Question:
What is the life expectancy of an APC Lithium Ion battery?
Product:
APC units global offer
Environment:
APC units with Lithium Ion batteries
Answer:
Generally, APC Lithium Ion batteries is designed to last for 10 years. This like any VRLA would be affected with the environment it is placed in however, it is noted that Lithium Ion batteries are more resilient in terms of its operating environment and number of discharge cycles.
This is discussed also in depth on whitepaper 266. The said document is also attached within this kbase as an additional reference.
How long a battery lasts before you need to replace it is what really matters when it comes to battery lifetime. However, it’s important to understand the different metrics suppliers use to measure lifetime. Of particular importance is service life. This is the estimated time a battery will last before it reaches 80% of its energy capacity, the common definition of end of life for batteries. Service life assumes the battery is operating under “real world” conditions for a stated application and is therefore highly variable. In contrast, calendar life is the estimated time a battery will last if it were to remain trickle charged for its entire life with no power outages at a specified temperature, usually 25°C (77°F). VRLA batteries have a service life in the range of 3-6 years whereas li-ion batteries can have a service life upwards of 10 years (estimated using accelerated life testing). Note that it will be several years before data on actual service life becomes available for newer li-ion batteries, however, some liion batteries offer warranties in the 10 year range as a hedge against the lack of service data.
Both lead acid and lithium-ion batteries will see a degradation in calendar life and cycle life as the temperature rises. However, in general, li-ion service life is less affected by higher temperatures than lead acid. Many of the li-ion batteries being used in UPSs are designed for higher average temperatures (e.g., 40°C/104°F) and are capable of reaching the specified service life at those higher temperatures.
The above information is applicable as long as the UPS that are using them are installed in the environment that is within the parameters of the unit specifications. Please note our UPS units is meant to be used indoors for IT equipment. If you plan to use a UPS for an application away from this or if you are planning to put this UPS in a place away from the recommended parameters of the UPS, please do consult us at 1-800-800-4272 or chat with us for us to help you size a good solution and/or give you proper advice.
Released for:APC USA
