Shorai battery install

0-60N4

0-60N4

Member
I've been running the Shorai lithium ion batteries on my motorcycles and my Buick Grand National for years. So when it became time to replace the battery in my Typhoon I installed one there also.

Huge weight savings and longer lasting. Cranking power is superb also.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_E2352.JPG
    IMG_E2352.JPG
    22.2 KB · Views: 36
  • IMG_E2353.JPG
    IMG_E2353.JPG
    18 KB · Views: 36
T

tomster

Member
The max capacity avail seems 36 Ah. Is that really enough to fire up the engine more than an couple of times?
Besides LiPos are said to be pretty crititical in terms of min charging current and max charging amperage.
One way the battery won't get charged and the other way overheating might be quite an issue.

Dunno if you heard about the Tesla crashing a tree & catching fire in Austria last year? After the car burnt down firefighters had to put it in a tank full of water for 3 days to cool the batteries, with the car being a pile of hazardous waste afterwards. Then again, it's just been a Tesla having to be written off. No biggie.
Call me oldschool, but I think LiPos and (vintage) cars just don't mix so... jm2c
 
P

Poconojoe

Donating Member
Tomster, there is a lot of misinformation in your post. There is no way the fire department had to submerge the car it water at all, much less 3 days. There are several good videos, of the 2 tesla fires in Astria, being put out. One in 2017 and one in 2019. In both cases the cars were cooled enough with water on the scene, to disable the batteries. In neither case did the car hit a tree, they both hit concrete barriers. As far as EV catching fire, they do it at a much lower rate, then petrol vehicles, in crashes. The issue is most fire departments are not equip to handle, these fires, so they need to flood the vehicle, with hundreds of gallons of water, to cool then batteries down.
 
T

tomster

Member
Sorry, but I couldn't find a news article on this specific incident in English in a hurry.
This one is from German finacial newspaper "Handelsblatt", sort of an equivalent to the Financial Times or the Wallstreet Journal:
www.handelsblatt.com

Elektroauto: Ausgebrannter Tesla in Österreich wird zum hochgefährlichen Sondermüll

Die 600 Kilo schwere Batterie wirft Fragen über die Wiederverwertung auf. Wissenschaftler und Juristen sind ratlos, wie sie mit Wracks wie diesem umgehen sollen.
www.handelsblatt.com www.handelsblatt.com

Er war Anfang Oktober auf der Landstraße zwischen Walchsee und Kössen in Tirol gegen einen Baum gefahren.

~Translation:
He hit a tree whilst on his way from Walchsee to Kössen in Tyrol beginning of October .

...
Die mehr als eine halbe Tonne schwere Batterie war schon für die örtliche Feuerwehr Kössen eine ungeahnte Herausforderung. Das Autowrack wurde von den Experten unter Wasser gesetzt und 72 Stunden lang gekühlt. Die Feuerwehr wollte so verhindern, dass die Batterie wieder Feuer fängt.

~Translation:
The battery, weighing more than half a ton, was an unexpected challenge for the firefighters of the city of Kössen. The car wreck has been submerged by experts for 72 hours for cooling reasons. That way the firefighters were trying to avoid the battery re-igniting."
Click to expand...

But here are other ones:
Tesla in Antwerp:
driving.ca

Motor Mouth: Tesla is (literally) going up in flames

Firefighters are submerging burning Teslas for up to a week to quell intractable fires
driving.ca driving.ca
BMW I8 in the Netherlands:
www.motor1.com

Smoking BMW i8 Dumped In Water By Firefighters

Smoke was coming off the BMW i8, so the dealer called firefighters. They used a crane to pick the car up and drop it in a giant vat of water.
www.motor1.com www.motor1.com

Here's a video, taken from the official Tesla website:
Listen what he says at around 12:00 mins...

I am not saying that a Shorai battery is as dangerous as a half-ton Tesla one, but a LiPo is a LiPo...
 
Last edited:
0-60N4

0-60N4

Member
It will charge fine from the alternator just like a normal battery. If I leave it parked for months at a time, I connect the shorai charger. Just saying don't use a standard batter charger or it could damage the battery.

This is the one I use on my Typhoon and Grand National.
Shorai LFX36L3-BS12 Extreme Rate Lithium Iron
speedway motorsports Odessey battery hold down, and Odessey SAE terminals with the Shorai terminal brackets work well together.
 
P

Poconojoe

Donating Member
Tomster there is at least 6 youtube videos, some with links to english news articles about the Astria Testa crashes. In the video you linked to, they even said they submerged the car as a precaution not as a necessity, big difference. To the OP, I'd convert to a DG44G alternator, which you can easily use a $15 PWM module to control the alternator output, so you don't over charge the battery.
 
T

tomster

Member
Thank you for you input! A PWM device would at least resolve the charging-while-driving issue. Charging in garage-only would not be a way to go for me.
Call it precaution or necessity, IMHO I wouldn't want to jeopardize my car's safety just save some pounds on battery weight.
To the OP, still nice proof-of-concept! Props!
 
0-60N4

0-60N4

Member
I've been using the Shorai for years and several of the NSX use them. Never had a charging problem with them. In my opinion, it's the way to go. Guess that's why I have 6 of them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top