The lifespan of LiFePO4 lithium batteries has become a topic of great concern in the camping world since more and more LiFePO4 lithium batteries are taking charge of RVs, travel vans, camper vans, and motorhomes. In an RV power system, the most important module - the LiFePO4 lithium battery, serves as the storage device for RV power, involved in the entire power system from charging, storing to discharging. Therefore, the lifespan of LiFePO4 batteries has become a top consideration for a better experience outdoor.

So, what factors affect the lifespan of LiFePO4 lithium batteries?

The lifespan of lithium batteries is mainly influenced by two factors: operation conditions and battery cell factors.

Regarding operation conditions, factors affecting the lifespan of LiFePO4 batteries mainly include:

① Charging and discharging methods

At present, most research on LiFePO4 battery charging methods is based on the Coulombic efficiency theory, which aims to keep the charging current as close as possible to the "optimal charging curve" of the Coulombic efficiency theory without damaging the battery. Researchers have compared several common charging methods and found that constant current/voltage charging and step constant current charging cause the lowest battery damage and can be widely used. The LiTime LiFePO4 lithium battery chargers are specially designed for LiFePO4 batteries. Multilevel protections give full protections on Over Current, Over Voltage, Current limiting, Short Circuit, and Reverse Polarity, with a 0V charging function to reactivate or repair long-unused batteries.

② Charging and discharging cutoff voltage, charging and discharging rate

Under different charging and discharging rates, the loss rate of LiFePO4 lithium battery capacity after the same cycling time is different. Changing the charging and discharging cutoff voltage has been found to cause changes in the structure of electrode materials. Changes in the structure of the positive electrode material and the negative electrode surface can lead to a decrease in the number of active lithium ions, thereby causing a decrease in battery capacity.

③ Temperature

Too high or too low temperatures can affect the lifespan of the LiFePO4 lithium battery. The capacity of LiFePO4 lithium batteries decreases very slowly at room temperature, while at high temperatures of 55°C and 65°C, the battery shows rapid failure behavior. When the temperature is below -10°C, the capacity of the battery drops sharply. At low temperatures, the performance of lithium batteries also deteriorates. The LiTime LiFePO4 batteries can be operated at a temperature of -20°C to 60°C, and a temperature between 10°C to 35°C is ideal for storage. It’s even worth mentioning that the LiTime self-heating series LiFePO4 batteries have overcome the low-temperature effects on the battery performance by adding some heating pads outside the battery cells to allow safe charging for batteries under -20°C.

④ Storage conditions

Lithium batteries will undergo slight self-discharge when not used for a long time due to the nature of the battery itself. LiTime recommends you store your battery at a 50% charge level and recharge every 3 months to prolong your battery lifespan. 

As for battery cell factors, LiFePO4 batteries on RVs are often used in the form of battery packs, and the battery pack generally consists of several battery cells connected in series and parallel. Cell consistency is another important factor affecting battery lifespan. 

The impact of battery cells on the lifespan of lithium batteries

Inconsistency in individual cells mainly refers to the difference in voltage, capacity, and internal resistance of different battery cells. When battery cells are connected in series, the lifespan of the battery pack will always be shorter than that of the shortest-lifespan individual cell. Similar to the "barrel principle", the lifespan of a battery pack is determined by the shortest-lifespan individual cell. It is very likely that the shortest-lifespan cell is the one with the smallest capacity. Small-capacity cells are often fully charged and discharged, and their output is too strong, so they are likely to reach the end of their lifespan first. When one individual cell reaches the end of its lifespan, the battery pack welded together will also come to the end of its lifespan. 

The upgraded auto-balancing technique of LiTime self-developed BMS improves the battery life by maximizing the capacity of a battery pack with multiple cells in series, backing up that all batteries deliver life cycles from 4000+ (100% DoD) to 15000 cycles ( 60% DoD). That’s pretty much 10 years of everyday use.

How to ensure your LiFePO4 lithium battery life?

By understanding the factors that affect the lifespan of LiFePO4 batteries, there are ways for you to get the most out of batteries for your RVs. LiTime offers the best budget LiFePO4 lithium iron phosphate batteries with the highest quality battery cells and intelligent BMS for ultra-long cycle life of over 4,000 cycles and the industry-leading 5 years warranty and technical support with 24hrs. LiTime also provides a dedicated power system for RVs, which ensures a safe, efficient, and stable power supply for RV living. The RV power system by LiTime includes efficient solar panels, MPPT solar charge controllers, LiFePO4 lithium iron phosphate batteries, stable inverter chargers, and supporting LiFePO4 battery chargers, to meet your power storage needs on the road.