Lithium vs Supercapacitors vs. Dedicated Batteries

BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 Battery Pack

Before we dive deep on this debate, let's set the bar for dash cam batteries straight.

Primarily, a dash cam battery is not intended to power the device like a smartphone, digital camera, or other electronic device. Most batteries are designed to deliver just enough power to the device when the car is shut off and ceases powering the dash cam. But to get full potential, a dash cam needs that extra bit of electricity to effectively shut down and complete functions such as saving your video footage.

Now, dash cams are utilized with the car's electric port (also known as the cigarette lighter socket) since they require a constant supply of electricity. However, when you turn off the ignition, the power source is disconnected and the camera turns down. So what do we do?

Based on our experience, lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous and can last 5 to 10 minutes on a full charge, which is sufficient to wake up and record an occurrence while your car is parked. A capacitor, on the other hand, does not store a charge and must be powered continuously. However, it does more wonders to your dash cam’s battery life.

While both have advantages and disadvantages, knowing which best meets your needs might improve your overall experience.

Upon testing and knowing how these devices work, batteries and capacitors both create electricity, but in different ways, which limits their applicability to diverse applications.

A battery uses a positive terminal (cathode), a negative terminal (anode), and an electricity conducting material (electrolyte) to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. Rechargeable batteries can be recharged by using external electrical energy.

For dash cams, lithium-ion batteries work by electrochemically storing energy. When the lithium-ion battery is charged, power flows to a substance known as the high-energy anode compound. During this time, the energy-filled lithium ions flow from the high-energy anode to the low-energy cathode material via a separator. This process liberates energy, which is subsequently transferred to a circuit.  

This cycle of charging and discharging causes the chemical components in the battery to steadily degrade over time. As a result, lithium-ion batteries will eventually lose their ability to store energy and will have a reduced power density naturally over time. This results in shorter powering periods, in the exact same way that your iPhone’s battery doesn’t last as long after 2 years or so of use.

Nextbase Dash Cams (Lithium-Ion Based)

If you’re going to ask us about why we would choose a lithium ion battery, the first thing we would say is the cost. Lithium ion batteries are well-known for being reasonably priced, making them popular among those who would not spend more money on dash cams.

Since Lithium-Ion batteries do have such a short life-span, having to replace the battery is a very real possibility, though it is easier to do than other battery types. This requires you to manually open up the unit, and access the circuit board.

Lithium-Ion batteries main advantage is providing a power source for the unit. These can allow certain cameras to stay running when all other power sources are off, though normally due to their compact size in a dash cam, not for very long, and is mainly limited to recording only impacts or other such incidents, depending on the model.

We have tested hundreds of dash cams in the market. In our opinion, there is no doubt that lithium-ion batteries deliver poor results when it comes to charging and discharging speeds. Even though the charge can last longer, it generally takes 10-60 minutes to charge it once. Lithium Ion batteries do not need to be fully charged as is the case with lead acid. From dead, it will normally take a minute or 2 for the camera to boot up and begin operations. In fact, it is better not to fully charge because a high voltage stresses the battery. Lithium Ion batteries for consumer products go for maximum capacity and cannot be adjusted; extended service life is perceived less important.

Even when a Dash Cam with a Lithium Ion battery can operate in parking mode when the vehicle is turned off, without having a constant power source to feed off of, the effective coverage of that parking mode is severely reduced. The camera will either compromise the parameters of recording, such as only waking up and recording when the vehicle is impacted, or running for a drastically shorter period of time than would be provided off of a car battery, or other power source.

We also take durability in mind, and we have proven that because of charging and discharging, batteries are more prone to wear out. As a result, the battery life gets quickly depleted. Since batteries are substantially less expensive, they are more likely to create issues and may even harm your dash cam recorder.

More importantly, safety. Lithium batteries are unsafe for warmer temperatures and can also cause overheating, leakage, and possibly explosions. Moreover, when your dash cam’s battery is exposed to hot temperatures, its life-span will quickly be reduced.

If this happens, you don’t just lose your footage, but you also harm your car, and even yourself. You will also add cost as you might have to get another dash cam as a replacement - which defeats the essence of lithium batteries being cheaper.

Source: VAVA Community

Beyond that, in the event of a truly rough accident, it’s not unheard of for power to the dash cam to be cut. While Supercapacitors jump to action in such an event, supplying their full charge cycle to retain and ensure that the most recent footage finishes writing to the SD card, the same is more difficult with lithium-ion. While they take longer to charge, they also take longer to begin discharging as well, with a delayed response in such an event. We’ve heard plenty of stories of footage being recorded before and after an accident with a Lithium Ion camera, but the accident itself is corrupted and no longer accessible.

Your dash cam is there to protect you, not to cause you more headaches.

A supercapacitor is made up of conductive plates separated by an insulating barrier (dielectric). The dielectric prevents electrical current from exiting the capacitor, accumulating a charge that is stored between the plates. The quantity of charge that a capacitor can store is determined by its charge storage capacity.

Supercapacitors boast a newer technology with several distinct advantages over regular lithium-ion batteries. In contrast to lithium-ion batteries, which store energy via chemical reactions, supercapacitors store energy as an electric charge.

When we compare supercapacitor dash cams like BlackVue, Thinkware, and VIOFO to lithium-ion batteries, capacitor batteries are built to resist heavy temperatures. Because of the unique environment and extreme weather fluctuations that a dash cam is subjected to, these supercapacitor dash cams outperform lithium batteries.

Supercapacitors are extremely safer to use. They do not contain highly flammable liquid combinations and so cannot explode. It also is more dependable, as they can cycle hundreds of thousands of times, whereas batteries fail after a few hundred of charging and discharging cycles.

Aside from the safety, temperature and weather resistance of supercapacitors, they are also reliable in terms of usage. As we know, batteries are only useful if they are charged; some larger batteries might take up to an hour to fully charge. Capacitors, on the other hand, charge in seconds and are constantly ready especially when connected to the power supply.

Capacitors can be used effectively for dash cams in such a way that they can charge within seconds of being discharged. Again, it simply takes around 10 seconds to charge up for another cycle. Even though it discharges quickly, the great power density makes it a long-term winner.

Capacitors are very useful for holding onto vital information while powered down, such as the date and time on videos.

Super capacitors are very quick to charge and discharge, so if power is suddenly lost to the dash cam, they are your ideal for ensuring nothing is lost or corrupted. With other batteries, those couple seconds that it takes to activate and begin discharging can result in vital footage becoming corrupted.

For us, there is only one major disadvantage of supercapacitors - they do not store a charge for long periods of time, which means you'll need another main power source, like your car battery. If you want the camera to stay powered once the vehicle is turned off, the camera will need a direct connection to your vehicle battery, normally through Hardwiring to the Fusebox.

Many hardwire kits include a low voltage cutoff that prevents the camera from drawing power from the car battery when the voltage falls below a certain threshold, preventing excessive power draw.

Alternatively, consider a dedicated dash cam battery pack like the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8. These will avoid any wear and tear on your car battery that comes with discharging while the vehicle is off.

Here at BlackboxMyCar, we are confident to say that all the dash cams we carry are powered by supercapacitors - which is highly recommended for longevity, safety and durability. Our best brands like Thinkware and BlackVue offer a wide range of operating temperatures due to their supercapacitors.

While other battery-powered dash cams like Nextbase can only cover -20° to 45°C (from -4° to 113°F), Thinkware can withstand temperatures up to -20 °C − 80 °C (-4 °F − 176 °F). Wherever you are living, your dash cam is guaranteed to be safer!

In our opinion, heat is the main killer of a lithium ion powered dash cams, if you reside in hotter climates like Arizona or Florida, we fimrly recommend Supercapacitors.

LiFePO4 Battery

Lithium-Ion USB Power Bank

Earlier, we mentioned how external battery packs can be useful in prolonging the battery life of your dash cam and your car – and this is because of the LiFePO4  battery inside.

Dash cam battery packs are used to extend the parking mode functions of the dash cam, and modern ones are powered by lithium-ion phosphate, like supercapacitor dash cams. Lithium-ion phosphate is a type of rechargeable lithium-ion battery that differs from standard lithium-ion batteries in its cathode material, using LiFePO4 instead of materials like Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) or Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC).

The key advantages of lithium-ion phosphate in dash cam battery packs are their enhanced safety due to a stable crystal structure, reduced risk of thermal runaway, and lower likelihood of fire. These batteries also offer a longer cycle life, allowing them to undergo more charge and discharge cycles before significant capacity degradation occurs.

While they may have a slightly lower energy density and higher upfront price than standard lithium-ion batteries, lithium-ion phosphate batteries are favoured for applications prioritizing safety, durability, and reliability, such as electric vehicles, and backup power systems.

Lastly, dash cams are used specifically as opposed to how phones are used - which USB power banks are mainly built for. With dash cams, you want your camera to record continuously. So with a battery pack, you start your car, and the battery pack begins charging itself from your car while also powering your dash cam. The key point here is that the dash cam is always on, which is not how power banks should operate.

Beyond that, once the dash cam has fully drained a battery, this will take an effect on it’s overall health. While dedicated battery packs are designed for this, and will last for an average of 2,000 cycles of being charged and discharged, whereas a USB will last for an average of only 400 cycles.

The fact that USB power banks are still using lithium-ion batteries is a key disadvantage. Sure, USB power banks can power up your dash cam for a little while, but we don’t really recommend this for long-term usage.

Safety must come first, and unlike the infamous exploding lithium-ion batteries in USB power banks that once filled the headlines, LiFePO4 is the safest lithium battery type available. USB power banks are prone to overheating, and dedicated dash cam battery packs are built to withstand extreme temperatures and harsh weather conditions.

Power banks are intended to charge your phone throughout the day, and then plug it in. and recharge it overnight after you've finished using it. Many don't have the ability to power something while also charging themselves. In other words, dedicated batteries benefit from being designed to work in the background.

If you wish to prolong the life of your dash cam and your car battery, we recommend getting an external dash cam battery pack that is powered by Lithium Iron Phosphate, combined with a dash cam using a Supercapacitor for long-term reliability. Check out our hand-picked Supercapacitor Dash Cam and Battery Pack bundles in our BlackboxMyCar Signature Bundles!

The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 was designed by BlackboxMyCar and is manufactured by Egen Inc, the world's largest and most trusted dash cam battery manufacturer, which also produces the Cellink NEO battery packs.

Because of the unique characteristics of its LiFePo4, the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 could be charged quickly in 50 minutes while also maintaining a longer life of up to 2,000 cycles even with frequent deep discharge cycles.

Like USB Power Banks, the PowerCell 8 battery pack can also be used to charge your laptop, smartphone, and other USB-powered devices. The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 includes a 5V USB 3.0 power outlet, making it simple to add a mobile router to the dash cam setup in vehicles - ideal for those who have a Cloud-ready dash cam. You can also charge your mobile phone and other devices here.

BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 also has built-in Bluetooth and comes with a free Battery Manager App that you will use to monitor the status and the manage settings of the battery pack with just a few taps of your finger even if the battery pack is installed out of sight.

With the PowerCell 8, you can have a better experience by doubling, tripling, or even quadrupling the capacity with an extended battery pack. The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 is compatible with the NEO Extended Battery Pack as well as the BlackVue Power Magic Ultra Battery Expansion Pack (B-124E).