YOTO On most of the models in this range the battery is a configuration option, not a separate model. That makes it look like a simple upgrade. It is not: the chemistry changes the mass, and the mass is one of the figures the category limit is measured against.
What actually changes #
| Factor | Lead-acid | Lithium (LFP) |
|---|---|---|
| Mass for the same nominal capacity | Heavier — often by a factor of two or more | Lighter, which buys back payload or range |
| Cold weather | Capacity and voltage sag noticeably below freezing | Better, though still affected; thermal management matters |
| Replacement in year three | Usually available locally, cheap, familiar to any workshop | Needs a supplier who stocks the pack; not a local motor-factor item |
| Upfront cost | Lower | Higher |
| End of life | Established local recycling chain in most markets | Improving, but check the destination country |
Range: what is certified and what is arithmetic #
Certified range is measured on a specific configuration. If you change the pack, the certified range no longer describes your vehicle. And do not extrapolate: dividing nominal capacity by consumption per kilometre produces a number that can be substantially wrong, because usable energy, depth of discharge and test conditions are not in the arithmetic.
A concrete example from this range: a 72 V 120 Ah pack is 8.64 kWh nominal. At a certified 125 Wh/km that suggests about 69 km. The certificate says 84 km. The difference is not an error in either figure — it means the tested configuration carried more usable energy than the nominal pack figure implies. Anyone quoting 69 km from the arithmetic would be understating the vehicle; anyone quoting 120 km from a bigger pack without a test would be overstating it.
How to choose #
- Start from the daily route and the payload, not from the capacity on the sheet.
- Ask what the local workshop can replace in year three. If the answer is "nothing", lithium is a support burden unless you stock packs.
- Check the mass consequence against the category limit for the configuration you are ordering.
- Ask for the certified range for that exact configuration, and treat any other number as an estimate.