Can LiFePO4 be charged with a car charger?

What can and cannot be used to charge LiFePO4

Using a regular car charger for a lithium-iron-phosphate battery is a bad idea. The smallest risks are premature aging of the battery and a drop in its performance. The biggest are battery failure.

• The right option: charging with a special mode for LiFePO4

Today, the market offers car chargers that have a separate profile specifically for iron-phosphate batteries. Such devices should be used in conjunction with LiFePO4. They guarantee stable voltage and current throughout the process, automatically stop supplying energy when 100% charge is reached, and are often equipped with additional protection systems.

• When there is no special mode: acceptable parameters

If your charger does not have a profile for LiFePO4, you can theoretically get by with it provided that it meets the following requirements:

• provides an operating voltage of no higher than 14.6 V;
• allows you to disable the desulfation or equalization mode (or these functions are absent altogether);
• does not have a conditioning stage with a voltage of about 14 V before switching to maintenance mode;
• after charging the LiFePO4 battery, it is necessary to immediately disconnect it from the device.

The main recommendation: the safest thing is to use a charger that "understands" the specifics of LiFePO4. This will extend the life of the battery and protect against surprises.