Kokam introduces new XPAND Li-ion pack for electric vehicle manufacturers; advanced liquid cooling, 150 Wh/kg
06 March 2017
Kokam Co., Ltd, has introduced the XPAND battery pack, delivering electric vehicle manufacturers a safe, high-performance, cost-effective battery solution for electric bus, tram, truck, ground support equipment (GSE), military, marine, special-purpose and other commercial and industrial electric vehicle (EV) applications.
The XPAND battery pack will be offered in two versions: the 7.1 kWh XMP71P and the 11.4 kWh XMP114E. Both versions are easily scalable, able to support EV applications from 7.1 kWh up to 1.5 MWh of capacity, in a wide variety of voltages.
The result of four years of extensive R&D and product development efforts, the new XPAND battery pack features advanced battery technologies that meet or exceed practically all existing standards for EV battery safety. For example, the battery cells’ ceramic separator and other battery pack thermal containment technologies prevent thermal runaway propagation.
These and other advanced battery technologies enabled the XPAND battery pack to secure an IP67 rating, confirming that it is fully protected from dust and can be submerged in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. In addition, the XPAND battery pack has been developed according to ISO 12405, ECE R100, J2929, and ISO 26262 standards and is UN38.3 certified.
The XPAND pack also provides a high-level of cost-effective performance to the EV market. The XPAND’s advanced liquid cooling system offers direct cooling to the battery cells’ face, maximizing volumetric efficiency by reducing the mass of the system by up to 75% compared to air-cooled systems. These and other advanced battery technologies allow the XPAND battery pack to achieve an energy density of up to 150 watt hours per kilogram (Wh/kg).
The XMP71P battery pack’s 40Ah Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) Oxide cells have a long lifespan with cycle lives of more than 6,000 cycles. XPAND’s modular “plug-and-play” design, with all external connections on the front panel, makes it easy to engineer XPAND into a wide variety of EV applications and service the battery pack in the field.
XPAND’s battery management system (BMS) features diagnostics, battery state estimate and a flexible system architecture, providing more accurate State of Charge (SOC) and State of Health (SOH) data, helping EV operators more accurately estimate how long they can continue to drive their EV before recharging.
The battery system has been tested to meet the strict electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements of international marine and transportation customers in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Manufactured in the United States in a fully automated, 700 megawatt hour (MWh) cell manufacturing and pack assembly facility, XPAND addresses the rapidly growing market for electric bus, tram and other commercial and industrial EV battery solutions.
Research firm Technavio recently predicted that the global electric bus market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 27% between 2016 and 2020.
As the world continues to accelerate its transition to a cleaner, more efficient electricity-based economy, the demand for electric buses, trams and other commercial and industrial EVs is growing at a rapid pace, as is the competition in this market. Several major EV manufacturers who have started using XPAND believe it will provide them with a competitive advantage in this growing market, enabling them to easily engineer into their EVs a cost-effective, high performance battery solution that not only meets, but exceeds, their safety requirements.
—Ike Hong, vice president of Kokam’s Power Solutions Division
Kokam Co., Ltd has provided a wide range of lithium ion/polymer battery solutions to customers in over 50 countries and many different industries, including the military, aerospace, marine, Electric Vehicle (EV), Energy Storage System (ESS) and industrial markets. Kokam has more than 150 battery-related patents and a total of 650-megawatt hours of field performance.
There are a lot of specialty vehicles makers (military and utility vehicles) that will need a flexible solution as this from KOKAM in order to offer BEV solutions instead of their diesel solutions.
It will be too costly for these low volume manufactures to develop their own battery packs.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 06 March 2017 at 04:38 AM
Had to ask the oracle Kokam diesel support?
In addition to supporting or supplementing diesel and other engines, the ..
Having third party suppliers is a huge advantage to development of BEVs' which of course is also applicable albeit a different clientele level the H2 players.
There are others in the game and we should expect the likes of Tesla's gigafactory will be aggressive players.
Automotive market specific variants are still nascent.
Posted by: Arnold | 06 March 2017 at 02:05 PM
What is the price per kWh?
Posted by: Roger Pham | 06 March 2017 at 03:35 PM