This article juxtaposes the lug connector with pluggable battery pole connector. As we shall see, though lug connector is priced lower than the pluggable battery pole connector, the latter connector trumps in many aspects, some of which are quite crucial in function and may shape the product lifespan.
Divided into two main parts, the juxtaposition of the two devices sheds light on product structure, component material and respective working standard.
Just by taking a glimpse of their silhouettes, we can find the more modest-looking lug connector leaves nuts and copper plates exposed on both ends. And they require manual screwing when connecting to the BESS and outer electricity-consuming devices, while the silver-plated pluggable connector nearly covers itself with only BESS connecting part exposed on one end and it doesn’t require manual screwing entirely. Actually, an entire pluggable battery pole connector is composed of two blocks and the orange-hued blocks have different interfaces with the black blocks. So it leaves no room for cross-mating. Besides the color, there is positive locking mechanism design on the pluggable connector preventing accidental disconnections. And still concerning its joint part, the mated connector system can be rotated 360°to simplify installation.
One less observable fact about it is that with the housings, the pluggable battery pole connectors won’t be affected by dust, low-pressure water jets, condensation or water spray. But lug connectors are vulnerable to these potential hazards.
Pertaining to the working standard, pluggable battery pole connector meets a wider range of working temperature. So it has wider environment application than lug connector. Another applauded side about the pluggable connector is its IEC rated identification for 120A and 1500V under DC.
The comparisons between these two connectors are summarized as below:
| Lug connector | Pluggable battery pole connector | Description | Pictures | ||
| Structure and material | Color-coded polarity connector | Yes, black and red connector pairs without unique interfaces | Yes, black and orange connector pairs with unique interfaces | Black and orange connector pairs have unique interfaces to prevent cross-mating. |  |
| Polarity connectors | Poles and nuts | Color-coded plugs | Poles and nuts suffer from poor standardization. So when manually connecting and tightening the nuts on each lug connector, it is time-consuming and can be prone to wiring errors. | ||
| Positive locking mechanism | No | Yes | Positive locking mechanism prevents accidental disconnections | |
|
| Rotation of the mated connector system | No rotation | 360°rotation | The mated connector system can be rotated 360°to simplify installation | |
|
| Crimp terminations for what wire sizes | Adjustable | Adjustable between 16mm² and 25mm² | |||
| Fully touch-proof design | No | Yes | Lug connectors are not touch-safe and do not comply with current safety standards, presenting a potential shock hazard to installers and maintenance personnel | ||
| Housings provide environmental protection | Normal | IP65 rated | With housings, the pluggable battery pole connectors won’t be affected by dust, low-pressure water jets, condensation or water spray. But lug connectors are vulnerable to these potential hazards. | ||
| Contact material | Copper | Silver | Silver-plated contact possesses lower impedance than copper material and allows for more stable current flow | |
|
| Working standard | IEC rated | no | yes | ||
| Working temperature | -40℃ ~ +60℃ | -40℃ ~ +125℃ | Pluggable battery pole connector meets a wider range of working temperature. So it has wider environment application than lug connector |
In short, using pluggable battery pole connectors, designer can meet core safety and performance requirements, while also supporting the reliability, scalability, maintenance and environmental requirements of BESS installations.