risk, especially since buyers who do not know better can be cheated by unscrupulous sellers into buying inferior lithium batteries. On electric vehicles, where sealing is imperfect and dampness can cause poor contact, such hidden dangers may turn into real safety hazards.

Through the introduction above, we hope everyone has a clearer idea of which is better between lead-acid and lithium batteries, and can choose the battery that suits their own needs.