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Yes, our batteries are CE and UN certified for safety. We only use Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) cells which are the latest and safest in cell technology. It is the cell of choice for aviation, automotive and motorsport purposes. 

Check out our blog about our extensive safety testing programmes

https://www.deadweightindustries.co.uk/blogs/news/light-and-strong-extreme-testing-conditions

1. the amount of modern electronics in the vehicle which contributes to parasitic drain
2. the frequency which the vehicle is driven 
3. usage of the vehicle; track vs street and lastly,
4. whether a remote disconnect is fitted or can be used

We strongly recommend that you test the alternator output of your vehicle prior to installing our lightweight lithium battery. A healthy alternator should be outputting between 13.8v to 14.4v, which is critical to ensuring Deadweight Industries lightweight lithium batteries are charged to an acceptable level.

Longer answer:

Lead acid batteries operate at 12.8v fully charged, so even a lazy / failing alternator can supply sufficient voltage to keep it charged up. Our lithium cells operate between 13.8v to 14.4v when fully charged, if the voltage drops below 12.8v, the battery will shortly go into protection. A failing alternator will either under-charge the Deadweight Industries battery, or worse still, not charge it at all. Be sure to check your alternator output before installation.

It depends on the car and the parasitic drain from electronics. A typical modern vehicle using Touge 500 can be left connected or 2 to 6 weeks. 

If your car will not be used for extended periods, it is advisable to disconnect the battery as this will stop the parasitic drain (from the alarm and other electronics). Our battery will happily sit for over 6 months with very little power drain. Our battery will happily sit for over 6 months with very little power drain. Sitting at partial charge will not cause any damage to the battery (unlike lead-acid batteries that need to be topped up). Reconnect and it will be ready for use.

As an indication, our BMW E46 M3 customers using the Touge 500, have reported that they can easily start the car after 4 weeks sitting during winter (3.2 litre straight 6).

Only use LiFePO4 compatible chargers. Incorrect charging could lead to damage to cells and increase the risk of fire. We have a 10A Rapid Charger available for purchase.

Short answer - No it’s not necessary.

Most people ask about maintenance chargers because they’re used to using lead-acid batteries. The chemical composition of lead-acid batteries means that they do NOT like to sit at partial charge. A couple of months on partial charge will result in irreversible damage. Lead-acid trickle chargers are therefore necessary to keep the battery topped up at all times.

Our LiFePO4 cells on the other hand, prefers to sit at partial charge rather than being completely full. It’s actually the happiest below 85% charge. Anything over that for extended periods adds undue stress to cells and can lead to premature wear. LiFePO4 chargers are therefore designed with these characteristics in mind - but keeping it always connected is quite unnecessary.

Also our batteries are smart batteries (unlike lead-acid batteries). It is managed by an onboard battery management system (BMS) which balances voltage between cells and provides protection from short-circuiting and over/undercharge. This makes our battery maintenance free. For example, it will shut down if over-drain is detected protecting it from damage. If this happens, all you need to do is plug it into a lithium battery charger - get a bit of juice back and good as new.

Your battery is a smart battery and is managed by an onboard Battery Management System (BMS). When over-drain is detected, the BMS will shut down battery cells. To reactivate the battery, connect it to one of our LiFePO4 chargers.

We recommended the use of our rapid charger where possible as it's optimised for our batteries. However jump start can be used on the Touge 500 and MAX if charger is unavailable. 

Bump-start

1. Yes all models

• Yes - Touge 500 and above
• No - Touge 200 - only use supplied charger
  

Our batteries use LiFePO4 cells from A123 Systems which are managed by an onboard battery management system (BMS). This is a smart system that balances voltage between cells and provides protection from short-circuiting and over/undercharge.

A popular weight reduction modification on the E46 M3 is to use Mini Cooper battery in place of the OEM battery. This is exactly what BMW did for the CSL before lithium battery tech became available. They used the battery from R53 Mini. This battery weighs 15.9kg (BMW part number 61218377139). Our Touge 500 battery weighs under 4kg.