Should have a title like beware of the LiFePO and lithium ion battery in your late model luxury automobile!
LiFePO Lithium Ion Battery.
Your newer modern high end luxury car has a weak point, called the lithium ion battery. Not in your electric car or not in your hybrid car only, in your conventional gas powered luxury automobile.
In this case, the luxury car is a Lamborghini Urus 2018, which is exactly the same car as the Porsche Cayenne GTS. This type of battery
is also in the new BMW as well.
Most people are not aware the fact their late model BMW, Porsche and other luxury cars equipped with a very expensive lithium ion battery.
Yes it’s lighter, yes it’s more powerful, yes it’s very – very expensive and inconvenient when it doesn’t work anymore.
Please let me explain: The fancy high tech battery has a thermal overload protection build in which is permanently sealed off to anyone. So if thing go wrong you will be on the hook for thousands of dollars in a hurry. No, you can’t convert it to traditional lead acid or AGM battery.
We just had a very expensive encounter with a late model Lamborghini Urus. It had the fancy LiFePO battery and wouldn’t start due to a dead LiFePO battery. The exact translation would be lithium ion sulfate battery. It retails at $5800.00 the battery that is only. Yes you red it right, it cost five thousand eight hundred Canadian dollar.
How this “marvel” of engineering does work and how could go bad in a 4 year old vehicle?
The vehicle had over one hundred thousand kilometers, so it was way out of warranty. This fancy batteries will “brick” themselves. Say install or make it part of the cable to arrest any voltage spikes prior to the battery if you so worried about over-voltage. Therefore the internal relay can be sealed internally and never need to be triggered unless it is charged or treated incorrectly outside of the vehicle by untrained personnel, or by the vehicle owner perhaps.
LiFePO Batteries Has An Internal Computer Built In
This batteries has an internal computer built in. It reports back to the vehicle energy management system. Therefore you can’t convert your vehicle to a conventional system, as it will not except anything else but a straight new replacement component.
LiFePO Lithium Ion Battery.
Click on the above thumbnails to view bigger photo.
The emergency relay can disconnect in 50 millisecond. If the battery voltage goes bellow 10 volt the system will disconnect and if you get lucky you may be able to resurrect it, but may require 20 hours of charging with a specific Li battery charger made by CTEK.
I’m not sure what is the main reason to go to extent of a poorly designed fancy battery like this, other than make sure the consumer will part with a bundle of money and the average garage will not be able help you whatsoever.
My question is: Why the manufacturer would not put a outboard voltage regulator before the battery pack? Say make it part of the cable assembly to arrest any voltage spikes coming at it prior so the fancy battery. The internal relay will only need to go into emergency disconnect if both regulators fail. The one in the alternator and one in line there after. This would just make proper sense.
This Technology Only Exist in High End Luxury Cars of Yet
This technology only exist in high end luxury cars, as Lamborghini, Porsche and some BMW of yet. Be assured, it will trickle down further on the “food chain” later.
Suffice to say, if you plucked down all that money to buy a new LiFePO battery, you potentially could buy a decent used car for it. Once you
buy a new LiFePO battery you will need to get the battery registered and programmed with the latest genuine software or it will not work at all.
BMW – Porsche – Mercedes Electrical System Testing
Additionally you better make sure your alternator is up to spec. Preferably with an oscilloscope to ensure your brand new pricey Li battery doesn’t get bricked again.
For your convenience we decided to do some research on the subject and even though it’s not recommended we took a dive into the said LiFePO battery pack to see what makes it work or not .
Any questions, how may we help? Call us with your question.
Telephone: 905.795.0419
Related:
Hybrid BMW Repair
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The Techmax team at the annual BMW training in Scottsdale.