UK Distributor of Lithium Ion batteries and manufacturer of Lithium Ion battery packs
AceOn manufacture a variety of custom built lithium ion battery packs. The word lithium ion is also known as; lithium-ion and li-ion. AceOn are UK Li-Ion battery suppliers. Our team of engineers are experienced in lithium ion battery technology and can assist you in choosing the most suitable Lithium Ion battery cell for your application.
Our lithium ion battery pack manufacturing team can design and assemble prototypes, small production runs as well as large scale mass production.
AceOn predominantly build Lithium Ion 18650 battery packs, using well known 18650 Li-ion cell manufacturers such as Samsung, LG Chem, Panasonic and Sanyo. We can also build battery packs using Li-Ion Prismatic size batteries as well as Li-ion pouch cells. More recently we have been building 21700 li-ion battery packs.
It is very important to select a battery pack manufacturer that has expertise in the lithium chemistry because understanding your application requirements and manufacturing the battery management system is vital to being able to offer a safe solution.
AceOn can also offer UN38.3 lithium-ion battery testing at a fraction of the cost that is being charged by UK and European test houses. We already have a select number of li-ion battery packs that have UN38.3 transportation approval
Information on Lithium Ion Technology (Li-ion)
Lithium-ion is named for its active materials; the words are either written in full or shortened by their chemical symbols. A series of letters and numbers strung together can be hard to remember and even harder to pronounce, and battery chemistries are also identified in abbreviated letters.
For example, lithium cobalt oxide, one of the most common Li-ions, has the chemical symbols LiCoO2 and the abbreviation LCO. For reasons of simplicity, the short form Li-cobalt can also be used for this battery. Cobalt is the main active material that gives this battery character. Other Li-ion chemistries are given similar short-form names. This section lists six of the most common Li-ions. All readings are average estimates at time of writing.
Lithium Cobalt Oxide: LiCoO2 cathode (~60% Co), graphite anode
Short form: LCO or Li-cobalt.
Voltages: 3.60V nominal; typical operating range 3.0–4.2V/cell
Specific energy (capacity): 150–200Wh/kg. Specialty cells provide up to 240Wh/kg.
Charge (C-rate): 0.7–1C, charges to 4.20V (most cells); 3h charge typical. Charge current above 1C shortens battery life.
Discharge (C-rate): 1C; 2.50V cut off. Discharge current above 1C shortens battery life.
Cycle life: 500–1000, related to depth of discharge, load, temperature
Thermal runaway: 150°C (302°F). Full charge promotes thermal runaway
Applications Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, cameras
Comments Very high specific energy, limited specific power. Cobalt is expensive. Serves as Energy Cell. Market share has stabilized.
Lithium Manganese Oxide: LiMn2O4 cathode. graphite anode
Short form: LMO or Li-manganese (spinel structure)
Voltages 3.70V (3.80V) nominal; typical operating range 3.0–4.2V/cell
Specific energy (capacity)100–150Wh/kg
Charge (C-rate) 0.7–1C typical, 3C maximum, charges to 4.20V (most cells)
Discharge (C-rate) 1C; 10C possible with some cells, 30C pulse (5s), 2.50V cut-off
Cycle life 300–700 (related to depth of discharge, temperature)
Thermal runaway 250°C (482°F) typical. High charge promotes thermal runaway
Applications Power tools, medical devices, electric powertrains
CommentsHigh power but less capacity; safer than Li-cobalt; commonly mixed with NMC to improve performance.
Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide: LiNiMnCoO2. cathode, graphite anode
Short form: NMC (NCM, CMN, CNM, MNC, MCN similar with different metal combinations)
Voltages 3.60V, 3.70V nominal; typical operating range 3.0–4.2V/cell, or higher
Specific energy (capacity)150–220Wh/kg
Charge (C-rate) 0.7–1C, charges to 4.20V, some go to 4.30V; 3h charge typical. Charge current above 1C shortens battery life.
Discharge (C-rate) 1C; 2C possible on some cells; 2.50V cut-off
Cycle life 1000–2000 (related to depth of discharge, temperature)
Thermal runaway 210°C (410°F) typical. High charge promotes thermal runaway
Applications E-bikes, medical devices, EVs, industrial
Comments Provides high capacity and high power. Serves as Hybrid Cell. Favorite chemistry for many uses; market share is increasing.
Lithium Iron Phosphate: LiFePO4 cathode, graphite anode
Short form: LFP or Li-phosphate
Voltages 3.20, 3.30V nominal; typical operating range 2.5–3.65V/cell
Specific energy (capacity) 90–120Wh/kg
Charge (C-rate) 1C typical, charges to 3.65V; 3h charge time typical
Discharge (C-rate) 1C, 25C on some cells; 40A pulse (2s); 2.50V cut-off (lower that 2V causes damage)
Cycle life 1000–2000 (related to depth of discharge, temperature)
Thermal runaway 270°C (518°F) Very safe battery even if fully charged
Applications Portable and stationary needing high load currents and endurance
Comments Very flat voltage discharge curve but low capacity. One of safest
Li-ions. Used for special markets. Elevated self-discharge.
Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide: LiNiCoAlO2 cathode (~9% Co), graphite anode
Short form: NCA or Li-aluminum.
Voltages 3.60V nominal; typical operating range 3.0–4.2V/cell
Specific energy (capacity) 200-260Wh/kg; 300Wh/kg predictable
Charge (C-rate) 0.7C, charges to 4.20V (most cells), 3h charge typical, fast charge possible with some cells
Discharge (C-rate) 1C typical; 3.00V cut-off; high discharge rate shortens battery life
Cycle life 500 (related to depth of discharge, temperature)
Thermal runaway 150°C (302°F) typical, High charge promotes thermal runaway
Applications Medical devices, industrial, electric powertrain (Tesla)
Comments Shares similarities with Li-cobalt. Serves as Energy Cell.
Lithium Titanate: Can be lithium manganese oxide or NMC; Li4Ti5O12 (titanate) anode
Short form: LTO or Li-titanate
Voltages 2.40V nominal; typical operating range 1.8–2.85V/cell
Specific energy (capacity) 50–80Wh/kg
Charge (C-rate) 1C typical; 5C maximum, charges to 2.85V
Discharge (C-rate) 10C possible, 30C 5s pulse; 1.80V cut-off on LCO/LTO
Cycle life 3,000–7,000
Thermal runaway One of safest Li-ion batteries
Applications UPS, electric powertrain (Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Honda Fit EV),
solar-powered street lighting
Comments Long life, fast charge, wide temperature range but low specific energy and expensive. Among safest Li-ion batteries.
*All data courtesy of Battery University
Lithium Ion Battery Applications
AceOn have designed, assembled, and manufactured custom li-ion battery packs for a variety of different applications. Common applications are electric vehicles, energy storage, remote monitoring, medical, home electronics and portable electonic products