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i think they are slowly migrating to the auto market to replace lead-acid. there is only a small moto version available but they have a newer one coming out soon for cars. looks promising, but expensive.

http://lithiumstart.com/products.htm

 
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That'd be sweet. Would certainly be lighter and safer to use.

 
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I honestly dont know if i'd pay $300 for a battery though....

 
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what if it lasted 15 yrs? eventually hybrids will be moving from NIMH to Lithium. Many DIY electric cars today already use it.

 
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I would pay that for a battery. Especially considering quality batteries already cost a lot anyways.

It essentially lasts the lifetime of the vehicle, holds a charge longer, is more environmentally friendly..

 
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300 BUCKS?!??!?!?!?

WTJASDKLFJASDFLKAJFLA????!!!!!!!!!!!


i can build that for 100.

it uses A123 lifepo4 chemistery.

i built a 6cell for my bike to reduce weight. its pretty simple.



but i guess it is still better than the $1200 porsche lithium battery

 
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link to porsche battery? how much does it weigh 2 lbs? lol

 
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Make a lithium battery DIY lol..

If you can really build one for $100 I would.

 
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im sorry, its NOT 1200...its $1700. bwahaha.

but its 13lbs vs the stock 35lbs.

http://www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=268406

the DIY is on my R1 forum. its the same concept but u add more batteries so u can increase the amps.

maybe to a 4 series and 4 parallel.

 
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back when i was in electronics, we used 12v wheel chair batteries. they were half the size of car batteries. could i use one in my car? or a motorbike battery? i'm not sure if the amp hours would hold a charge long enough over night though.

 
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smallest you could get away with in a car is the lawn/garden battery with 300cca that they sell at the auto store. anything less and you risk getting stranded. and i wouldnt recommend using it in the winter. even in the summer, it could put extra strain on the alternator to keep the car running. not a good idea.

 
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well im not a fan of being stranded, lol. so i guess i'll stay stock.

 
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with lithium bat, it provides less strain on the alt.

"On a conventional car battery only about 30 per cent of the total capacity is actually available for practical use due to the configuration of the system, while this restriction does not apply to the lithium-ion battery. On the contrary, through its characteristic structure – and, in particular, the independence of the chemical composition of the electrolytes from the charge status – a lithium-ion battery consistently offers almost 100 per cent of its capacity."

 
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@gearbox

oh yea, here is the link for the overpriced porsche batt

http://green.autoblog.com/2009/11/23...arter-battery/

 
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the only thing with lithium is you need a microprocessor to run it to its full potential. im guessing thats why the porsche battery costs so much. well i will just wait til it gets cheaper and other companies start making em. that price is way out of my budget but i would spend upto 500 for a good battery that will last 15-20 yrs.

 
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I noticed Braille has a good line of lithium products too...

 
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tons of who do it for their motorcycles including myself have never used microprocessors or anything.

however, we do have wires hooked up a certain way to monitor ALL the battery voltages. i also have a hobby balance charger to keep all cells exactly the same.

thats probably what the "microprocessors" do...is make sure they are balanced.

 
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I'd like more information on these when they're available!

 
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they've been available for a while...just the car community doesnt really pay attention to it because saving 20-30lbs isnt really significant and justifiable for spending hundreds.

however, even 10 lbs is significant on a motorcycle.

 
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Which would you recommend?

 
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i would recommend you stick with the basic lead-acid battery.

there is no need for a lithium battery in our civics. the technology is still way too expensive.

maybe in 5-10 years.

 
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grp51 lead acid battery isnt that heavy either, maybe 15-20 lbs. for now its the most cost effective.

 
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yes, the optima dry cell grp51 is a much better choice in regards to batteries for our cars.

one of the set backs of lithium batteries (one of many, lol) is that it doesnt work well 0 degrees C or below...

 
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but there are ways around that. ppl are just too lazy to implement it, or its expensive. technology really does move very slowly. seems like it started really fast, now in the past 5-10 yrs there hasnt been any major breakthru. its just small improvements.