The diversity of forklift lithium battery cell designs, chemistries, and formats is one of the most notable features of the industrial lithium battery space and a key factor when selecting the best battery for a specific application. This article aims to provide an in-depth look at the makeup of lithium batteries to help you make an informed purchasing decision.

Lithium battery design: key technology areas

Electrolyte: Electrolyte plays a key role in transporting positive lithium ions in lithium batteries. High-quality electrolytes typically consist of lithium salts (such as LiPF6), organic solvents, and proprietary additives to ensure high stability, prevent dendrite formation, and solution degradation. Especially in applications with high energy density and high current discharge, the performance of the electrolyte is particularly important.

Cathode and anode materials: Cathode materials have undergone a transition from lithium cobalt oxide to iron (LFP), nickel, manganese and aluminum (NMC, NCA). These materials must be of high purity and contain virtually no impurities. The choice of anode and cathode materials has a direct impact on the battery's energy density, stability at pulse discharge rates, fast charging capability, and resistance to natural degradation.

Membrane technology: Ceramic coated separator is a key technology to improve high temperature performance and safety of batteries. The advanced lithium battery membrane has high thermal stability, high porosity and effective ionic conductivity, and is fully compatible with anode and cathode materials.

Lithium Battery Chemistry: Cathode Materials

The chemical composition of a lithium battery depends primarily on its cathode material. Common cathode materials include lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA). The performance of these materials directly affects the life and cost of the battery.

LFP: In material handling operations, LFP is considered the best choice due to its long life, low cost and excellent safety.

NMC: Offers higher energy density but generally costs more than LFP.

NCA: Similar or slightly worse performance than NMC, but more expensive.

Lithium battery formats: shapes and applications

The formats of lithium batteries mainly include cylindrical, square and soft-pack batteries.

Cylindrical batteries: Early mass production, widely used in power tools, automotive applications and electric bicycles.

Soft pack batteries: No rigid casing, used in consumer electronics such as smartphones, drones and laptops.

Prismatic batteries: offer high capacity and power, and are the preferred choice for electric vehicles and material handling equipment. The square-shaped battery can maximize the capacity of the battery pack while maintaining enough space for battery upgrades and other necessary components

The best choice for forklift batteries: Prismatic lithium batteries

For material handling equipment (MHE), lithium prismatic batteries are the best choice for the following reasons:

High capacity: Provides nominal capacity of hundreds of Ah, with the best ratio of power and energy per unit volume.

Space utilization: There is no gap between batteries, maximizing the battery pack capacity.

Robust contacts: safety factor in high vibration operations.

Flexible weight: The weight of the LIB battery pack is not a limitation on the range of the MHE, and the battery is usually designed as a counterweight.

In summary, when selecting a forklift lithium battery suitable for a specific application, multiple factors need to be considered, including electrolyte, cathode and anode materials, membrane technology, and battery format. Understanding how these factors affect battery performance and cost will help you make an informed decision.