The Power of Balance
All-electric, battery powered vehicles (EVs) have been demonstrated by many developers but have not reached widespread commercialization because of the high cost and low performance of the batteries.
Recent progress in Lithium Ion battery technology makes it commercially viable to use all-electric vehicles in certain niche applications. A number of OEMs and independent developers have announced plans to introduce a new generation of electric vehicles in the near future.
The batteries for EVs require high capacity and power, while thermal management issues are of secondary concern. The paramount issues in EV applications are the cell cycle life and quality. EVs will require at least 20-25 kWh packs to provide a minimum range of 100 km. Battery packs of that size will consist of many cells. Current mass production technology limits the practical size of the cell to approximately 3 Ah. In addition, the cells have to be of extremely high quality to ensure durability of the pack. In the near future, higher capacity cells may be possible, enabling wider commercialization of EVs.
The ALP Connection
ALP has several products designed for EV applications such as urban cars, delivery vehicles, special purpose commercial vehicles, etc. Based on our 5 kWh EV/PHEV module and control software, virtually any size pack can be custom built for specific applications.
ALP’s cells have extremely high quality. This stems from rigorous manufacturing process control, which results in cells that are practically identical; a quality that is extremely important in large pack design.
