Lead Acid vs Lithium

Lithium batteries have become a very popular battery technology, but do the benefits they offer always justify their higher price tag or make them the only viable option? As a battery manufacturer, who offers both lead-acid (AGM) and lithium products, OPTIMA is in a unique position to give a perspective you generally won't find with brands that don't manufacture the products they sell or only have one technology to offer their customers.

Lithium Benefits
Lithium battery technology can offer clear benefits in terms of lighter weight, greater capacity, superior cycle life and charge acceptance, when compared to AGM or flooded lead-acid battery technology, but that typically comes at a significantly higher price point. Those benefits can also vary, based on the lithium battery brand you choose. For instance, many Group 31 lithium marine batteries are rated at 100Ah, whereas OPTIMA's Group 31 AGM batteries are only rated at 75Ah. That's a 33% increase in rated capacity without even taking into consideration the efficiency at which lithium batteries can deliver and accept energy.

However, not all lithium brands are created equally, as evidenced by OPTIMA's Q31M-DP120, which is rated at 120Ah and OPTIMA's Q31M-DC150, which is rated at 150Ah. The rated capacity of those OPTIMA lithium batteries is 60% and 100% more than OPTIMA's Group 31 AGM battery, but also up to 50% more than many other lithium brands.

OPTIMA's motorcycle and automotive lithium batteries also offer our CPR feature, which automatically turns the battery off to hold enough power in reserve to start your engine one more time, which is not a feature found in every lithium battery and even harder to find in lead acid batteries. Those batteries also come with OPTIMA's POWERLINK connection, which allows you to remotely access the battery for charging and checking state of charge, if the battery is buried underneath a seat or other hard-to-reach locations. OPTIMA's lithium marine and RV batteries also have NMEA 2000 and Bluetooth connectivity, which gives you access to important battery data on your phone or modern marine displays.

The cycle life of lithium batteries can also be far superior to AGM batteries, which is impressive, considering OPTIMA AGM batteries can already last up to three times longer flooded lead-acid batteries. Thousands of cycles over the life of a battery can be invaluable to someone who uses a lot of their battery's capacity or uses it often, whether that's on a commuter motorcycle, charter fishing boat or someone who lives in an RV or boat. 

AGM Lead-Acid Benefits
While there is no denying the many performance benefits of lithium batteries, they all come at a significantly higher price point, at least from reputable lithium brands. While AGM batteries cost more than flooded lead-acid batteries, they are typically significantly less expensive than their lithium counterparts. They also offer far superior performance, lifespan and vibration resistance over their flooded counterparts.

To suggest AGM batteries would in any way be a good "compromise" between flooded lead acid and lithium batteries would really be selling lithium batteries short. In many applications, AGM batteries can really be an ideal solution, sometimes offering unrivaled performance and lifespan over the life of the battery. We refer to OPTIMA Batteries as the Ultimate Power Source, because they are exactly that and it's hard to argue with customers who tell us about their OPTIMA AGM Batteries providing reliable service for decades in a wide variety of applications. 

Flooded Lead-Acid Benefits
Just as we see undeniable benefits with lithium and AGM batteries, the same is true for flooded batteries. They are typically the least expensive option of the three technologies, which makes them a great choice for a budget-conscious consumer or budget application. Even we can acknowledge it may not make sense to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on batteries for a car, truck, boat or RV that either isn't worth as much as the batteries you are buying or will be going to a new owner in the near future.

Conclusion
As we mention in the video, if all you are selling is hammers, everything looks like a nail. As a brand and manufacturer of batteries, we know there are many different uses for all types of batteries, so we couldn't in good conscience advise you to always pick the most expensive option. We can also acknowledge there are some instances, where a consumer's best option isn't one we offer, like a flooded lead-acid battery. While we certainly want your business, we don't want it before you need to give to us. When you do trust us with your business, we want your OPTIMA ownership experience to be the best it can possibly be.

We can tell you the best thing you can do to maximize the ownership experience of any battery you choose, whether it is a flooded or AGM battery or lithium battery, is to maintain proper voltage in that battery whenever possible. Regular use of a quality battery charger or maintainer will go a long way toward maximizing the performance and lifespan of your battery!