One of the world’s most prestigious automobile brands has just announced it will be offering a starter lithium-ion battery on several of it’s 2010 models. In the press release that cited the reasoning for the decision, Porsche reveled in the fact that they will be first car maker in the world to offer a starter battery in lithium-ion technology.
One of the main reasons for this move by Porsche is the weight, or lack thereof, that the lithium-ion battery features. Weighing less than 13 lbs, the new battery is more than 22 lbs lighter than a conventional 60 Ah lead battery. Aside from being lighter than it’s lead counterpart, there were several performance-related statistics mentioned by Porsche as deciding factors.
“Delivery of power by the lithium-ion battery throughout its useful charge range is likewise significantly better, providing its full power, for example, when starting the engine almost independently of the current charge level. Yet a further benefit is that a lithium-ion battery allows a significantly greater number of charging and discharging cycles, plus the two further advantages that the self-discharging effect is lower and the service life of the battery longer,” said Porsche. “The lithium-ion battery being introduced by Porsche as the pioneer in this area is made up of wound film of carbon and iron phosphate with a ceramic film moisturised by the electrolyte serving as a separating layer in between. Compared with other types of lithium-ion batteries using a combination of manganese oxide, cobalt oxide or nickel, this lithium-iron-phosphate battery, as it is called, offers advantages when used as a starter battery. It is robust and consistently guarantees the usual voltage of 12 V in the car’s on-board network.”
The lithium-ion battery will be made available for the 911 GT3, 911 GT 3 RS, and Boxster Spyder models beginning in January, 2010