Easy Transition From Lead-Acid to Lithium Batteries

Many people currently using lead-acid batteries in their solar system want to switch to lithium batteries for improved safety, longer lifespan, and a maintenance-free experience. However, conventional technical constraints — i.e., you can’t mix cells of different chemistries and ages — make the transition complex and costly.

Here's is Chris’ story:

The painful, no-win cycles of lead-acid battery refresh

Chris spent $5,000 to replace his lead-acid battery bank about 18 months ago. However, the batteries started deteriorating within a year due to poor configurations, and could no longer meet his power storage needs. The generator kicked in almost every night, and his fuel tab went through the roof. He was in a pickle.

He had two equally suboptimal options if he were to follow conventional wisdom (which says you can’t mix battery chemistries):

  • Sink another $5k into a new batch of lead-acid batteries and perpetuate the cycle of using expensive, high-maintenance, and short-lifespan chemistry.

  • Bite the bullet, upgrade to lithium batteries, and toss out the lead-acid ones, on which he just spent $5k. Ouch.

But Chris can have his cake and eat it, too, with our propriety software magic, which makes the old lead-acid batteries play nice with new lithium-ion ones.

A phased lithium battery upgrade to minimize wastage

Our propriety technology allows us to mix cells of different chemistries and ages, enabling a phased approach to transition from lead-acid batteries to lithium ones.

First, we combine Chris’ lead-acid batteries with a high-endurance lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack to increase the system’s storage capacity, meeting his power needs and extending the lifespan of the lead-acid batteries. The modular design means Chris can add battery capacity at any time to meet shifting requirements as he expands his ranch.

When the lead-acid batteries run their course, we replace them with a cold-tolerant lithium cobalt pack to add year-round resiliency and bring the solution to its ideal state.

Optimizing the total cost of ownership (TCO)

We don’t want to sell you things you don’t need. There’s no reason to toss out equipment that’s working just fine. However, it doesn’t mean putting up with subpar or temperamental battery solutions, sacrificing basic comforts, or wondering if you have enough power to get through the night. 

Our phased approach allows you to squeeze as much out of your existing lead-acid batteries to get your money’s worth while adding a modern battery solution to (1) boost power storage capacity and (2) transition to a lower-TCO and maintenance-free long-term solution.

If you’re sitting on a chunk of lead-acid batteries that are barely scraping by or have passed their prime — it’s time for an upgrade without unnecessary wastage.

About our battery solution

Our propriety technology allows us to mix battery cells of different chemistries and ages, making a phased transition and incremental upgrade possible to minimize waste and TCO.

We source high-quality cells and program the battery management system (BMS) to ensure safety and longevity. Our lithium cobalt batteries typically last around 5-7 years, while the custom-built lithium iron phosphate (LFP) ones may last 7-10 years (or more). 

The modular design will enable us to add battery capacity at any time. For example, we can replace the lead-acid bank with another lithium battery when it no longer meets performance requirements.

All our lithium batteries are maintenance-free. The BMS performs active cell balancing automatically, and the Bluetooth app allows you to check battery status (e.g., how full they are) for complete visibility and accurate decision-making. 

Ready for a hassle-free battery solution that actually works?

  • Lithium ones are safer and have a longer lifespan than lead-acid ones. Plus, they’re maintenance-free. We program the battery management system (BMS) to rebalance the cells automagically for optimal performance. Here’s a detailed comparison. 

  • We wonder about that, too! So we did a “per dollar per kWh per year” cost calculation to compare lead-acid with LFP batteries and proved the total cost of ownership (TCO) of LFP batteries is half that of lead-acid ones.

  • Welp, that’s our secret sauce! Our proprietary software gives us granular control over battery behaviors. We can also mix cells of different chemistries and ages to meet various operational requirements and reduce the total cost of a solution. Here’s a closer look.

  • Pretty much! Let’s just say we haven’t encountered a battery bank we can’t wrangle.