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   EarthX added a post in a topic Earth X Battery Warning!!!    16 Aug 2016

   Lithium Ion is a generic term and could refer to any battery made with “lithium” as one of the components. Here is some of the common commercially available lithium batteries:
   Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2)
   Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMn2O4)
   Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2)
   Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (LiNiCoAlO2)
   Lithium Titanate (Li4Ti5O12)
    Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)
   A “lithium” battery is the most commonly used power source in today’s technology and is not new technology. It has been used extensively since the 1970’s, mainly by the military (as they were the only ones who could afford it). They power many medical devices (such as Pace Makers), cell phones, lap tops, engine starting and main power sources to name a few. Most RC cars use Lithium Cobalt Oxide, not Lithium Iron Phosphate which is the chemistry used in the EarthX brand. The reason behind using LifePo4 as a starter battery is:
   Safety- It is the most abuse tolerant of all the Lithium Ion chemistries -- one of the highest thermal runaway thresholds 270°C (518°F).
   Practicality –each charged cell is 3.65V, so four cells in series is the correct full-charge voltage for a starter battery at 14.6V
   Longevity  - cycle life (2,000+ depending on DOD)
   High Discharge Rate
   The disadvantage of using a LifePo4 battery is:
   Specific energy is less than that of other Li-ion
   Self-discharge is higher than other Li-ion batteries, but still better than other battery types
   Cold temperature operation can also be an issue with Li-phosphate as a starter battery
     (below 0 deg F)
    
   As Knuckledragger mentions, it is important to protect the cells which is why EarthX has not only one (BMS) battery management system but 2 for redundancy that is controlled by a microprocessor. There is also an LED battery fault light indicator that alerts you to the state of health of your battery and state of charge.  The BMS protects from over discharge, overcharge, short circuit, cell balancing and excessive cranking (heat) plus has the ability to alert you to a possible problem with the battery with a red LED light that would illuminate if you need to evaluate your battery. We also have HIGHLIGHTER yellow stickers you must remove in order to install the battery that warns you not to use a defective battery and it is all also located in many places such as the packaging, manual, FAQ etc.
   If you did ignore all of the warnings and proceeded to use a defective lithium battery where you are pushing a possible 120 amps through it, yes, it can have what we call a catastrophic failure as it can cause the cells to rupture and produce smoke and/or flames. A lead acid battery can also have a catastrophic failure and explode acid all over, and if you ignore the fuel gauge and try to continue to fly without gasoline, you will also have a catastrophic failure. 
   “Lithium batteries are not ready for aircrafts.”  Here’s a thought: if you have flown on a commercial flight in the last 15 years, you have had hundreds of lithium batteries in that aircraft alone from the cell phones and laptops onboard. Now if you add up the amount of flights around the world daily for the past 15 years with each of them having hundreds of lithium batteries on board…...the amount of incidents are very rare.  Technology advancements are great and where would we be if we didn't have people like the Wright Brothers, or Boeing? 
   Sincerely,
   Kathy at EarthX
   

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   EarthX added a post in a topic Earth X Battery Warning!!!    16 May 2016