Popular Lithium Cells for Drones
Blog | Published by Alex on July 19, 2025
The Drone Lithium Batteries
The lithium battery cells commonly used in drones include ternary lithium batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries, solid-state lithium batteries, etc.
NCM Lithium Batteries
They have the advantages of high energy density, good low-temperature performance, and high discharge efficiency. They can provide drones with longer battery life and stronger power output, making them a common choice for consumer-grade and some industrial-grade drones. However, their safety is relatively poor in high-temperature environments.
LiFePO4 Lithium Batteries
Compared to NCM111, NCM811 offers significant advantages in energy density and discharge performance:
Soft-pack Lithium Batteries
Soft-pack lithium batteries: They are a type of lithium battery cell with a flexible packaging design, offering advantages such as high energy density, lightweight construction, and good shape adaptability. Their thin and flexible structure allows for better integration into drone battery packs, optimizing space utilization. They typically have stable discharge performance and can provide reliable power output for drones during flight. However, they have relatively lower mechanical strength compared to cylindrical cells and require careful protection against puncture or extrusion. They are widely used in consumer-grade and some mid-range drone products due to their balanced performance and cost-effectiveness.
Solid-state Lithium Batteries
They are a new type of lithium battery cell with higher energy density, better safety, no thermal expansion during charging and discharging, and a significantly improved cycle life. However, the current cost is high, and they have not been widely popularized, mainly used in some high-end drone products.
Common Specific Models of Drone Lithium Cells are as Follows:
EVE INR21700-58E
EVE INR21700-58E NCM lithium cell has a cylindrical design with a rated capacity of 5700mAh, supports 3C continuous discharge, and has a cycle life of up to 1000 weeks. It can work normally in the temperature range of -20℃ to 70℃ and is suitable for drones, robots, and other fields.
MOLICEL 21700P42A / MOLICEL 21700P45B
They belong to ternary lithium battery cells, commonly used in inspection drones and other equipment, with good performance.
The JOINSUN INR21700-40T is a 3.6V 4000mAh NCM lithium-ion cell offering 10C continuous discharge, 15C non-continuous discharge, 2C fast charging, 400 cycles (DoD 80%).
Grepow 8234066
It is a soft-pack cell, which is adopted in some DJI battery packs. It has a nominal voltage of 3.7V, a nominal capacity of 2000mAh, and a nominal energy of 7.4Wh.
Sunwoda 723861
It is also a soft-pack cell, which DJI once used in its pocket battery packs, with a nominal voltage of 3.69V and a nominal energy of 9.05Wh.
