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 before start attempt. Do not leave a battery, lead acid or lithium in a discharged state or the cells will be permanently damaged. Charge immediately if this happens.

In the event you have to charge the battery, use a Lithium (LiFePO4) battery charger or a lead-acid battery charger that does not charge above 14.6V, will automatically turns off when the battery is fully charged (based on volts) and 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. For example, the Battery Tender JR has a maintenance mode voltage of 13.3V which is compatible, whereas the original Battery Tender or Battery Tender Plus has a maintenance mode voltage of 13.2V which is too low for a lithium battery. Please read the manual that comes with your charger.

EarthX Lithium batteries have an internal Battery Management System (BMS) to disconnect the battery from the load (your vehicle) if the battery is drained too low. When the battery is “disconnected”, there is no voltage at the battery terminal. Note, some volt-meters may read a small voltage. The EarthX over-discharge protection circuit is automatically reset when a charging current/voltage is present at the battery terminals (referred to as BMS Reset). Or if you have an EarthX battery manufactured after 2017, simply disconnect the negative terminal from the vehicle and it will reset itself and then you put it on a charger. (On the backside of the negative terminal there is a letter and a number, if this number is a 7 or higher, you have this feature built in)

 If your battery reads near 0 volts, the over-discharge feature has been activated, thus your battery must be charged. If you left your lights on, key on, have a faulty stator, or have a parasitic drain this can easily happen.  Our BMS is designed to disconnect the flow of current in the event of over-discharge (internal disconnect switch is opened).  Many smart chargers will not attempt to charge a low voltage battery (below 9V).  If this happens, there are several ways to charge the battery.

1. The easiest way is if you have  a charger such as the  Optimate lithium charger or one that will engage even if the battery is in this protection mode. Simply connect the alligator clips first, plug in the charger next, and the save mode will come on and start charging it.
2. Another method is to connect your charger to the EarthX battery as normal, 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.  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.
3. 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.

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.