SB LiMotive to Provide Lithium-Ion Battery Packs for Fiat 500EV
SB LiMotive, the joint venture of Samsung SDI and Bosch, has been awarded the business to supply the lithium-ion battery packs for the Fiat 500EV, which will be launched in the US market in 2012.
The Fiat 500EV, which demonstrates the benefits of the Chrysler and Fiat alliance, will be an environmentally friendly, clean, and quiet vehicle for the US subcompact passenger car market.
The Fiat 500EV powertrain is comprised of three main systems: high power electric powertrain module, advanced lithium-ion battery and an EV control unit to manage power flows. All powertrain engineering and vehicle development will take place at Chrysler Group headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. Vehicle pricing and other specifics will be announced closer to the Fiat 500EV launch.
According to Dr. Joachim Fetzer, executive vice president of SB LiMotive, “Chrysler indicated that SB LiMotive earned this business because we can supply high-quality lithium-ion battery packs in the quantities needed, on-time to the market. Additionally, SB LiMotive has the technical expertise Chrysler will require as it launches this important program. Our established global footprint was a further strong point in our favor. We look forward to partnering with Chrysler in bringing this exciting new vehicle to market.”
The battery packs are developed in Orion, Mich., the battery cells will be produced in Korea, and the battery packs will be assembled in Springboro, Ohio.
In an effort to intensify the benefits of the alliance between Chrysler LLC and Fiat Group in electrification of powertrain, Fiat 500EV will be an outstanding example. The Fiat 500 is a small, lightweight platform perfect for integrating electric-vehicle technology. Chrysler is the vehicle electrification center of competence for both Chrysler LLC and the Fiat Group.
Saft Expands into Developing Markets with New Subsidiary in Brazil
Saft has officially opened its new subsidiary in Brazil. Based in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, Saft’s new company will provide sales and technical support for customers in the rail, telecom networks, utilities, renewable energy and oil and gas sectors.
“Brazil has a particularly vibrant economy that is expected to be the fifth largest in the world by 2016, so the opening of Saft do Brasil is ideally timed to help increase our penetration within this growing market and also continues our expansion into another BRIC country,” says John Searle, Chairman of the Management Board of Saft. “One of the brakes on Brazil’s development so far, compared with the other BRIC countries, has been the lack of modern transport and energy infrastructure, and these are now receiving major investment. Industrial batteries play a vital role in these sectors and particularly in hot and humid climates, so this is a great opportunity for an advanced technology battery company like Saft.”
A main focus for Saft do Brasil, under the management of Guido Petit, will be the promotion of advanced nickel-based rechargeable battery technology that offers important advantages for industrial customers in Brazil in terms of reliability, performance and TCO (total cost of ownership). Saft has already made a significant breakthrough by gaining certification for its specialist telecom batteries from Brazil’s telecommunications agency, ANATEL (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações).
The São Paulo office will also support the introduction of Saft’s state-of-the-art lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology for a range of professional and industrial applications.
International Battery Receives Grant from Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority to Develop a Bulk Energy Storage System Expandable to One Megawatt
International Battery has received an $800,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) to design, manufacture and test an 800 kilowatt-hour bulk energy storage system (BESS), expandable to one megawatt. This grant is part of PEDA’s mission to promote the development and use of Pennsylvania’s clean, indigenous energy resources and to stimulate economic development and job creation for Pennsylvania’s growing energy sector in an environmentally beneficial manner.
Marking International Battery’s largest battery system to date, the completed energy storage system will demonstrate the advantages of using large-format lithium batteries for renewable energy integration and Smart Grid support.
The storage system, which will accommodate International Battery’s large-format lithium batteries and battery management system (BMS), an inverter, as well as a control/communications system, will be housed in a 40-foot mobile container. International Battery will join forces with an inverter company for this project.
The preliminary design work on the 800-kilowatt-hour system (expandable to one megawatt) has begun and is expected to be ready for initial testing by the second quarter of 2011. The company plans to install the BESS unit to a selected site where it will be integrated with on-site renewable energy sources and the grid.
A unique factor in the company’s development of its energy storage systems is its unique aqueous manufacturing process that is inherently green. The battery cells are fabricated using a water-based process instead of the common use of large quantities of organic solvent chemicals.
Micro-Hybrids Drive Growth for Energy Storage
While makers of grid-connected electric vehicles would be happy with annual sales of tens of thousands of units, micro-hybrid vehicle sales will top three million units this year and rise to 34 million units by mid-decade. This growth spells enormous opportunity for the energy storage technologies that support micro-hybrids. According to the latest report from Lux Research, the energy storage market for micro-hybrids will expand at a CAGR of 57.5 percent over the next five years, reaching over $2.7 billion in 2015.
The report, titled “Micro-hybrids: On the Road to Hybrid Vehicle Dominance,” examines the overall market for micro-hybrids – a term that refers to how extensively the vehicle uses electricity, rather than its size. Unlike conventional hybrid vehicles or plug-in hybrids, which apply energy storage toward propulsion, micro-hybrids apply it more modestly for start-stop and/or regenerative braking applications. Thus, rather than using high-end nickel-metal hydride or lithium-on batteries, they rely instead on more cost-effective energy storage, such as flooded lead-acid (FLA) batteries, enhanced flooded batteries (EFBs), adsorbed glass mat batteries (AGM), and advanced lead-acid systems that often include ultracapacitors.
“Micro-hybrids’ more modest use of electricity has led some purists to dismiss them as a suitable alternative to gas-powered cars. Yet they represent the most cost-effective route to achieving regulatory carbon emission and mileage goals,” said Jacob Grose, a Senior Analyst at Lux Research and the report’s lead author. “We expect that, by the middle of this decade, 37% of the new passenger vehicles sold throughout the world will be micro-hybrids.”
In preparing its analysis, Lux Research developed a model that incorporated emissions and fuel efficiency regulations in various regions, and the costs of the various technologies employed. It then applied its model to forecast regional markets for three categories of micro-hybrid vehicles and several energy storage technologies through 2015. Among its key observations:
Europe’s aggressive regulatory environment drives adoption. With the most stringent environmental regulations, Europe will remain at the forefront of micro-hybrid adoption. Sales of 2.8 million units projected for 2010 are on track to grow to 10.5 million by 2015, representing a CAGR of 30 percent, by which time micro-hybrids will comprise 64 percent of European auto sales.
Milder fuel efficiency targets in the US cause slower adoption. In the US, micro-hybrid sales will grow from virtually zero in 2010 to a respectable 4.6 million units by 2015, roughly half the penetration that micro-hybrids will see in Europe as a percentage of total vehicles sold.
China approaches fuel economy differently. The forecast for China is that its micro-hybrid market will skyrocket from roughly 300,000 units in 2010 to 9.5 million units in 2015. That’s a staggering CAGR of 99.8 percent, representing 48 percent of the country’s passenger vehicle sales in that year.
Japan takes the middle road. Micro-hybrid sales in Japan will grow from 300,000 units in 2010 to 3.8 million by 2015, a CAGR of 66.3 percent. That means that almost two-thirds of Japan’s passenger vehicle sales will come from micro-hybrids by mid-decade.
EnerSys Awarded $38 Million Contract by Defense Logistics Agency
EnerSys has received a multi-year contract award, with an estimated value of $38.5 million in the first year from the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), to produce valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries using its proprietary thin plate pure lead technology. The award is for EnerSys' Hawker Armasafe Plus batteries for use by the US Army and Marine Corps and for EnerSys' Hawker F-16 batteries for use by the US Navy and Air Force. The contract provides for the DLA to exercise additional equal annual options through 2014.
EnerSys will continue to produce Hawker Armasafe Plus and F-16 batteries at the company's highly automated facility in Warrensburg, Missouri where batteries for the US Navy nuclear submarines are also manufactured.
Midtronics Announces RFID License Agreement with Battery Dynamics Group
Midtronics has license agreement with Battery Dynamics Group for RFID patents and technology related to battery and electrical component management. Midtronics plans to add these new capabilities to its existing RFID portfolio as they continue to move forward with key customer programs.
The core technology in the license relates to using RFID technology on electrical components, where test information is stored on the component along every service step within its life cycle. In addition, core information about the component can also be combined with the test history. This historical RFID stored information can be used by diagnostic equipment to better understand component performance and to remove the need for manual user input of component information.
“Midtronics continues to search out and develop unique technologies that help us provide the best battery management solutions to our customers,” said Mike Troy, executive vice president and general manager, transportation division at Midtronics. “The development of RFID technology solutions will help us continue to evolve the level of information and improvement we can help our battery management customers achieve.”
“The commercialization of this technology will add significant value to our customers by providing quick and accurate product history for each unit,” said Bruce Purkey, a director of Battery Dynamics Group and president of Purkey’s Fleet Electric. “This will go far to streamline inventory control as well as warranty processing.” |
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