Battery power

[nelmo]

Does anyone know anything about Lithium batteries?

Doing some research and they look great (apart from the huge price) but there are very few for sale for cars - Halfords only do motorbike ones (and that's £200!!) and the only car ones seem to be from China?

Also, I have seen one blog entry (from a Japanese car mechanic!) who says they do not take well to heat, so very bad for my kit, which gets darn hot under the bonnet. But I've not seen anywhere else mention this as a disadvantage?

I thought I'd seen someone on here had installed one but maybe I'm confused...

[IanS]

Lithium batteries are light.

They are used in mobile phones and laptops because they are light.

They are used in most if not all electric cars.

They do not like being allowed to go completely flat or being overcharged and so require proper management systems.

They are subject to thermal runaway if required to provide large currents when hot. i.e. they burst into flames, think early boeing 787 battery fires. Once on fire the fire is very hard to extinguish, water makes it worse.

I think that sums up what I know

[theduck]

Personally, unless I was confident in the installation being suitable for lithium, I wouldn’t use one in a kit. 

[sylvia.fry2]

Could always retro-fit a starting handle --- hands up those that know of & used one. 

[IanS]

These days bikes do not even have a kick start.

Hand brake on, chock wheels.

ignition on and at full retard

Hand throttle 4 notches open.

insert starting handle checking that thumbs go round handle the same way as fingers ( in case of kickback)

feel for start of compression and heave engine over.... rumble..rumble...rumble...

Do I remember it right?

[IanS]

Forgot check gear selection is neutral.

I must be getting old. Last car I owned with a starting handle was a morris 1000.

[sylvia.fry2]

A30 for me -- if unable to get it to fire on handle 2nd choice was the slight hill (slope) I lived on --- only trouble was pushing the car away from the kerb & trapping left foot under rear wheel.