LBC / Case studies
A custom 12.8V 100Ah LiFePO4 battery for a federal agency
At a glance
- Customer
- a U.S. federal agency's technical office (name withheld under NDA); buying from LBC since 2018
- Pack
- 12.8V, 100Ah LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate)
- Envelope
- 127 × 127 × 304.8 mm (5 × 5 × 12 in)
- Configuration
- bare battery, 30-inch leads to a terminal block, no state-of-charge meter
- First quantity
- 20 units, with a follow-on requisition of 25 planned
- Design turnaround
- dimensions confirmed, design drawing issued and design approved over three consecutive days
The challenge
The agency's engineers needed 12.8V, 100Ah of LiFePO4 inside a narrow 5 × 5 × 12 inch space in their own equipment. They wanted a bare battery with leads, not a finished retail-style battery with terminals and a meter, so it could be wired into their system.
What LBC did
- Confirmed the envelope. LBC confirmed the 127 × 127 × 304.8 mm dimensions with the agency's engineers.
- Drew the design. The next day LBC sent a design drawing: a 12.8V 100Ah LiFePO4 pack with 30-inch leads to a terminal block and no state-of-charge meter.
- Got approval. The agency approved the design the following day.
The result
The agency planned an initial 20 units and a follow-on requisition of 25. A few weeks after approval, it told LBC it would include this design, along with other units LBC had built for it before, in a larger fiscal-year procurement package. The agency has been a repeat LBC customer since 2018.
What this means for your program
A 12V LiFePO4 pack doesn't have to be a standard box. If your equipment has a fixed envelope, specific leads or no room for a meter, send the dimensions and wiring and LBC will draw it. See 12V battery packs, the RFQ checklist and rapid battery prototyping.