could the lithium batteries used in EVs be used in place of lead/acid batteries in regular cars?

[80251]

Title says it all. The lithium batteries used in EVs seem to be much more reliable than the lead/acid batteries found in ICE vehicles. Do they have +12V lithium batteries that you could swap for a lead/acid battery? Or would the entire charging system have to be overhauled as well?

 

[USAFRet]

Title says it all. The lithium batteries used in EVs seem to be much more reliable than the lead/acid batteries found in ICE vehicles. Do they have +12V lithium batteries that you could swap for a lead/acid battery? Or would the entire charging system have to be overhauled as well?

There is a relatively new type of car battery that is replacing the old school lead acid.

AGM - Absorbed Glass-mat
https://www.interstatebatteries.com/blog/what-is-an-agm-battery-and-whats-the-big-deal

My Mini requires one.

 

[BFG-9000]

There are LiFePO4 starting batteries that are drop-in replacements for more common sizes of lead-acid batteries available right now if your car will never encounter freezing temperatures.

Charging a LiFePO4 battery at high speed in subfreezing temperatures will cause immediate damage. All EVs using such batteries have battery heaters and will not allow charging to begin until those batteries have warmed to ~40F. This is why you see all of those news reports of EVs "stranded" at the charger but apparently not charging--all of the charger current is redirected to the heaters and if they had waited long enough before calling the tow truck then charging would've begun.

Dropping a regular LiFePO4 battery into your alternator charged car means either the battery would be destroyed in freezing weather or the battery's BMS would disconnect itself if charging is attempted, which in a modern car would fry all of the car's electronics from voltage spikes (the battery is required to smooth the dirty output of the alternator).

Two battery technologies: Lithium titanate, commonly referred to as LTO (Lithium Titanate Oxide) and Sodium-ion can charge at lower temperatures without damage (to subfreezing -20C or -4F) but are currently about double the cost of present LiFePO4.

AGM lead-acid is not a direct interchange with flooded lead-acid because of different charging setpoints, and normally you have to "register" a AGM battery to the car if it didn't come with one, or do hardware mods. For example it's pretty popular to modify the voltage regulator on Toyota Truck alternators to allow this since AGM is nonspillable (which is why Amazon can ship those but not conventional flooded lead-acid)

 

[drivinfast247]

Title says it all. The lithium batteries used in EVs seem to be much more reliable than the lead/acid batteries found in ICE vehicles. Do they have +12V lithium batteries that you could swap for a lead/acid battery? Or would the entire charging system have to be overhauled as well?

There are plenty drop-in replacements already out there. Give google a try.

 

[80251]

So basically I can't use either AGM or lithium batteries unless the alternator is designed to work with them?
Is it possible to get aftermarket alternators that work w/AGM or lithium batteries?

 

[USAFRet]

So basically I can't use either AGM or lithium batteries unless the alternator is designed to work with them?
Is it possible to get aftermarket alternators that work w/AGM or lithium batteries?

Whats wrong with your existing battery, or a same-type replacement?