EarthX Lithium Battery Charging
EarthX lithium batteries can sit on the shelf for up to a year without the need to charge it due to the low self discharge rate which is about 2% a month, compared to a lead acid battery which is approximately 30% per month. (If you have the battery in a vehicle that has a constant draw, such as a Harley, and you don’t ride for a month, you will need to put the battery on a charger). After a long time of no use, it is wise to check the voltage and if it is less than 13.28V, you should charge it, especially before start attempt. Do not leave a battery, lead acid or lithium in a discharged state or the cells will be permanently damaged (anything below 13.28V is a discharged state). Charge immediately if this happens.
In the event you have to charge the battery, use a Lithium (LiFePO4) battery charger or if you use a lead acid charger, it must be:
- A smart lead-acid battery charger that is not older than 10 years old (as older chargers have crude voltage regulation)
- Does not charge above 14.6V.
- Will automatically turns off when the battery is fully charged (based on volts).
- Does not have a de-sulfate mode/deep conditioning mode/pulse mode (these can all mean the same thing, it just depends on your charger manufacturer the terminology they choose). Do not use any charger with voltage that pulses above 15V! This will damage the battery. If in doubt, consult the manual that comes with your charger.
For chargers with a maintenance mode, the maintenance mode voltage should be 13.3V – 13.9V. Please read the manual that comes with your charger.
IF YOUR BATTERY IS AT ZERO VOLTS:
EarthX lithium batteries have over discharge protection via an internal Battery Management System (BMS) to disconnect the battery from the active load (your vehicle) to protect the cells from damage when it is 95-98% drained. If you left your lights on, key on, have a faulty stator, or have a parasitic drain this can easily happen. When the battery is “disconnected”, there is no voltage at the battery terminal. Note, some volt-meters may read a small voltage. If you have an EarthX battery (2017+ model year), the over-discharge protection circuit will automatically reconnect when you remove the negative battery cable connected to the battery (referred to as BMS Reset). If below 10.5V, it is possible the battery (or cell) is damaged. Only use the EarthX approved Optimate charger to slowly recharge the battery from this over-discharged state. Do not force the battery to accept a charge as it can be dangerous and result in cell rupture, release of flammable vapors, smoke and or fire. If above 10.5V, proceed to step #1.
If you are unsure of the age of your battery, on the backside of the negative terminal is a letter and a number. If you have a #2, 3, 4, 5,or 6, you do not have the automatic reconnect feature. Go to step #2 below.
- Using a charger that is compatible with Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries, simply connect and charge it.
- If the number on the backside of the negative terminal is in the range of 2-6, remove the battery from the vehicle, connect your compatible charger, then put either a jump pack or another 12V charged battery in parallel with the EarthX battery so the charger will read it’s voltage and engage. This will reconnect the circuit inside. If you have a voltage reading of 0-10.5V after reconnecting the circuit, the battery might be permanently damaged and should not be charged. Once the charger sees voltage it begins to charge as normal. After 5-20 seconds you can remove the jump pack or jumper cables (being careful not to disconnect the charger). Recharging this battery from the depleted state can take from a couple hours to overnight.
- If the battery will not reset and charge after attempting either 1 or 2 above, you could have a damaged cell so do not continue to attempt to use or charge the battery. Do not attempt to charge a battery that is swollen in appearance. Do not attempt to jump start a battery that is swollen in appearance.
The table below shows a list of chargers that are safe to use (or not) with BMS reset (or not). This is not an all inclusive list. We recommend the Optimate lithium chargers, TM-291, TM-275 for the 13.2V batteries or the TM-281 for the 26.4V batteries as they are designed to charge, maintain, and reset your battery if needed and have been designed to work with the EarthX brand of batteries.
| Manufacturer | Model | Safe to use | BMS Reset | Suggested Use |
| ACI | 1206S60CC | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Adventure Power | 1000, 2000, 4000 models | Yes | No | Use as charger, maintainer, but will not reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| Battery Minder | Any model | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Black N Decker | Any models | No | No | Per the manufacturer, they state it is not safe to charge a lithium battery with any of their models |
| Christie | All Models | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| CTEC | Lithium US | Yes | Yes | Use as charger, maintainer and it will reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| CTEC | All lead acid charger models | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Deltran | Battery Tender Jr | Yes | No | Use as charger, maintainer, but will not reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| Deltran | Battery Tender (original or Plus) | Yes | No | Can be used for charging only. Maintenance voltage is too low. |
| Diehard | All Models | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Duraboost | Duraboost 750, 1000 | Yes | No | Can be used for charging. Can not find a maintenance voltage in manual so if it is less than 13.3V, too low. |
| Duracell | Duracell Ultra SLC10002 | Yes | No | Use as charger, maintainer, but will not reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| H-D (Harley Davidson) | Tender Jr | Yes | No | Use as charger, maintainer, but will not reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| Moose | Tender Jr | Yes | No | Use as charger, maintainer, but will not reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| MotoMaster 10/2A Automatic Charger | 10/2A Automatic | Yes | No | Use as charger, maintainer, but will not reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| Napa | All models | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| NOCO Genius | All Models except the lithium specific one | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Noco Genius Lithium | Noco Genius Lithium | Yes | No | Use as charger, maintainer, but will not reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| ODYSSEY | Ultimizer | Yes | No | Use as charger and maintainer |
| Optima | 400 or Digital 1200 | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Pulsetech | Xtreme XC100 | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Power Pulse | PP-12-L | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Schauer | Charge Master CM6A, CM12A | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Schauer | JAC0512,1212, 2512 | Yes | No | Use as charger, maintainer |
| Schumacher | Any lead acid model | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
|
TecMate/ Optimate |
Lithium TM-471, TM-290, TM-291, TM-271, TM-485 | Yes | Yes | Use as charger, maintainer and it will reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| TecMate/Optimate | All lead acid charger models | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Tenergy | 4cell LiFePO4 Smart Charger | Yes | Yes | Use as charger, maintainer and it will reset EarthX’s BMS over-discharge protection |
| Yuasa | Smart Shot 900 | Yes | No | Can be used for charging. Can not find a maintenance voltage in manual so if it is less than 13.8V, too low. |
| Yuasa | Smart Shot 1.5mA | No | No | Do not use, as full time de-sulfating mode will damage a lithium battery |
| Note: is not an all-inclusive list | ||||
As with any battery you are charging, follow these safety tips:
Safety Tips:
- Never leave the battery unattended when recharging it.
- When charging a battery, place it on a non-flammable, and remove any flammable items nearby.
- Unplug chargers always after the battery reaches full charge.
- Disconnect chargers from electrical outlets when these are not in use.
