Engineered like the rest of TITAN
The cells, casework and BMS hardware are the same family as our core leisure range, with end-pack QC in Cheltenham before the unit ships.
Experimental product line
Lithium where
lead-acid normally sits.
Labs is the part of TITAN where we are testing the waters. Prototype packs, real customers, real installs - sold to people who want to be the early ones in. Engineered by us, hand-built by our partner factory and end-pack QC'd in Cheltenham, but with use cases that fall just outside our official spec sheet.
TITAN Labs LFP-105-S - 12V 105Ah starter
3Prototype sizes in stock
12VStarter-duty lithium
LithiumEnergy capacity retained
8 yrLimited Labs warranty
Why a Labs line
01
02
03
Testing the waters where the spec sheet does not yet exist.
Labs is where we put TITAN-engineered packs into use cases our core lithium range does not officially cover: engine starting, very high inrush loads, and applications where a real-world install will teach us more than the bench can. The pack is still hand-built in the same way, with the same end-pack QC in Cheltenham. The BMS is configured slightly differently to suit the duty cycle, which means lifespan and behaviour are honestly described, not guaranteed.
Tuned for starter duty
BMS configuration permits a small, deliberate amount of cell over-charge so the alternator never sees a hard cut-off on a low-resistance lithium load.
Honest expectations
Lifespan and warranty are honestly described, not guaranteed. 8-year limited warranty instead of our standard lifetime cover.
8 years
Limited Labs warranty, honestly described.
Because the BMS is tuned to allow a small amount of over-charge to keep the alternator happy, we expect a shorter lifespan than the core TITAN range. So we say so up front and warranty accordingly.
Set expectations, not surprises
Why 8 years, not lifetime.
Our standard leisure batteries carry a lifetime, fully transferrable warranty because they are designed to live their entire life inside our protection envelope. Labs starter packs sit just outside that envelope on purpose: we have given the BMS permission to allow a small amount of cell over-charge, so the alternator never sees a hard cut-off and we never risk an alternator burn-out on a low-resistance lithium load. That trade-off is what makes the pack alternator-friendly, and what shortens its expected service life enough that we will not pretend it has the same warranty.
Honest answers
The questions we have been asked already.
Is a TITAN Labs battery safe to use as a starter?
Yes. The cell chemistry, BMS design and physical case are all derived from our normal leisure range, hand-built and end-pack QC'd in Cheltenham. The change is in BMS configuration so the pack tolerates the duty cycle of engine starting. We are open about the fact that this is experimental in the sense that we are still gathering install data; we are not unsure about the safety.
What happens if the BMS hibernates - can it leave me locked out of the vehicle?
Yes, in theory. If the pack falls genuinely flat - cells below 3.0V - the BMS hibernates and the output drops to zero. That means no central locking, no immobiliser power, and you can be locked out of your own vehicle until the pack is woken. It is a rare state in normal driving, but it is reachable if the vehicle sits unused for weeks on a parasitic load (alarm, tracker, dashcam).
The fix is simple: keep an eye on the pack via the TITAN app. If the app shows below ~50% after a long lay-up, drive the vehicle or put it on a maintenance charge through the alternator. We recommend a check every couple of weeks for vehicles in regular use, and weekly for vehicles that get left for longer than a month. Hibernation is a protection event, not a fault - it is on the owner to keep the pack topped up.
What about alternator damage from low-resistance lithium loads?
This is the headline concern. So far we have not had a reported failure on the previous batches of these starter units. The risk is largely tied to vehicle architecture: modern EU alternators have stricter regulators and we do not believe they are at meaningful risk. We have written the BMS to permit a slight cell over-charge specifically so it never asks the alternator to back off suddenly. If you are running a tier-1 EU vehicle with a healthy alternator, we are comfortable. If your van is older or already running marginal, talk to us first.
Will Euro 6 start/stop systems work with a Labs battery?
Most systems use battery voltage as the green-light condition for stop/start, so on that test we expect it to behave normally and trigger as designed. Coasting / regen behaviour we are less sure of but have no reason to believe it will be a problem. If you fit a Labs battery to a Euro 6 vehicle, please email us how it behaves so we can fold the data into the official spec sheet.
Why is the BMS configured to allow a small over-charge?
Because a hard cut-off on a low-resistance lithium load is exactly how you damage an alternator. We would rather permit a small amount of cell over-charge - well within safe limits, not enough to trip protections - than have the BMS suddenly open and reflect a load step back into the alternator. The trade-off is that we accept slightly accelerated cell wear, hence the 8-year warranty.
Can I use a Labs battery alongside my normal TITAN leisure batteries?
Yes, with the usual caveat that you should not mix chemistries on the same bus without DC-DC isolation in between. The Labs pack should live on the starter side of a properly isolated install, with your leisure pack downstream of a DC-DC charger or B2B unit.
When will Labs products move into the main range?
When we have enough real-world data to publish a spec sheet we can defend. That will mean a long enough sample of vehicles in the wild, a consistent failure mode (or, ideally, no failure mode), and a BMS configuration we are happy to commit to long-term. Until then, we are happy to sell them - we just want the warranty terms and the product page to reflect what we actually know.
