SAFETY
LTO batteries have consistently been rated as the safest and most stable of all Lithium battery types.
Full MSDS available
LTO batteries do not catch fire (like in LCO, NMC, and NCA batteries) and do not release smoke (like in LFP batteries) when damaged. No toxic fumes are emitted and no safety gear is required.
There have been zero reports worldwide of fires or explosions of Lithium Titanate technology. There have been hundreds of reports of incidents with other chemistries
NO THERMAL RUNWAY
HIGHEST LIFE-CYCLE SPAN
LTO has the longest cycle life of all battery types and so far no one has been able to test these batteries to the point of age failure even at 2C operation (28 cycles a day) as below.
Note in the above test example at 2C charge discharge, this represents in normal one cycle a day operation a lifespan in excess of over 70 years! This means batteries can now be grouped with other long-life infrastructure like transformers, transmission lines, generators and not having to replace every 8 to 10 years.
Unlike other Lithium Ion types the cycle life of Lithium Titanate is virtually unaffected by charge / discharge rate:
Cycle lives of 3000 to 10,000 are misleading as they are invariably conducted at low charge/ discharge rates of between 0.25 to 0.5 C.
Highest charge/ discharge loop efficiency
LTO cells have a 97.5% charge discharge efficiency. Even at 2C operation the temperature rise due to internal losses is around 2 degrees Celsius. Other Lithium types are around 97%, other wet technologies such aa Vanadium are around 70% efficient. Hydrogen is between 30% to 50%.
Actual batch sample test data below!
Near 100% Depth of Discharge
The charge/ discharge curve of LTO is very flat and most of its range is fully useable. No damage is caused by using 100% Depth of Discharge, practical operation for good balancing is around 95%. LTO cells can be stored indefinitely at zero Volts with no damage.
Widest temperature operation range
LTO batteries have proven to operate at temperatures ranging between -40°C to 60°C. It can even operate at a further wider range of temperatures. Unlike other chemistries of Lithium-ion batteries, which face serious irreversible capacity fade after 45°C, LTO batteries have a much slower irreversible capacity fade even when operating above 45°C.
LTO batteries do not require costly and unreliable air conditioning, natural ventilation or fans in hot environments is adequate.
RECYCLABILITY
All materials are similar to conventional Lithium Ion batteries and are not hazardous. The cells can be easily opened and stripped down. The big difference is that it reduces the amount of recycling material by a factor of 8 due to the need of recycling being moved to beyond 50 years rather than 7 years
LOWEST LIFETIME COST OF STORAGE PER kWh
All other Lithium and wet technologies cost around USD$0.20 to $0.30 per stored KWh over their useful lifetime and in normal daily operation never pay off before they need to be replaced.
LTO costs around Uusd$0.05 per stored kWh over their useful lifetime and typically pays of three to four times over the service life. They can be considered as a lifelong piece of infrastructure.
HIGHEST LIFETIME ENERGY STORAGE THROUGHPUT
Due to the relatively short cycle life of other battery types, DOD restrictions, temperature restrictions and the need for energy consuming air conditioning, Lithium Titanate over its long-life stores far more energy:
ZERO MAINTENANCE
LTO batteries have no maintenance requirement other than dust removal and normal cleaning activity. Due to the long service life they do not need to be replaced every 7 years.
No fumes or gas extraction
LTO is totally safe from poisonous or flammable fumes and no need for gas extraction like Lead acid types
Ease of replacement – modular construction
Zenaji LTO Eternity is fully modular at the 2.3 V module level. If any module needs to be examined or replaced, it simply unbolts and slides out with perfect sealed safety for the operator.
Extreme strong construction – earthquake proof
Zenaji products are all designed to withstand the strongest earthquake conditions and can be securely bolted to the foundations.
DISADVANTAGES OF LITHIUM TITANATE BATTERIES
Initial upfront cost
Lithium Titanate cells have twice the material of NMC or LiPo cells and this makes them more expensive to manufacture. This initial product cost means the batteries are also more expensive initially and thus Zenaji product may be between 50% to 150% more expensive upfront on apparent equivalent ratings. However, this is very misleading when you allow for Depth of Discharge limitations, power draw limitations, temperature derating restrictions and reduction of warranted kWh etc. Typically, 1 kWh of other lithium technologies is more like 600 WH of Zenaji storage. I.e. Titanate batteries are often the equivalent in price for what you actually get but infinitely cheaper over time compared to any other battery.
Weight
Lithium Titanate batteries are half the weight of Lead acid types but twice the weight of LiPo batteries for the same stored energy. This is typically not a problem for stationary storage but does require more space.
3 to 30 year calculated comparative cost of LTO vs Lithium Ion at 2 cycles per day per MWh
LTO Lithium Ion
Cost per MWh (USD) $950k $350k (best price)
Efficiency 97.5% 94%
DOD 95% 80%
Loss in capacity 3% 30% (end of life)
3 year cycles (2 per day) 3285 3285
Air conditioning energy capacity loss Nil @10kW per hour
(120kW) per cycle
LTO energy storage over 3 years:
= number of cycles x energy per cycle x efficiency x DOD x ((100- loss of capacity/2)/100
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