Selection & System Sizing
What Information Is Required to Quote a Custom Lithium Battery Pack?
A procurement-ready input list covering electrical duty, mechanics, environment, interfaces, compliance, quantity and validation.
Quick answer
A custom pack quotation needs nominal and operating voltage, required Wh or Ah, continuous and peak current with duration, charge method, dimensions, connector and pinout, operating environment, BMS functions, certification destination, application, annual quantity and validation requirements. A sample pack or device drawing is helpful, but it does not replace an electrical specification.
Electrical requirements
Provide:
- nominal voltage and permitted operating voltage range;
- nominal energy in Wh or capacity in Ah;
- continuous discharge current;
- peak current, pulse duration, repetition and rest time;
- charging current, charge voltage and charger information;
- expected daily duty cycle and service-life target;
- allowable voltage sag at the equipment input.
Power alone is insufficient. A 500 W load at 12 V draws much more current than at 48 V, changing cells, parallel count, conductor size and BMS requirements.
Mechanical and interface definition
Send a dimensioned drawing or maximum L × W × H envelope, mass limit, mounting points, cable lengths, connector part number, pinout and label requirements. State whether the enclosure must resist water, dust, impact, vibration, chemicals or UV exposure.
For replacement batteries, identify the device model and communication requirements. Do not assume that matching voltage and connector makes packs interchangeable.
BMS and system behavior
Define required protections: overcharge, overdischarge, overcurrent, short circuit and temperature. State whether the application needs passive or active balancing, state-of-charge display, heater control, wake/sleep behavior, service disconnect or communications such as CAN, RS485, SMBus or UART.
Any communication protocol should include the message definition and equipment-side integration responsibility.
Environment and compliance
Provide operating, charging and storage temperature ranges, altitude and indoor/outdoor conditions. Identify sales and transport destinations and the exact standards or customer tests required. Certification availability must be verified for the final cell and pack configuration; it must not be inferred from a similar product.
Commercial inputs
State prototype quantity, forecast annual volume, order pattern, target schedule, branding, packaging, destination and requested Incoterm. Tooling, engineering validation and certification scope should be separated from recurring unit supply where applicable.
Minimum review package
A sound quotation should reference a controlled pack specification, approved cell basis, series/parallel configuration, BMS functions, connector drawing, preliminary validation scope, exclusions and open items. Pricing and lead time should remain conditional until the technical baseline and supply evidence are reviewed.
When inputs are incomplete, request confirmation instead of selecting a cell, BMS or commercial term by assumption.
FAQ
Is voltage and capacity enough for a quotation?
No. Current profile, dimensions, connector, BMS, charger, temperature, application, compliance destination and quantity can materially change the design and cost.
Can an existing battery sample be copied?
A sample supports dimensional and interface review, but ownership, safety, cell availability and compliance still require a new documented specification and validation plan.