Valence Technology to Provide Lithium Phosphate Battery Packs to The Tanfield Group
07 February 2008
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| The US version of the Smith Electric Vehicle Newton. |
Valence Technology, Inc. has entered into a contract with The Tanfield Group Plc to manufacture and supply Lithium Phosphate energy storage systems to power Tanfield’s all-electric commercial delivery vehicles. The Valence battery systems will be installed in vans and trucks produced by Tanfield’s UK-based trading division, Smith Electric Vehicles, the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vans and trucks.
Under the agreement, Tanfield will purchase up to $70 million of Valence products in the contract’s first phase. Valence has already received a firm purchase order for the first calendar quarter.
The agreement will also result in Tanfield becoming the first volume customer for Valence’s third generation Lithium Phosphate Epoch technology, a battery system equipped with an advanced management system that monitors and automatically adjusts cell performance so battery packs operate at their optimum performance capacity. (Earlier post.)
The Epoch systems deliver significant electronic, mechanical and thermal improvements over Valence’s second-generation U-Charge product, according to the company. Some of the main advantages are fail soft capability designed to eliminate system failure caused by a single cell, improved balancing for optimized energy delivery, enhanced SOC calculation, higher system voltage capability, field serviceability, remote access capability and higher continuous discharge capability.
Epoch systems have a life cycle comprising more than 2,000 charge cycles when deep discharged in demanding electric vehicle applications.
The Epoch brand of customizable battery packs will be available in 12.8 volt and 19.2 volt modules and will allow users scalability up to 390 kWh.
We are constantly looking for new, cost-effective technologies that can improve our zero emission commercial electric vehicles and broaden our customer base. The Valence battery pack is an efficient, inherently robust and reliable system that gives us greatly increased flexibility in vehicle design.
—Darren Kell, Chief Executive of The Tanfield Group Plc
Tanfield launched the first of its new generation of Smith zero-emission commercial vehicles in December 2006. Customers include Sainsbury's Online, the Royal Mail, TNT Express, Carlsberg, Balfour Beatty, Amey Construction and DHL Exel Supply Chain. Smith launched its first United States-specific vehicle at EVS-23 in California in December 2007. (Earlier post.)
Resources
Epoch data sheet
Now we just have to wait for gas to hit $7 per gallon in the US to make this economically viable.
Posted by: Realist | 07 February 2008 at 10:03 AM
Congratulations to Valence! This is their breakthrough deal. Valence did not really do anything important until this order. Now we just need to see some profit making.
Posted by: Henrik | 07 February 2008 at 10:11 AM
Any advanced battery maker getting contracts is good news! Their new Epoch system might be the ticket. If Oxygen starts really producing scooters, Brammo starts putting out the Enertia, and Oemtek starts conversions it could be an interesting year.
Posted by: paul | 07 February 2008 at 10:19 AM
Realist,
You may want to read this article - http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=11097
Even with their older battery technology and cheaper gas, Smith evs cost significantly less than comparable ICE vehicles.
Posted by: Don | 07 February 2008 at 02:52 PM
Does cheaper mean before or after UK road taxes and other incentives are included? I suspect it is cheaper in the UK but after reading the article. I'm not convinced it will apply to the US market. But I'm open to further evidence.
Posted by: Realist | 07 February 2008 at 05:48 PM
Realist....Let's see if you can handle reality & the truth beyond penny pinching & a tallysheet.
Even confirming reports a year old, show that children are dying & diseased in increasing numbers, the closer they live, play & school to freeways filled with internal combustion engines(ICE). More recent articles link ICE fine particulate matter from diesel ICE with heart disease. Really recent reports link ICE nano particles from both diesel & gasoline even more assuredly with heart disease.
So the years we smuggly thought we had conquered dreaded lung disease from ICE pollution, now show we weren't looking very hard for aggrandizing punishments to human life from further assaults of ICE. In your case you willfully turn your back on the data of ICE suffering in favor of an accounting ledger.
My Northwest produces equivalent power kilowatt to HP at only 4% of mobile ICE. & almost none of that pollution is produced at the point of motion near humans. Thus, my Electric bike travels through town with only 1/700th the pollution of ICE! Its time to put your tallysheet down & visit some ICE infected children.
I repeat:lets get electric storage densities way up, electric charge times way down & EVs way many. Let ICE die a natural economic death, that people will live. Long live EVs.
Posted by: litesong | 07 February 2008 at 11:59 PM
The "Realist" commentor,...said it all. We need to move forward "like troops after terrorists" if we're going to keep human progress moving forward without needing to sacrifice "bits and pieces" of our human society at large.
All the Best
Posted by: Frank B | 08 February 2008 at 06:51 AM
Some facts here:
http://www.valence.com/assets/pdf/vlnc_epoch_data_sheet.pdf
Interesting - the EEV version has 1306 Wh and weighs 15.6kg. At 80% discharge that's about 1KWhr.
A descent PHEV, with 100km E range, would need about 10 of these, weighing 160kg or so. Having a 650cc range extender instead of a 1.6litre engine would save some of that weight.
Ten of these would output about 50KW for 10 seconds. So 500KJ in 10 seconds. Assuming a 1 ton vehicle, it could reach 60 mph in 10 seconds. The system might benefit from some 500KJ Ultra capacitor.
This is now feasible for a PHEV. Rather than seeing a specialist car like the Volt, take a standard small car (Ford Focus or Fiesta, Toyota Corolla). Take out the big engine drive shafts etc and put in place a 600cc engine and 10 of these batteries. Add four 30KW Hub motors, with individual traction control.
You have the perfect second car for shopping and the school run.
Posted by: Alex | 08 February 2008 at 10:15 AM
QUESTION=WHERE CAN I GET ELECTRIC WHEEL MOTORS AND WHATS THE BEST ELECTRIC DRIVE MOTOR TO USE WITH SMALL CARS???? ALSO IN MOST FOREIGN COUNTRIES YOU CAN'T DRIVE AROUND IN"JUNK"VEHICLES,ITS FORBIDDEN AND THE POLICE DEPT'S HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE YOU OFF THE ROAD TILL YOU GET IT FIXED PERIOD {NOT LIKE USA}
Posted by: theodore l malnick | 08 February 2008 at 12:22 PM
Theodore,
http://www.pmlflightlink.co.uk/ seem to be in the lead on hub motors. Have a look at the QED. I doubt if YOU can get them yet, unless you want to buy a few thousand.
The problem with a lot of the BEVs is that they've taken junk platform from India or built their own. I'd like to see Ford and other main stream manufacturers take their standard, excellent platform / chassis (complete with NCAP 4/5 star ratings) and convert them.
To know such a Fiesta / Polo / Yaris was electric, you'd have to look closely at the wheels, listen to the absence of noise, and watch the gearless fast start at the lights.
Posted by: Alex | 09 February 2008 at 12:08 AM
There are sites online for people that convert cars to EV. Online magazines like Electrifying Times may be a good place to start.
http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/
Most just use brushed lower voltage motors. The high voltage brushless motors tend to cost a lot more in the small numbers that hobby people use. Maybe some day they will do a cooperative and pool their buying power, who knows?
Posted by: sjc | 09 February 2008 at 07:23 PM
Alex,
I agree. I like the BYD plug-in series/parallel EV hybrid design. The car can be driven by the engine (ICE) or engine+motor (Parallel hybrid) or engine+alternator->motor (Series hybrid) or just motor (EV).
This seems really flexible to me. I can go around town on motor only, use the engine+motor for sprints on the freeway or user the series hybrid engine+alternator->motor for maximum highway cruising mileage. If one component fails another can take over. It can climb like a parallel hybrid and get the economy of a series hybrid.
Posted by: sjc | 10 February 2008 at 02:24 PM
It'll be really revolutionary....
Posted by: Deepak | 12 June 2008 at 07:14 AM
I am converting a "brand new" lectric leopard (it has been sitting in a dealership for 28 years and never titled, so it can qualify for the credit as a new vehicle.
I am removing the LA batteries (1025#) and substituting the LiFePO4 batteries (250# for 16x3.2 volt, 200 Ah, 600 amp). I plan to have 4 x 12v deep charge batteries as back up. I want to get 110 mile range (at 50 mph) to get to work and back. I also plan to have two 45 watt solar collectors on the roof to get whatever I can get during a 9 hour work day in the parking lot.
Comments?
Posted by: Lou Gibbons | 30 July 2008 at 08:00 AM