The biggest issue with the modern automobile is the amount of load it places on the electrical system. And with idle start/stop systems (now standard on most European makes and even on some Japanese ones), the 12-volt starter battery takes on the car’s entire power load whenever the engine stops in heavy traffic. This repeated charging/discharging cycle can take a toll on a car’s battery with some owners reporting battery failure as early as 6 months.
Switching to a lithium-ion battery may be the solution to this problem.
Made by Taiwan-based Formosa Automobile Sales Corporation, the Formosa LFPO Smart Power Battery is a straight-on lithium-ion replacement for the traditional 12-volt lead acid battery.
Off the bat, lithium-ion batteries offer a low discharge rate. Compared to a typical lead acid battery which can lose as much as 30 percent of its charge every month, a lithium-ion battery loses just 5 percent. This reduces the chance of suffering from a dead battery when a vehicle isn’t used or charged regularly (garage queens). Even if the battery does die, it accepts any standard trickle charger (hello, CTEK); there’s even a built-in reset mode that clears the battery’s memory enabling it accept a full charge even when completely flat.
Next, lithium-ion starter batteries such as the one from Formosa offer a higher rate of charge and discharge. It can discharge electricity 6 times more effectively, improving the performance of a car’s electrical components and charge 30 percent faster reducing the load on components such as the alternator. It’s even smart enough to offer both overvoltage and overcurrent protection unlike in a lead acid set-up.
Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries have a longer lifespan compared to lead acid batteries. They can last up to 10 years, easily five times the average lifespan of a lead-acid battery. And because they don’t contain any acid, there’s no possibility of corrosion caused by sulfuric acid fumes (or leaks). Plus, they can mounted in any direction—even upside down.
Is there a catch? Yes. The price.
Although there’s still no Philippine distributor for the Formosa LFPO Smart Power battery, an informal chat with executives at Formosa Automobile Sales Corporation says that it can cost up to USD 1,000 (P 50,000) depending on the exact battery size. That may burn a sizeable hole in a car owner’s pocket, but Formosa says that some users (mostly long-haul trucks) are willing to shell out that much for a fancy battery because of the advantages it offers.
If your car suffers regularly from battery issues, will you be willing to consider a P 50,000 battery to save you from headaches?
This should silence those start stop critics. If this will last for 10 years, the fuel savings from the start stop system will be more than enough to cover the cost of this battery as well as contributing to lower emissions for the environment.
ReplyDeleteP50,000 = P5,000 per year. Parang nagpalit ka ng battery every year ah. Yung Motolite Gold ko 3 taon na sa Kia ko ok pa rin hangang ngayon. Pina check ko sa battery tester mga at least 1 year pa daw estimated life
DeleteWell, we are in the Philippines. Nobody gives a shit about the environment. Deal with it.
DeleteAnonymous 3, I do give a "shit" about the environment. Im sure there are many more out there, its people with your mentality that dragging this country down. Yan ang ugali na kaya hanggang ngayon 3rd world pa din tayo. Kung may anak ka, will you raise them with that kind of mentality?
DeleteI'm just speaking the truth, with the majority of people in the poverty line, care for the environment is among the last thing on their minds. They would do anything to survive even if its damaging to the environment. Unless the government stops itself from corrupting funds for the people, not much will change. It's like you're a single car that properly follows the traffic rules but everyone else does not. It's every man for himself out there on the road most of the time. They know the rules but they don't follow it, just like most of your countrymen.
DeleteMy country men? Well your aboviously not from here. Thats your opinion and I respect that. But I cant welcome comments from foreigners who come here and look down on us like a hopeless raise.
Deleteso he justifies wrong because everyones doing it yun yung logic nya LOL sige lang marami namang gumagawa eh LOL
DeleteIf you want to save the environment buy an electric car. Istop saves you you what? 5-10% in fuel savings and emission which doesn't justify the cost
DeleteThe cheapest ev is the Prius. Do you know how much is that car? I wouldn't buy that shitty car at the current price. If you spend 1k a week on fuel, that would translate to 52k a year and the istop will save you 5k-10k savings in a year. Which is not bad. It will justify the battery cost anyway. And with the added bonus of the Yojin, you won't pay a single peso for the PMS for 5 years.
DeleteThe Battery cost 50k alone, we're not even sure if it'll indeed last for 10yrs. Even so, that's equivalent to 5k a year. It's like you're changing batteries annually as compared to non-istop vehicles in which their batteries can last 3-5yrs (except casa issued ones) depending on the usage. We're not even talking about the cost of the istop system yet, if and when it breaks down.
DeleteAt the end of the day, Honda's ECON Mode and BMW's ECO Pro Mode gives you decents fuel savings and less worries of breakdowns.
The price alone is already a headache
ReplyDeleteIf you have a Mazda 3 or a Ford Focus that has the iStop(Mazda) or Active Stop(Ford) that needs a deep cycle battery that costs around 15K to replace then this would definitely save you a lot even if the regular deep cycle battery would last for 2 years. That's about Php 25k savings.
ReplyDeleteA bit scary to jump in agad.. Li-ion batt had long history of incidents especially on early applications. First tesla cars, sony laptops, boeing 787, Samsung note 7. Even more so puting that battery inside a hot engine compartment under Philippine traffic and summer weather. Pag nasunog yan sa loob no fire extinguisher can stop that.
ReplyDeleteDito siguro advantage ang German cars since they designed the battery to be placed inside the trunk compartment.
AMARON na lng pwede daw yan sa istop tapos pertua engine oil daw ayon din sa mga forums abot yan ng 20-30 kpl!
ReplyDelete