Power Tech is a French company created in 2013. Its sales department and design office are located in the Paris region in Poissy. While this may seem anecdotal in a globalized world, it remains a guarantee of good, accessible and available after-sales service. Especially when we talk about products such as lithium batteries, all the components of which come from Asia.
Power Tech batteries are also from China, but with a design for the construction and the electronic management part (BMS) entirely made in France. This company has chosen the Lithium-Iron-Phosphate technology. This is opposed to the Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) technology.
NMC technology is the one used in electric vehicles or even in the batteries of our mobile devices. It is lighter (an advantage), but has the disadvantage of heating, sometimes with the risk of explosion.
The technology chosen by Power Tech, Lithium-Iron-Phosphate, is much more stable. Certainly heavier (between 10 and 20% more), it does not heat up and remains much more reliable. In addition, since there is no need for safety systems, such as insulating boxes or specific electronics, the difference in weight remains very small.
Today, Power Tech batteries are very easy to install. They replace an old lead-acid battery. Indeed, the BMS that controls the battery is fully integrated into it. Simply plug in your new battery instead of the old one.
Space and weight saving
But be careful, do not replace with a leaded park by a lithium park with the same amperage. Indeed, if a lead battery does not support more than 40% discharge (under penalty of damaging it), a lithium battery can almost empty completely. So. If you need 200 A on your boat, a single 100 A lithium battery will be enough to replace it.
In addition to the weight savings, it is also in terms of space that you will gain. For the same nominal capacity, lithium batteries are 30% smaller than the same lead batteries. But especially half as heavy!
Longer service life
For its lithium batteries, Power Tech announces 3000 charging and discharging cycles at 100% of the battery. But if we do not go down to more than 80% of discharge, we ensure 5000 cycles. In addition to this, at the end of these 5000 cycles, the battery will still provide 80% of its nominal capacity, but it will not be ruined... We consider that on a boat, a lithium battery can live well over 10 years without being changed.
An investment for the future
A lithium battery, on the other hand, is 2 to 3 times more expensive than a lead battery. But to compare prices, it is necessary to measure the expense over time and the safety it offers. Certainly a 12 V battery of 100 Ah Power Tech costs 1030 euros excluding VAT (it weighs only 11.5 kg!), but it will be functional for more than 10 years. In that time, how many lead-acid battery parks will you have changed? This is the choice made by Bastian Oger on the Mini Transat (740), carrying 2 batteries of 100 Ah and recharging his fleet only from his solar panels.
