paulob1 Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 I have well over 200 batteries of all shapes and sizes in all my vehicles, I have tried over the years everything from the cheapest to the most expensive, and Hawker Armasafe seem the best but even they don't seem to last as long as they did...my core business is Commercial Solar and battery tech...so I thought why don't I look at making a long term reliable alternative. SO I started with NATO std 6T and the hawker Armasafe 6t Battery...took the spec and looked into making a similar product using a lithium based product. the major difference is lead acid battery has 900 plus cycles ours has plus 3000 cycles, likely 6000 in total... lead acid battery weights 40 kg our battery weighs in at 19.8 approximately half the weight. lead acid battery works to around 10 volts before it damages the battery....ours can go to zero volts and still recharge....(not recommended as it does shorten the life if done a lot.) lead acid 1225 CCA we have 1500CCA The prototype I have, its been used in my 433/432/daf DROPS next and so far so good we are trying as many vehicles as we can to get an idea how it survives... we always recommend that they are kept insulated in temperatures below -10. I am looking for more users...to be guinea pigs really, its the only real way to test them, people do the most silly things with batteries and I want to know how they fail...if they do... and if they do why you will get them with 2 year warranties and a special discount. It is not your aim to break them, by the way, its to use a them and see if they break under normal use...for instant if you drop them of the top of the 432 they are not likely to survive. List price is £450 pounds we are looking for 20 users want them for £250. each and will test them...they come complete with LCD display. they should last up to 10-12 years or more...thats at least 3 sets of Hawkers and likely 6-12 sets of Turkish ones...my savings should be massive over the next 10-12 years... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Obviously this is a great idea and high time, but I have questions: What lithium technology and cell packaging are you using? What BMS and contactor are you using? Is recharge under freezing conditions disabled? Is there a pack heater to warm the battery while freezing to enable charging? Part of a lasting battery surviving is the other hazards, what IP-rating did you go for IP5,6? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulob1 Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 ooh yes all good questions... Lithium Iron phosphate, should make them last a lot longer... in house BMS we have currently a simple Bayonet fitting monitor to talk to it...we decided against Wifi or bluetooth for military reasons but may re think this for commercial applications as we can then seal it more thoroughly and not have a wired monitor... Hmm yes and no it will operate down to -20 but the BMS controls when it can and cannot charge. It has protective circuits to stop it being over charged or over discharged, so for instance if the the rectifier on the Alternator fails and it goes 'ac' it will protect the battery. It is a truck battery and we recommend it is not left out in freezing conditions without some limited form of insulation...ie not left totally open but within an enclosure and with some form of wrap if temps are expected to drop below -10 for long periods. As with all such batteries performance is reduced in very cold weather... the unit is ip65 rated, so don't jet wash it.. We currently recommend the battery is used at least every six months as it will lose charge over time but it is not as critical as a lead acid battery.. Tests are being done to see how long we really need beyond the recommendation. So far we have seen limited degradation of the batteries without use in the 6 month time frame. We have just taken then to zero and left them for around 6weeks and they are charging back up and running fine...Warranty 2 years. Its our first design and we think we have it right but there will be longer term issues no doubt but we will manage that...but realistically these will outlive lead acid by many many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulob1 Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 (edited) oops missed one of your questions prismatic cells, thin and rectangular gives good space for fitting into a battery pack.... ooh and the good news we are sourcing and currently having the parts made for us and then shipped to the UK for assembly and production...more of this to come and eventually we will design and build our own BMS as we have more ideas... we have a software team in Jamaica and a technical team in the Uk and will be extending the batteries functionality... Edited August 17 by paulob1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulob1 Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 We are not planning on making the lithium cells at this stage although I would love to source UK ones if such a thing existed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulob1 Posted August 25 Author Share Posted August 25 I should add we are also just redesigning one for higher density and one for 24 volts so replacing the two batteries with one...the 24volt one is the most interesting giving you plenty of space to either put a spare in parallel at 24 volts or to use it for extra storage...they will be a bit more expensive for the higher density and the 24volt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulob1 Posted August 28 Author Share Posted August 28 So finally we now have these, they will start your truck..unlike the cheap batteries on EBay which wont. They are lifepo4 inside not lithium ion, so much safer and last longer... 12v Nato 6t 110ah. 1500 CCA list £450, discount to HMVF £300 24v 6T batteries 140 ah £600. replaces two 12v batteries. still has 1500 CCA HMVF £550 24v 663 size truck batteries 240ah...1500CCA £600 replaces two heavy duty lead acid batteries. new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted August 30 Share Posted August 30 I'll be interested to hear when you get a US distributor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulob1 Posted Tuesday at 01:36 PM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 01:36 PM cripes we have only just started selling in the UK and the military are more interested in the 24v batteries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.