Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Norsk Lithium Batteries: Ready for Cold Weather Boating/Fishing

New Hope, Minn. – Fall has arrived with the promise of great bites. And winter isn’t far off, leading to early-early spring… Dropping temps, rain, and snow (even ice floes) won’t stop serious bass, walleye, muskie, and Great Lakes anglers from experiencing some of the best action of the year wherever you can find open water—from lakes to reservoirs, to epic river runs.

The challenge for serious, all-season anglers has always been finding reliable batteries and keeping them charged and working hassle-free during these challenging weather conditions.

From anglers making weekend jaunts to walleye-filled Midwestern and northern rivers, top-tier muskie waters, the Great Lakes, to bass forays across the country, there have been countless systems developed to keep non-Norsk batteries topped off and running, fingers crossed. Like the questionable idea of charging batteries with the boat cover on and a Big Buddy heater cranked; electric blankets; and the exhaustive process of fully removing batteries at night to bring into the motel or resort to charge at room temp.

Yes, what a pain. Good thing for Norsk Lithium.

What you’re about to experience in the video below sums it up through extreme Norsk freezer testing of their new starting batteries to temps well below zero and then put through the paces on the water.

“We didn’t just flash-freeze our 12V 180AH starting battery; we literally froze it for a couple of days down to double-digits below zero. Then we pulled the battery out of the freezer, stuck it in a cooler, installed it into a boat on the water, and monitored the internal temperature, which was still well below zero, 18.2 F. to be exact, when we started the outboard repeatedly—without any failure. While most batteries perform less well at cold temperatures, you could barely tell with ours. It was amazing,” says Norsk VP of Strategy & Development, James Holst.

And it wasn’t just Norsk Lithium testing their soon-to-be-available batteries in all conditions, including sub-zero temperatures. The company also hired a third-party test company used by thousands of global companies to inspect and certify products to further evaluate and validate Norsk’s own findings.

“We sent samples of our new starting batteries and competitor products,” says Holst. “Mercury requires that starting batteries output 800 amps for 8 seconds at 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Simply put, we crushed those specs. Even our smaller 120 Amp battery can output 800 A for over 10 seconds. At that temperature competitor's batteries that we tested at the same time failed to meet the output requirements of 800A and certainly couldn’t sustain that output for the required 8 seconds. So, we spent tens of thousands of dollars with a third-party company to legitimize what we had found ourselves, just to make sure.”

That’s fine and well for Mercury owners but a question asked often is “Will using a Norsk Lithium starting battery void my Yamaha manufacturer warranty?”

“The answer is no,” says Holst. “Legislation called the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that vehicle/boat manufacturers cannot void the warranty on a vehicle unless it can be proven that the aftermarket part caused or contributed to the failure in the vehicle.”

“Fact is, these batteries work great with Yamaha outboards. And with a design that includes Voltage Transient Suppression built-in, there is no cause for worry of any failure or damage. I believe we have a battery that Mercury, Yamaha, Suzuki, Evinrude, you-name-it owners can trust.”

ADDITIONAL FEATURES & TECHNOLOGY

Besides the aforementioned charging and operation in extreme temperatures, with Norsk Lithium batteries you’ll never get stranded with a dead starting battery. All Norsk Lithium Starting Batteries offer Emergency Start Reserve (ESR) that allocates 25% of the battery’s capacity as a reserve available on demand. You’ll always have the power you need to start your outboard at the end of a long day on the water. ESR can be activated with the push of the Power Management button on the top of the battery or via the Norsk Guardian® App. It’s like having a jump-start pack built into your starting battery.

“We have what I believe is the finest feature set in the marine lithium battery segment,” says Holst. “

“Consider that the vast majority of marine lithium batteries on the market come out of a very small number of factories that offer the exact same battery to a large percentage of companies in the lithium battery space. The only difference is the label on the case. We have partnered with a major consumer electronics provider that takes us out of this manufacturing system. In doing so, we’re able to offer customers never-before-seen technologies and feature sets, as well as significant cost savings that we’re passing on to our customers by charting our own path in the current marine battery manufacturing industry. Want an example of the aforementioned price reduction? Last year’s 100Ah Unheated Marine Battery sold for $899.99. Our new 105Ah Unheated Marine Battery, with all the new bells and whistles and 10+2 year warranty, will sell at $649.99”.

Some of those features?

Deep Sleep Technology

One of the most maddening, frustrating and time-consuming problems any boat owner can ever be forced to deal with is having to track down a passive or phantom draw that slowly and painfully sucks the energy out of boat batteries.

Sometimes these low amp draws point back to faulty wiring that needs to be painstakingly tracked down and rewired. At other times, the source of the problem is the boat owner themselves. Ever accidentally left a radio or light on in your boat? Or perhaps you’ve forgotten to turn off all the master power switches? Yeah, we’ve done that more times than we care to admit and our oversight typically resulted in a boatload of dead batteries which is why we knew we needed to come up with a fix that would address the problem and provide an “easy button” solution.

“Enter our Deep Sleep concept, where we can use the BMS brain that sits on top of the battery to make it really easy for users to shut down every battery in their boat?through the?Norsk Guardian app with the simple touch of a button,” says Holst.

“Press the button, and all the batteries go into Deep Sleep, stopping current from hitting the battery terminals. This also makes sure that if your boat has any parasitic voltage draws that your batteries aren’t going to drain when docked, in the parking lot, or long-term storage,” offers Holst.

Holst elaborates: “And instead of having to crawl through your compartments and flip switches—we typically remember the master switches immediately after the cover is safely and securely on the boat—you can stand by the side of your boat looking like the smartest guy at the launch, hit one button in the Norsk Guardian app, and presto, all the batteries disconnect power to the terminals in an instant. Same thing for waking them back up when you’re ready to hit the water. Just open the Norsk Guardian app and tap a button. That’s just another example of how we’ve made our new batteries more efficient and user-friendly.”

Norsk Lithium has gone yet another step further by building in a Power Management Button right into the top of each battery.

All Norsk Lithium marine batteries have a built-in State of Charge (SOC) battery meter built into the top of the battery case that provides an SOC read-out with a quick push of the battery management button. This feature provides a quick visual check of the battery’s status without the need for the App on your phone. That same battery management button will also give you the opportunity to wake up the battery from Deep Sleep. A simple tap of the button and your battery wakes from Deep Sleep and you’re ready to roll.

Voltage Transient Suppression

Consider Norsk Lithium’s Voltage Transient Suppression (VTS) technology, which is an integrated safety feature that is designed to protect the outboard’s charging system, as well as any devices connected to the starting battery such as pumps, lights, sonar units, shallow water anchors, downriggers, etc. from a voltage spike that occurs in the highly unlikely event the battery’s BMS disconnects the cells while receiving a charge from the alternator. “We like to think of VTS as the safety feature we hope you never need, kind of like an emergency brake or an airbag in a motor vehicle,” says Holst. “I’ve never had an airbag deployed in any of the vehicles I’ve owned. That said, I’m not going to buy a car without one. The same thought process should apply to your choice for starting batteries” he concludes.

What Voltage Transient Suppression does is significantly suppress the voltage spike that can occur if a BMS in a lithium marine starting battery disconnects, potentially allowing excess voltage from the outboard alternator from damaging the outboard’s charging system and or anything connected to it. Testing Norsk’s VTS system has shown the ability to keep the voltage transient that occurs during BMS disconnect of cells when the alternator is delivering a hefty 30A current to the battery below 17 volts. Without VTS, the voltage measured is often well in excess of 30V which is high enough to damage connected accessories or even the outboard charging system.

“We have a fantastic BMS design but things can happen. As insurance, we’ve built in the technology others don’t offer to prevent any damage from occurring in the event of a BMS failure. And the best part is this protection is built right into the battery and doesn’t require

NORSK LITHIUM STARTER BATTERY MODELS

12V 180AH (Thermal Core Heating Technology) (Part # B12180GHS)

  • Battery Type: Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4)
  • Cranking Amps: 1200 CA
  • Rated Voltage: 12.8V
  • BCI Compliant Case: Group 31
  • Weight: 46.3 lbs
  • Size: 13 X 6.81 X 9.25 inches
  • Lifespan: 4,000+ Cycles, Est. 15-20 years
  • Warranty: 10 Year + 2 with Norsk Guardian® Registration
  • Triple terminals for flexible rigging

MSRP: $1,349.99

12V 120AH Heated (Thermal Core Heating Technology) (Part # B12120GHS)

  • Battery Type: Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4)
  • Cranking Amps: 900 CA
  • Rated Voltage: 12.8V
  • BCI Compliant Case: Group 31
  • Weight: 34.2 lbs
  • Size: 13 X 6.81 X 9.25 inches
  • Lifespan: 4,000+ Cycles, Est. 15-20 years
  • Warranty: 10 Year + 2 with Norsk Guardian® Registration
  • Triple terminals for flexible rigging

MSRP: $1,049.99

PREP FOR COLD-WEATHER BITES NOW!

Now that we are facing colder temperatures, it’s a good time to look at your boat battery performance and get on Norsk’s waiting list before the mad rush of early spring. Even if you’re not going to be fishing open-water in winter, know that every Norsk Lithium starting battery comes with Thermal Core Heating Technology, so if you change your mind during the January thaw or face extremely cold spring temps, you’ll be covered—which has happened to many bass tournament pros over the past few years and is a staple on the walleye circuits. Everyone in the Midwest will sooner or later run into a fishing situation that’s pretty chilly, so best be prepared.

The ground-breaking Norsk Lithium products seen above will be available end of this quarter, but consumers can sign up to ‘The Waitlist’ to receive product updates with additional information, including availability updates. Simply choose the product(s) of interest, click “Waitlist” and enter your e-mail. It’s that easy!

If you join the Waitlist, the moment the products become available, you will receive an e-mail directing you to the purchase process to be one of the first boaters or anglers to benefit from Norsk’s new, problem-solving battery and charger designs.

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ABOUT Norsk Lithium

Our lithium batteries have been tested in the harshest conditions by the harshest critics – us. We push our lithium batteries to the limit because we crave the finest fishing experience possible. No angler should be thwarted by second-rate battery performance. You don’t need to settle for outdated technology.

Utilizing the super-efficient, unbeatable potency of lithium technology, NORSK Lithium batteries reduce cheap knock-offs to fancy paperweights. Every NORSK Lithium battery is built to endure. Our batteries outwork and outsmart the competition every time.

NORSK Lithium powers your passion so you can chase adventure. We personally rely on these same batteries to power our pursuit of an exhilarating outdoor experience.

Our commitment to you is the same promise we make to ourselves – we will never cut corners, we will never stop improving our battery technology – and we will always take care of our customers after the sale.

Your story is our story. We have intentionally tethered our business’s success to our customers’ satisfaction. Simply put, NORSK Lithium exists to power your passion for the great outdoors.