What is Rapid Recharge Technology® (RRT)?

You may have seen “Rapid Recharge Technology” (RRT) when we talk about our IS1500 professional jumpstarter. This clever innovation allows the IS1500 to provide unlimited jumpstarts without having to charge it at a wall socket – giving this compact and lightweight unit the edge over other jumpstarters when it comes to workshops and professional environments.

We’ll be looking to include RRT on a broader range of jumpstarters in the future, so we thought we’d take the time to explain how the technology works and why it’s something worth having in your jumpstarter, whether you’re a professional, everyday driver or hobby car owner.

What does it do?

A jumpstarter with Rapid Recharge Technology can be left connected to a vehicle it has just started, and recover the charge used in just 40 seconds. This means you don’t need to plug it into the wall socket to keep the unit charged and ready for more jumpstarting.

How does Rapid Recharge Technology work?

A major advantage of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries is that they are able to safely absorb charge much faster than other battery types including other lithium battery technologies.

Rapid Recharge Technology utilises this capability to allow the battery to rapidly recharge directly from the vehicle after it has jumpstarted. The RRT requires the product to be specifically designed to allow the current to flow in both directions from the jumpstarter battery.

The result is a jumpstarter that does not need to be charged via 240V during the working day. However, we do recommend that a jumpstarter with RRT be charged via the docking station or USB between working days, as doing this will increase the battery life by 10–20%.

Using a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery as the power source for the jumpstarter enables the IS1500 to accept charge from the vehicle alternator. The LiFePO4 battery allows a much higher current charge compared with other lithium batteries and conventional lead acid batteries.

In technical terms, a proprietary algorithm is employed to ensure the battery is not overcharged at both cell and whole battery level while being recharged. The rapid battery recharge process will cease once the battery is fully charged.

As an example: With an alternator current of 40 Amps, 20 seconds of ‘Rapid Recharge’ will recover 80% of the energy lost during a 200 Amp 5 second jumpstart. 40 seconds of rapid recharge would recover 100% of the of energy lost.

The RRT is automatically engaged when sufficient current is present. Therefore, once the vehicle has been started, the jumpstarter battery will immediately begin drawing power directly from the alternator (provided the alternator is fully functioning). The lithium battery recovers charge so quickly that it only needs to remain connected to the vehicle battery for a maximum of 40 seconds to recover the charge it used jumpstarting the vehicle. Once the battery in the jumpstarter has been fully recharged the RRT automatically switches off to prevent overcharging.