Lithium -- for household batteries?

Any discussion of single-use lithium vs alkaline battery longevity really needs to take into account the very different properties of both the battery chemistries, and the very many devices that they can power. Different cases get very different results. For an extreme case from my own personal experience, my first digital camera could get only about 20 shots from a fresh alkaline, but over 250 shots from an Energizer lithium (back before they put 'Ultimate' in the name). But some other devices derive only slight improvements, no-where near covering the greater cost.

Compared to alkaline cells, primary lithium cells (lithium iron disulfide (LiFeS2), e.g. Energizer Ultimate Lithium):
(*) start at a slightly higher voltage;
(*) stay much closer to their initial voltage over their useful operating life;
(*) have lower internal resistance;
(*) work to colder temperatures.

Alkaline cell voltages start at 1.6V, then gradually fall considerably through their operating life, until no longer meeting the device's needs. "Empty" means very different levels for different devices. In my work life, some of our devices could still start up with batteries as low as 0.9V, and continue working down to 0.7V. Our testing found that the greatest part of their capacity life was in the 1.3-1.2V range.

But for various devices, minimum battery voltage varies considerably, and most cannot operate on as low a voltage as ours did, so must replace batteries at a higher voltage. Their users end up discarding very significant amounts of energy that they cannot access, but some other devices can. Numerous devices can use only half, or less, of an alkaline's true capacity.

Lithium cells keep a higher, more stable voltage until much closer to being truly "empty", then their voltage nearly falls off a steep cliff. When one device can no longer use it, other devices that work to lower voltages won't find much leftover energy to harvest. No-one ends up throwing out as much remaining but inaccessible-from-their-device energy as they do with alkalines.

Lithiums have lower internal resistance, so work well with high drain loads. That first digital camera of mine was a bursty high drain load, pulling a lot of current to take and store a picture, so alkalines failed quickly, but lithiums held up to it.

But (at least back then), lithiums didn't have more amp-hours or all that much more energy than alkalines. Thus, certain devices with light loads, low cutoff voltages, and friendly indoor temperatures, could last almost as long on alkalines. The considerable cost premium of lithiums didn't justify the very slightly longer life.

And some devices simply cannot tolerate the higher initial voltage of lithiums. A few others also require the higher internal resistance of alkalines.

When I have more time, I should pull together some graphs from the technical applications guides to highlight the differences. But that will take more editing time, and some refresher work on the most current products, as performance has likely continued improving since I left that industry.

So when comparing lithium vs alkaline longevity, the answer is "It depends!"

 

There are at least 3 different chemistries now for primary lithium batteries. Where they are packed in same format, mistakes can be made.

The point just above that dead batteries mean different things in different devices is also salient.

(cheap) Digital power supplies can now convert a range of input voltages to device requirement at high efficiency. I suppose they should be included in all but bottom tier battery devices. Then you just put in whatever fits (cathode end has a slidey thing to accommodate different lengths) , and when battery poops out, it is well and truly empty.

 

Then there are rechargeable lithiums available in standard formats than are charged through a USB cable.

 

Yes this increases the input voltage range that would be seen by a 'use any battery' device. I wonder if anyone is actually working on such?

 

More versatility in battery design:

Highest voltage from a potato battery | Guinness World Records

 

I should have been more clear on this. For just 3 'common' chemistries, try this:


Putting the last version in a slot for a regular alkaline may be fatal to many devices. (Li-thionyl-chloride is actually intended for low current use, having high internal resistance, but may still deliver damaging currents.)

Energizer Ultimate Lithium is the first version, and will work in very many kinds of devices built for alkaline, but not all. As previously mentioned, I did kill one expensive device with them.

For lots more than just three common chemistries, a couple dozen, see here. Initial open circuit voltages range from 1.8 to 3.95V.

In my professional work, we were using (analog) SMPS (switch mode power supplies) to deliver a more constant voltage output, also higher than the battery input. And providing multiple output voltages to different circuits within the products. These were scavenging almost all the energy from the battery, down to 0.7V. But between the era, and the push to save centi-yuan over tens of millions of units, I was using converters built only for alkaline batteries.

The subsequent decade and more of innovations and cost reductions should have produced very cost effective converter chips, operating from any common battery voltage, including higher voltage lithiums. And hopefully halting in an effectively open-circuit state at some previously defined end-of-life low voltage, rather than continuing to draw current (e.g. low resistance of an incandescent flashlight bulb, or stuck-on transistor in a SPMS). This continued current draw, after useful operation has ceased, is what causes most alkaline battery leaks.

This sort of battery flexibility ought to be built into most battery powered devices, but the push to shave milli-bucks often interferes with such goals.

 

Just took another look over at Amazon, and it seems these common format Li-ion cells are designed to have 1.5V output. In theory they shouldn't cause problems or damage, but if Li-Fe-S can cause problems, these might too.

They are available like NiMH since I last searched, with separate charger from the cells. Though this seller claims only use their cells and charger together.

These type were what I first found. They plug directly into any USB phone charger.

I was looking for rechargeables for the Maglights, and it now seems NiMH cells in the C and D size are now readily available.

 

I also put the Energizer Lithiums in my outdoor weather station. The company recommended them because, as was mentioned, they do much better in the cold. The station has been transmitting data to my tabletop receiver display for two years now without issue.

 

I've given up buying / using devices that use alkaline standard sized batteries.
Devices that use 18650 cells are plentiful and can be inexpensive.

If I still used those old AAA AA C D cell devices I'd try a 2 or 4 pack of Lithium non rechargeables,

In the past I've gone the Nimh rechargeables like @PriusCamper and although I liked them well enough as compared to alkaline, he is correct that they were a lot more expensive than just throwing away spent alkaline.
I've gone with lithium rechargeables because rechargeables may cost more per cell
and the charger expense adds $ too, but you do not have to buy new every time the charge gets low.

 

That's true, but there are times when and where recharging is not possible. At least for things that are used very seldom and tend to be stored for a long time between use, and the item that is needed in emergencies such as during power outages under inclement weather and car break down, I tend to keep fresh unused alkaline batteries. Devices like flashlights, emergency light flashers, transistor radios, special NOAA weather radios, weather report clocks are examples.

 

"centi-yuan"

 

"Devices that use 18650 cells" @vvillovv

Like Tesla cars

Seriously, 18650 cells are all over the dang place here. Many manufacturers, or all least many different labellings. Claimed capacity varies a lot, and actual capacity varies even more.

 

A decade back, after a bunch of lab testing, I settled on pre-charged / rechargeable Sanyo Eneloops, low self-discharge NiMH products, as best fitting a certain product proposal assigned to me. That and many other proposals died when nearly all resources were pulled away and put into a single big basket, which did achieve market success.

I was able to convert my office stash of tested batteries and other goodies into my own personal supply, and am still getting good use from those Eneloops at home. Though Sanyo was later acquired by Panasonic, so Eneloops now carry the Panasonic name. And many others have jumped into this market segment, so I don't know who is best now. Some independent tests suggest that others have pulled ahead in performance.

 

This is what Energizer says about their MAX batteries on Amazon:

"Energizer MAX AA batteries are designed to protect your devices against damaging leaks for up to 2 years after fully used."

"These Energizer AA batteries hold power for up to 10 years in storage."

 

@tochatihu I started with a Trustfire 3 "cree XML T6" LED flashlight 10 or 12 years ago. Trustfire now uses XML2 LEDs in that model, and although the lumens rating is still the same at 3200 Lumens I'm not sure it's as bright as the older one. The driver board between the 18650 batteries and the LED's powers the LED's differently as far as I'm aware.
I now have lithium power tools I use almost daily and a slue of one battery cree LED flashlighs and one 4 battery in paralell 12 LED inspectors (as I call it) flashlight.
Some 18650 are better than others. There's a lot of junk on the market with youtubes explaining how some of the impostors are built. Getting a normal cell weight to compare is one good way to judge a decent 18650. unless the battery was built with sand ballast inside the case to bring the cells weight up.

Learning about the chemistry's is a never ending task, but the ole 18650 is and probably will be around for a while, at least if and until solid state or Tesla's newest Lithium 4680's start making it into the consumer marketplace.

@fuzzy1 I still have quite a few Nimh batteries too. The ones I have were made by panasonic for an OEM, but the OEM discontinued use and support of what I've got. And I could use some new ones to keep my old tech viable for a few more years. Instead I've been following the Lithium conversion field to replace my aging Nimh collection. Panasonic s' custom made Nimh battery pack dept replied to my inquiry with "we do not make those. please contact the OEM for replacements. Right .....

edit: One thing I like about Toyota is that they still use and support the Nimh batteries they've been using for 20 years now,

 

@Salamander_King The exact same thing can be done with 18650 batteries and if in a car there are chargers that connect to the 12v outlet. So you can recharge the low batteries while using the charged batteries. That is if the 12v is charged sufficiently. Easier to find 18650's now in retail stores to, as opposed to having to order them online like in the past.

edit: of course most battery power tools use 18650 packs. And a couple of Milwaukee Red Lithium HD pack are now using the 2170 cells like are the Model 3's Milwaukee says their new tools are equivalent to or surpass 120v 15 amp tools of old.

 

How long would a charged 18650 battery last in storage? And as you said, What if the 12v battery is dead? I have plenty of (about 3 dozen) loose 18650s I keep using in flashlights and portable lights we frequently use, but I still keep fresh unopened alkaline batteries in a drawer and glove compartment in a car just in case. From my experience, brand new alkaline batteries do hold a full charge much longer than fully charged 18650 in storage.

 

"Some 18650 are better than others. There's a lot of junk on the market..." Oh yeah. How does 35 grams for a 18650 claiming 3000mAh sound? It is one of my nicely working ones. No point in mentioning 'brand name' because those are just wrappers that 'anybody' buys and shrinks over their cells, right?

 

I like his review video on this topic.

 

18650 loss on storage - spoz to be good that way, so I read. Have more experience with non-rechargeable LiSOCl2 batteries, that are excellent that way. They passivate one of their electrodes - I forgot which one - when I wake them up under few-mA load, you have (imagine seeing ) that pass burn off as their voltage climbs back to normal.