Are lithium battery chargers and lead-acid chargers universal?

Lithium battery chargers and lead-acid chargers cannot be used interchangeably.

Lithium batteries and lead-acid batteries have significant differences in charging methods and voltage levels, so their chargers cannot be universal.Lithium battery chargers usually have high control precision and are capable of constant current and constant voltage charging, while lead-acid battery chargers are relatively simple and do not require high charging circuits.Lithium battery chargers require protection circuits to prevent unsafe conditions such as overcharge and over-discharge, while lead-acid battery chargers do not have such requirements.In addition, lithium battery chargers are equipped with special chargers when leaving the factory to ensure the safety and service life of the battery.Therefore, in order to protect the safety of the battery and extend its service life, it is recommended to use the corresponding special charger for lithium batteries.‌

Specifically, lead-acid battery chargers are generally set to two-stage or three-stage charging mode, and the voltage levels of lithium batteries and lead-acid batteries do not match.There are many types of lithium batteries, and the performance and battery protection board parameters of each battery may be different, so there is no universal battery charger.The charging control of lithium batteries is to charge according to a constant current first. Then when the battery voltage rises to a certain value, the voltage no longer rises. The charger detects the current. If the current is less than a certain value, the charging ends.This charging method is significantly different from the charging method of lead-acid batteries. Lead-acid batteries are usually charged in three stages, namely constant current, constant voltage, and trickle.

To sum up, due to the differences in charging methods and voltage levels between lithium batteries and lead-acid batteries, their chargers cannot be universal.Using the wrong charger may cause battery damage and even pose a safety risk.