Johnson Controls-Saft Announces Second Lithium-Ion Hybrid Battery Production Contract
14 October 2008
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| VL6P power vs. energy during 10s pulses at various temperatures. Click to enlarge. Source: JCS |
Johnson Controls-Saft (JCS) will be providing lithium-ion batteries for production versions of BMW’s 7 Series ActiveHybrid car, currently being showcased at the Paris motor show. (Earlier post.) The ActiveHybrid is a mild hybrid configuration.
JCS will use its new high-power 6.8 Ah VL6P cells in the BMW packs. The VL6P, developed under several cost share programs with the sponsorship of USABC (FreedomCar) and the Department of Energy in the USA, is targeted for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and high power applications, said Frederic Bonhomme, Johnson Controls-Saft USA, in a paper presented at the recent 1st International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automobile Applications, organized by Argonne National Laboratory.
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| The VL6P cell is 38mm in diameter by 145mm in length. |
The VL6P cell uses a LiNixCoyAlzO2 cathode material paired with low-cost graphite anodes, and proprietary electrolyte mixtures based on alkylcarbonates and LiPF6 salt with vinylene carbonate additive.
The cylindrical VL6P cells offer discharge power densities (10s pulse to 2.5 V) of 3,470 W/kg (7,375 W/L) and regen densities (10s pulse to 4.1 V) of 2,295 W/kg (4,875 W/L).
Total energy per cell is 25 Wh; available energy (assuming 30% to 70%) is 10 Wh.
This BMW contract is the second automotive lithium-ion production contract for Johnson Controls-Saft, which is also providing the Li-ion packs for the Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHYBRID. (Earlier post.)
The lithium-ion cells and modules for BMW will be produced at the Johnson Controls-Saft production facility in Nersac, France. The facility opened in January 2008 and is scaleable as demand increases.
Additionally, the company says that it has multiple development contracts underway for lithium-ion batteries for HEVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
JCS also has the contract for Ford's PHEV Escape fleet. And Renault has indicated a desire to manufacture their EV batteries in France. Japan is building factories, Germany, Korea, China likewise.
Looks more an more like the EV battery business will not be located in any one area - but in many areas around the world. And why not. Manufacturers are concerned about quality and import costs. And governments want plays in the electrification to remain at home. Plenty of markets and opportunities for multiple workforces to enter this field. Good times ahead for EV industry.
Posted by: sulleny | 14 October 2008 at 11:07 AM
Interesting how one of the top "Applications" for these batteries (as listed on Saft's website) is "Directed Energy Devices". Lithium batteries for lasers? Must take quite a large battery pack as even the chemically powered lasers require a vehicle nearly the size of a tractor trailer to house everything.
In case anyone is wondering, they list the VL34P (same series of battery in larger size) as providing 120W-hr/kg
Posted by: | 14 October 2008 at 03:55 PM
Doesn't it strike anyone here as complete horses$@# that JCI used US taxpayer money to develop the technology (read: reduce its financial and technology risk), but the jobs making them will be in France?
No other government would allow that, why does ours? Government by and for just whom?
Posted by: factory rat | 14 October 2008 at 07:51 PM
Johnson Controls-Saft is not Johnson Controls. It doesn't bother me that Saft is in France. These sales are to the EU market.
Saft had the cell fabrication experience. Johnson Controls formed a joint venture with them. And I'm glad to see these batteries actually headed for production.
(whether these very high-end cars are really production models in a meaningful sense is unclear).
Posted by: K | 14 October 2008 at 10:50 PM
@ factory rat: you dumb?
Posted by: | 15 October 2008 at 12:41 AM
"they list the VL34P as providing 120W-hr/kg"
Except only 40% SOC is available (30-70%) in the hybrid application, meaning effectively 48 Wh/kg.
By comparison, a titanate battery may have 'only' 90 Wh/kg presently, but you can utilise 100% of that, so being in practice half the weight of the battery with the 'better' energy density.
Posted by: clett | 15 October 2008 at 01:47 AM
For the record, the taxpayer money that Johnson Controls received does go to jobs here in the US. It's people in the US that are developing the cells and making sure they work and work right before they are manufactured in another country. And it's the developmental phase that costs the money. I don't know the numbers, but I'm sure Johnsons Controls has put more money into the development of these batteries than they have been handed by the government.
Posted by: | 15 October 2008 at 06:10 AM
A possible showstopper I'm concerned about with the SAFT Li-ion batteries is, cobalt is not among the most common elements. I hope it will eventually be possible to utilize the potential of lithium, without having to use cobalt or any other rare element.
Posted by: Alex Kovnat | 15 October 2008 at 07:10 AM
These cathodes use cobalt as a lithiated mixed oxide - stoichio-metrically expressed as LiCoO2.
World production of cobalt has increased steadily year-on-year, and has almost trebled from around 20,000t in 1995 to an estimated 54,000t in 2005, an average rate of growth of over 12%. Swiss Bank spots cobalt at an average $45/lb, 2008.
Growth in future production of cobalt is increasingly dependent on nickel and copper projects, which are themselves dependent on demand for the primary metals. The potential additional capacity for 2007-2008 is around 5,500t with the Ravensthorpe and Browns nickel-cobalt projects in Australia.
Roskill Metal and Minerals Report indicates middle term growth of cobalt production as "optimistic" with no sign of significant shortages.
Posted by: gr | 15 October 2008 at 09:17 AM
For the record: The two elements you mentioned were performed in the EU.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2004/06/04/198483.html
"The Johnson Controls advanced battery hybrid systems team -- located at the company's headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- will lead the development program. Cell and module development efforts will be carried out at the firm's Hannover, Germany facility. Additional work on the battery- management system will be performed at the Johnson Controls Automotive Electronics facility in Cergy-Pontoise, France. Johnson Controls has a battery-management system called Powerwatch(TM) that monitors and manages a vehicle's energy throughput and battery condition, providing information to onboard control systems. This data is useful in improving fuel economy and optimizing battery life in all types of cars, trucks and vans. It also can help to reduce emissions, even in conventional powertrain vehicles enhanced with stop/start technology. The company's facility in Hannover has had significant involvement to date in developing nickel-metal-hydride and lithium-ion batteries for passenger cars. It also manufactures nickel-metal- hydride battery systems for European bus applications."
Posted by: factory rat | 15 October 2008 at 11:27 AM
Directed energy weapons, battlefield lasers and microwaves are a big market for advanced batteries.. they are working on high power solid state lasers, 100kw?.. and once that is made to work then you will see these things mounted in HUMVEES and other small vehicles.. used to shoot down incoming rockets, shells and mortars. I read somewhere these vehicles will need about 10kwh packs, nothing too large.
Chemical lasers are too bulky and dangerous for this kind of application.
Posted by: | 16 October 2008 at 05:44 AM
Why is it that the positive news of progress meets sour silence at GCC? Do people here not like progress? Or is there an agenda in play.
Posted by: wundering | 16 October 2008 at 11:47 AM