Help & advice choosing batteries please

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bluedalmatian
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Location: Nantwich Cheshire

Help & advice choosing batteries please

Postby bluedalmatian » Thu Mar 25, 2010 11:25 pm

I was wondering what the best choice of batteries are in terms of quality & reliability.

Im currently looking at the 40Ah ThunderSky cells but I could ideally do with something a little smaller.

Which do you regards as the best TS or HiPower? Anyone have any experience with A123 or know where to get them(!)

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retepsnikrep
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Re: Help & advice choosing batteries please

Postby retepsnikrep » Fri Mar 26, 2010 6:25 am

I've had a selection of Lithium cells over the years.

I had 30 x 200ah TS cells 7 years ago and they were good until i over discharged them. I got four years road use out of them, might have lasted 6 years before IR got too high IMO. I still use about 20 of them in my windpower setup. I would buy TS again.

I've had a set of 50 x 40ah hipower cells for around two years now and they are good. I had one unexplained cell failure within first year but replaced free. (Get a couple of spares) They are now available in a new variant with higher power but slightly bigger/heavier. I am using the older highpower cells at the limit for regen and pushing 50A into them on occasion which probably explains my cell failure. I would buy them again as well, they are available from david cowperthwaite in UK.

I also have a set of 48 Lifebatt 8ah cells. They can deliver the current very well but are expensive. I would buy the 15ah variant if I used them again, the 8ah are a little small for my application and struggle with high regen 50A! They are available from Ian the UK Lifebatt rep.

I also have on order 52 x 20ah A123 pouch cells but can't report on them until I get them and they have been installed etc. On paper they look the best being light and with very good power/current delivery. You can get them from cell_man who posts on this forum. http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/vi ... 14&t=15093 They don't look particulary easy to terminate though so that may be interesting.

The nut and bolt prismatic or cylindrical cells are very easy to deal with and interconnect.

In conclusion most modern lithium cells will perform fine so the choice comes down to cost/size/specs

Don't forget to factor in a BMS of some sort.

Peter
Regards Peter

Two MK1 Honda Insight's. One running 20ah A123 Lithium pack. One 8ah BetterBattery Nimh pack.
One HCH1 Civic Hybrid running 60ah A123 Lithium pack.

Alan Ward
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Re: Help & advice choosing batteries please

Postby Alan Ward » Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:46 pm

I was interested to read of this new factory in Finland for large Li-ion cells, and wonder if anyone has information on the European Batteries Co. This is from their www. Alan

Li-ion battery factory in Finland.
European Batteries Oy develops and manufactures large, rechargable lithium-ion based prismatic cells and battery systems, utilizing the industry’s leading technology and know-how. We are proud to present proven expertise and top-notch achievements in creating advanced battery solutions. As we continue to improve the overall quality of our systems as well as our production efficiency, we sincerely believe European Batteries is able to add substantial value for those looking to get more out of their investments in sustainable energy technologies.

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timpootle
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Re: Help & advice choosing batteries please

Postby timpootle » Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:19 pm

http://www.europeanbatteries.com/

has the same postal address, but different phone number, as

http://www.fevt.com/

which is the company Jukka Jarvinen was involved with, and presumably still is. Jukka is well respected on the Yahoo! group http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ThunderSky/ and his vehicles are on the evalbum:
http://evalbum.com/1206
http://evalbum.com/641
http://evalbum.com/1007
http://evalbum.com/1009

HTH
Tim Crumpton

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Re: Help & advice choosing batteries please

Postby GregsGarage » Wed Mar 31, 2010 11:11 am

It looks like they are coming out with a similar product range as LifeBatt and Valence, that is a fully integrated battery and bms. I would expect the quality to be extremely high, and a price tag that reflects this. Jukka has contributed a lot to the EV community through his posts on the thundersky group, but FEVT doesn't sell to, or do individual conversions other than for in-house development. They are interested in larger contracts, so it will be interesting to see if European Batteries will sell to individuals. I expect that if you did get some you wouldn't be disappointed.
Greg Fordyce

Daewoo Matiz
http://www.evalbum.com/4191


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