Batteries are containers for storing electrical energy, just as a cup is a container for water. Due to different application scenarios, batteries can be categorized into three types, consumer batteries, electric vehicle batteries and energy storage batteries. From today’s topic, we focus on comparing lithium batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage batteries.

1. Different application subjects

It is not difficult to see from the name, lithium batteries for electric vehicles are mainly used in the field of electric vehicles, the main body of its application is the owner of the electric vehicle, which facilitates the driving of the car. For the storage battery, it is more commonly used in industrial, commercial and residential areas of a class of batteries, more common for people, it is convenient for industrial and commercial as well as private residential storage of electricity.

2. Different Battery Performance

Due to the weight of the electric vehicle itself, lithium batteries for electric vehicles require better performance than ordinary energy storage batteries. For example, the energy density is as high as possible to achieve a longer range, the power density is as high as possible to achieve faster battery charging, and the current when discharging should be higher to achieve a fast start of the vehicle system. For ordinary energy storage batteries, the requirements are much lower, there is no weight limit, may not need a very large capacity. In most cases, no high-power power tools to start, no need for a moment to discharge a large current.

3. Different service life

Electric vehicle lithium batteries work at higher voltages than storage batteries, high voltage will lead to the electrolyte inside the battery and its own structural interactions faster, bringing the degree of aging will deepen, the life expectancy will naturally be reduced. So compared to lithium batteries for electric vehicles, lithium batteries for energy storage will have a longer life. As the cycle life of lithium batteries for energy storage is several times that of lithium batteries for power, and can be charged and discharged more times, so that the life of its energy storage project is generally greater than 10 years, while the life of lithium batteries for electric vehicles is between 5 and 8 years.

4. Different input costs

Electric vehicle batteries have to compete with traditional fuel power sources. And energy storage batteries need to face is the peak frequency regulation technology cost competition. And because of the basic energy storage plant itself, the cost of energy storage batteries than lithium batteries for electric vehicles is lower.

5. Different conditions of use

(1) system requirements: the use of energy storage batteries require higher safety performance of the energy storage system, because they generally need to be longer life, need to be more reliable, while lithium batteries for electric vehicles pay more attention to the energy density, power density, and speed of the car.

(2) Measures required: the use of energy storage batteries, its system to prevent aging too fast, damage to increase, so it is necessary to overcharge, overdischarge short circuit protection. The lithium battery for electric vehicles is very different, it is more focused on its own energy efficiency and stability.

(3) Functional requirements: the use of energy storage batteries usually need to have more monitoring functions of its system to more security measures to ensure its stability and safety. The lithium battery in electric vehicles usually requires more monitoring and control functions, for example, calculating the remaining feasible mileage of the vehicle, the battery health status and the remaining power.