Navicom distributes in France the Minn Kota electric motors. These motors are mainly used by fishermen and run on batteries. To make the weight - power ratio profitable, Lithium batteries are recommended. To find the best and safest batteries, Navicom has turned to the LiFePo4 technology (lithium iron phosphate).
LiFePo4 has both advantages and disadvantages. Its main disadvantage is weight. A LiFePo4 battery weighs a little more than a Lithium Ion battery. It's not as good, but still 6 times lighter than a traditional lead-acid battery!
However, this technology offers several advantages. It accepts a large number of cycles (2500 cycles) and above all can be discharged up to 97% without loss of voltage (90% for a Lithium Ion battery). These batteries are not explosive and not flammable. This is a big plus for safety.
In order to meet the demand of its customers, Navicom offers these batteries in two formats: a suitcase format and a traditional format. In a suitcase, the battery is waterproof and can be taken anywhere, even on a kayak or a float tube. It has 2 plugs: one for the motor and a second one to power a depth sounder for example. In standard format (cube identical to traditional batteries), these batteries are delivered with a specific charger to avoid any recharging problems. Whatever the format, with equal power, the weights are identical.
Inside the batteries, the cells are assembled together using tinned copper bars and stainless steel screws. The wiring and the BMS are also crimped and screwed to limit the problems of soldering breakage due to the vibration of the boats, eliminating the risk of short-circuit.
In case, BSR batteries are available in 12 and 24 V and in 50 or 100 A. In standard format, Energy Research batteries are available in 12, 24 or 36 V and in 100 A. The Energy Research batteries also have an application to connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone and collect all the information to monitor its consumption.
