Ø Most used EV batteries are Li-Ion, except some odd ones, like Think City Zebra, which (as I read it) is a salt battery and needs some kind of heating before use.
Yes, of course.
Ø The trend for boats is to use LiFePO4. Is that for the safety of operation (no fires !), or for the charging/discharging benefits ? I guess both can be discharged 90%.
If you're a follower of trends, not sure why you are pursuing an E-boat…
I converted my boat to electric in 2003 and wanted to since 1998 or so.
There was nothing trendy about it. And at that time, while we had LiFePO4 and even Zinc-Air battery options, affordability dictated lead acid for E-boat conversions. And so, nearly everyone until maybe 2011 or so was using lead-acid. Around that time we started to hear of folks using packs made from cheap LiFePO4 from China. And that has continued to the present. If there is a trend, it is that since 2012, many folks have found it attractive to adapt used land-EV LiIon battery modules for their boats. It may not be a majority, but it certainly has gone from zero to some percentage, vs LiFePO4 which surely jumped out of the gate earlier.
As for safety, people have different levels of paranoia, perspective, risk tolerance and philosophy. I do not consider the marine environment I experience as any more risky than the under-car environment of my 2011 THINK in terms of likeliness of a cell to self-immolate. And so, I have used super-high quality American LiIon since 2012 or so on my boat as I do with my car. An advantage in safety is that these are in the original metal cases developed for these cells. Is there risk? Sure. Is it mitigated? Absolutely. Is there enough scare for folks to be steering away from LiIon to LiFePO4---sure, some exaggerate the risks and others listen---then they order low cost LiFePO4 from China and are happy.
As for charge/discharge %capacities and rates, I don't think it's a factor in folks' choices.
Not a trend follower…
-Myles
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