Shorai

Shorai Lithium - Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) starter powersports batteries

Currently, in the Word of batteries, there is a clear trend towards lithium technology. Technology which is more efficient, lighter, higher performance and last but not least much more environmentally friendly. Lithium Iron Phosphate is a special kind of lithium battery that addresses the 4 major issues with current lithium technologies: Safety, Life, Power, and Environmental Friendliness. This type of batteries have a very high energy density, which means using lead-acid technology, it takes 6 kilograms to store the same amount of energy that a 1 kilogram lithium-iron battery can handle. That's a huge diference. That is a reason Lithium batteries are incredibly popular these days.

Shorai introduction

Shorai LFX™ was founded in 2010 and based in Sunnyvale, California USA. Shorai Inc. has quickly become the world’s principal producer of prismatic cell, lithium iron phosphate power sports batteries. Shorai is leading the market’s conversion from traditional lead-acid batteries to lighter, more efficient and higher performance lithium starter batteries.

Shorai LFX™ prismatic cells (chemistry LiFePO4)

Shorai LFX ™ batteries contain Shorai-proprietary eXtreme-Rate Lithium Iron prismatic cells (chemistry LiFePO4). Shorai LFX contain no poisonous lead, no dangerous acid, and do not create explosive gasses during charge, as traditional Lead-Acid batteries do. Compared to lead-acid, Shorai LFX lithium are also extremely light, have much lower self-discharge rate, do not sulfate (i.e. do not degrade while sitting unattended) and are environmentally friendly. Shorai LFX have been used in some of the most extreme high-current projects in the world, including autonomous aircraft, boats, and submarines, electromagnetic rail gun research, and more. In short, LFX have been designed from the “ground up’ to be a powersports starter battery with long lifespan and high performance, under a wide range of temperatures.

Every Shorai LFX is built in ISO 9000:2008 certified factory. There is an individual cell quality control being done and matching over a six-week period, for every produced cell. This test period is two to four times longer than typical and is expensive, but it is worth it, in terms of product quality in the long run.

Crankning the vehicle

Lithium do increase in resistance more as temperature drops, compared to lead-acid. However, they also react to cranking under cold conditions in a much better way. Lead-acid will increase resistance on each subsequent cranking attempt, until it won’t turn over. If your LFX fails to start the engine on first crank, that first crank has warmed the battery, and the second attempt will be much stronger, and so on until you get a good start.

Shorai LFX are much better in cold-weather conditions than other-brand lithium starter batteries, due to its eXtreme-rate formulation with low resistance. Down to about -7°C most users find that they can start normally on first crank. If your headlight comes on at key-ON, it is good for the batteries to flow some current before cranking in cold weather. The suggested headlight-on time before cranking depends on the temperature. If starting at 5°C, 30 seconds will help wake the battery and increase cranking performance. If at -17°C, leave the lights on for 4~5 minutes before cranking. The result will be a better first crank, and longer battery life. Any other accessories that can be turned on before cranking can also be used for this purpose, such as heated gear, radio, etc...

Charging

Regular Lead-Acid battery chargers can be used, however you may not use a charger/tender if it has an automatic "desulfation mode", which cannot be turned off. This is due to the maximum charging voltage 14,8V which Shorai LFX battery can tolerate. But the best possible charger/tender for Shorai LFX is the Shorai Battery Charger BMS01 (with Battery Management System). It is specifically designed to charge, store, maintain, balance and diagnose Shorai’s LFX™ batteries. It also provides super fast battery charging. Shorai LFX™ batteries have the same charge requirements as AGM lead-acid batteries and all modern vehicle charging systems work with Shorai LFX™ batteries.

Competitors:

While there are other companies now offering Lithium-Iron based powersports batteries, all except Shorai use cylindrical cells originally made for power tool applications. Such cells are inferior to Shorai Prismatic LFX, for several reasons.

* First, the cylindrical cells come only in one size, so that the possible shapes and sizes of the starter batteries they make are very limited. As such, battery fit into many vehicles may be poor, or impossible as they are too wide, or too tall. LFX prismatic cells, on the other hand, are rectangular packages which we can freely design and size according to the size requirements of the battery case. As such, Shorai LFX offer perfect drop-in fit in many vehicles and if the LFX is slightly smaller in one dimension - high-density, adhesive-backed foam shims are included in the package. These can be applied to the battery box in a few minutes, to insure a perfect “as original” fit.
While power-tool cells may crank a vehicle successfully, they were not originally intended for the high current discharges in starter systems. As a result, cranking performance suffers compared to Shorai LFX, and the batteries will wear out more per every start. By contrast, Shorai LFX are the result of years of research and development, and are designed and produced tightly controlled factory.

What are the main advantages of Shorai LFX™

Shorai LFX™ batteries are 80 % lighter than their lead acid equivalents. This saves an average of 1-1,5 kg for dirt bikes, 3-4 kg for street bikes, 5-10 kg for touring and cruiser bikes and 10kg and more for automobile applications.
Shorai LFX™ batteries provide 20% faster cracking. Shorai LFX™ batteries operate at a higher voltage range and during cranking, maintain a higher voltage level which results in quicker start times.
Shorai LFX™ batteries provide up to 4 times longer lifespan.
Shorai LFX™ batteries do not sulfate while sitting. Shorai LFX™ batteries do not suffer the chemical degradation that is common with lead acid batteries.
Holds unloaded charge for one year without maintenance. This is due to its very low self-discharge rate. That means you dont need to take care about the battery in your bike during the winter season, for example.
Shorai LFX™ batteries come in a variety of case shapes and sizes, capacity options and right/left polarity options, for the best possible fitment. Shorai makes nearly two dozen battery options designed to fit market needs for street, dirt, touring and cruiser motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, personal watercraft, riding lawnmowers and utility vehicles.
Shorai LFX™ batteries are designed to maximize ease of installation, allowing customers to self-install.
Shorai LFX™ batteries set the industry standard for lithium power sports batteries with a three year pro-rated warranty.
Shorai LFX™ batteries are environmentally friendly product. There is no lead, no acid, no explosive gasses during charge.
Japanese engineering
Excellent CCA values

Cold cranking amperes (CCA) is the amount of current a battery can provide at −18 °C. The rating is defined as the current a lead-acid battery at that temperature can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain at least 7.2 volts for a 12-volt battery. It is far more demanding test than those at higher temperatures. This is the most widely used cranking measurement for comparison purposes. LFX are CCA rated to deliver 9V for a 5 second crank at the CCA rated current. In fact, average voltage delivered will be even higher during a 30-second crank. LFX deliver up to two volts more than an equivalent-CCA-rated lead acid battery. This means that you can multiply the LFX CCA rating by 1.5x to compare to a Lead Acid battery CCA. For example, Shorai 270A CCA LFX18 series provides about the same cranking voltage as a 405A-CCA-rated lead acid battery.

Disadvantages

Shorai LFX batteries are more expensive compared to lead-acid. This argument is on the other hand compensated by its longer lifespan. Shorai`s research indicates an average of about 2,5 to 3 years lifespan for lead-acid. Under the same average usage conditions, Shorai LFX is expected to last roughly double which is 5 to 6 years. Under ideal usage and storage conditions, 8 to 10 years is expected to be achievable. Due to their lack of sulfation and slow-self discharge, Shorai LFX increase battery life most for users who sometimes store their vehicles for weeks or months at a time, and don't want to or can't use a battery tender.
Lower resistence against high voltage, which is common for lead-acid batteries too, but they can resists the high voltage longer. Charging voltage must not exceed 14,8V. Standard voltage your vehicle provides is up to 14,4V. It is important to verify the charging system output of the vehicle is in between 13.6 - 14.4V at ~2000rpm.

Which type of Shorai LFX battery is suitable for my vehicle?

There is a searching tool at www.shoraipower.euYou can just enter the vehicle type, its brand, year and model and it will give you the right battery. If you are given 2 types as searching result, you can decide between 2 capacities, depending on conditions the battery is going to be used (if all-year long – meaning during the winters too, then it is better to go for the stronger model).

If you cannot find your vehicle, please feel free to contact us at info@vpmtech.cz.

If you would like to order Shorai battery to your vehicle, please go to www.shoraipower.eu.