Lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium forklift battery, cost and life difference analysis

Nowadays, electric forklifts have become the mainstream operating equipment for warehousing, logistics, and other scenarios. As the core component of electric forklifts, power batteries directly affect the overall operating costs. The current market mainstream of lithium iron phosphate and lithium ternary forklift batteries, the difference in cost and lifespan is a core concern for many operators.

The first is the cost difference between the two types of batteries.

In terms of initial purchase cost, the pricing difference between the two types of batteries mainly comes from the difference in cathode material cost and energy density. The cathode material of ternary lithium batteries contains precious metals such as nickel and cobalt, and the material cost itself is higher. At the same time, ternary lithium batteries with the same capacity are smaller and lighter, and the overall production process requirements are relatively higher. Therefore, the initial purchase price of ternary lithium forklift batteries with the same capacity is usually about 15% to 20% higher than that of lithium iron phosphate forklift batteries.

In terms of full life cycle cost, the advantages and disadvantages of the two will change with the frequency of use. If it is a low-frequency use scenario with a short average daily operation time, the initial procurement cost will account for a higher proportion, and the difference in full cycle cost between the two types of batteries is basically the same as the difference in initial cost. If it is a high-frequency use scenario with an average daily operation time of more than 6 hours, the shared cost of the battery will become the core, and the unit cost of lithium iron phosphate battery will be significantly lower.

Secondly, there is the difference in lifespan between the two types of batteries.

In terms of standard cycle life, under the test conditions of full discharge at room temperature, the number of cycles of lithium iron phosphate forklift batteries can usually reach 2000 to 3000 times, while the number of cycles of ternary lithium forklift batteries is mostly in the range of 1200 to 2000 times. From the standard data alone, the cycle life advantage of lithium iron phosphate batteries is obvious.

The service life in the actual scenario will change due to the influence of ambient temperature and operation intensity. In the northern region where the temperature is lower than 0 ° C for a long time in winter, if there is no supporting battery insulation facilities, the low temperature performance of the ternary lithium battery is better, the discharge efficiency is higher, and the attenuation rate is slower than that of the lithium iron phosphate battery in the low temperature environment. The actual service life gap between the two will be significantly narrowed. In the southern region where the temperature is higher than 35 ° C for a long time in summer, the thermal stability of the lithium iron phosphate battery is better, the attenuation rate is slower, and the advantage of the actual service life will be further expanded

Operators can choose the appropriate battery type based on their own operating scenarios and usage frequency to reduce overall operating expenses while meeting the needs of the operation.