Ba eries

International
Issue 76 Spring/Summer 2010

North
Ameri
can su
Puttin pplier
profile
g the s
i
nto cu va
stome -va-voom
r servi
ce

Can this separator Molten salt batteries

outsmart the lithium
nail penetration test?
The EV conundrum:
time to make the
numbers stand up
Tributes as BCI's Moe
Desmarais moves on
show potential again
Optimism unbounded:
AABC Orlando review
and exhibition special
Exide’s Cheeseman:
‘confident we can
reinvent lead acid’

Bringing the industry together

www.batteriesinternational.com
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CONTENTS
PUTTING THE VA-VA-VOOM INTO CUSTOMER SERVICE 31
Batteries International took a sample of leading North American suppliers and asked them for their take on the
present business environment. What are the main trends? What changes have most affected their business after the
economic downturn? And what are their prospects?

EDITORIAL 2
Reasons to be anxious:
PETERSEN the next resource crisis of
Welcome to our new columnist, John L Petersen, the scourge of lazy thinking about the battery business 6 the 21st century 2

PEOPLE NEWS 12 1000

Output Energy Density
(Input Energy ensity x Efficiency
Metal-Air

BCI says fond farewell to Moe Desmarais, Craig becomes new president • McShane joins as EVP for International
Batteries
Weight Energy Density – kWh / ton

300
(Not rechargeable
Lighter

electricity)
SoNick

Battery • Axion Power adds Trego as CFO, Baker as CEO, Shindle as VP • Bolch takes over from Ulsh, O’Leary as 100
complete
battery
NaS Battery
Li-ion

Exide chief exec and president • PowerGenix hires Xu Gang Ni-Cd

30 Lead-Acid
Flow Batteries
Batteries
E.C. Capacitors

NEWS 17 10 Fly Wheels

10
Zinc-Air Rechargeable
30 100 300
Smaller

1000

Volume Energy Density – kWh / m3

FIAMM joins forces with MES-DEA in ringing endorsement of SMC • Sodium metal halide to fore as GE releases
Durathon battery • HOMER Energy releases design software • Corvus in NMC lithium tug boat venture • Nexeon Petersen: Electric
signs material evaluation agreement • e-Spark arrival delayed • New US rules on SLABs • Additional production vehicles and the fixed
lines for China Ritar as it moves into testing mode • Bidding war comes close to end as Chloride accepts ABB price • cost conundrum 6
New lead recovery technology to shift from smelting to chemical extraction • Axion to provide new BMS for train sets
• Exide expands in Brazil, ups UK brand presence • Johnson expands in China, GM to roll out new EVs • Asia UPS
sales surge in first quarter • NYSERDA, where the hot technologies are

NEW PRODUCT NEWS 26

Groundbreaking Li-ion separator set for market • Abertax releases another version of GRS VRLA valve
• Battery chargers for agricultural use • Dual input, dual output battery charge controller • Trojan updates deep cycle
renewable range of RE series • Exide launches industrial VRLA high frequency charger
All change at the top at
Exide as Bolch takes over
PROFILE: PAUL CHEESEMAN 40 from Ulsh, O’Leary 15
How advanced is advanced lead acid? And why is one of the largest battery manufacturers devoting resources to
reinventing the humble lead acid battery. Batteries International meets Exide’s top technologist

WEIBULL ANALYSIS 30
Knowing the approximate life characteristics of a number of battery technologies based on Weibull statistics can be a
useful predictive tool.

CONFERENCE IN PRINT 47
Ground-breaking lithium
Profile: Abertax and finding the perfect design mix battery separator moves
Better engineering and better engineering management offer a way ahead for battery industry suppliers. Batteries to manufacturing 26
International visited Abertax’s headquarters in Malta.
Optimism unbounded
The great and the good (and some of the others) of the battery and electric vehicle world descended on the 10th
International Advanced Automotive Battery and EC Capacitor Conference in Orlando, Florida in mid-May. The
conference was packed. The mood upbeat.The conclusions debatable
Spray drying by rotary atomization of lithium ion battery materials

UNSUNG HEROES 61
Paul Cheeseman: the next
Jungner and the unchangeable electrolyte new master of new lead
By the time the inventor of the nickel cadmium battery, Waldmar Jungner, died aged 55 he had provoked a complete acid technologies 40
rethink of many of the ways we look at battery chemistry.

Publisher: Don Cleary, publisher@batteriesinternational.com, +44 (0) 1580 712 323

Editor: Michael Halls, mhalls@batteriesinternational.com, +44 (0) 1798 839 338
Advertising manager Americas: Bob Schacht, bschacht@batteriesinternational.com +1 314 324 7494
Americas editor: Lynnda Greene, lgreene@batteriesinternational.com, +1 314 727-3893
Subscriptions manager: Paula Mills, subscriptions@batteriesinternational.com +44 (0) 1403 741 844
Assistant editor: Philip Moorcroft Staff reporters: Michael Bow
Production/design: Antony Parselle, aparselledesign@me.com
International advertising representation: advertising@batteriesinternational.com
The contents of this publication are protected by copyright. No unauthorised translation or Jungner: was there better
reproduction is permitted. ISSN 1462-6322 (c) 2010 Mustard Seed Publishing, EV chemistry in 1900 than
UK company no: 5976361. Printed in the UK via ThisismethodUK
in 2010? 61

www.batteriesinternational.com Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 1

EDITORIAL

The next resource crisis

of the 21st century
“There’s oil in the Middle East — but there are rare newer ones. Technology was on the march.
earths in China. We must take full advantage of this
resource.” And so to now. Rare earth elements with names that
sound like laxatives — Neodymium, Dysprosium,
An odd phrase at first sight, especially given its Lanthanum, Yttrium or Europium, for instance —
origins. are about to prove desperately important in the way
that the future energy and electronic economy of the
It was penned in 1992 by Deng Xiaoping the then- world will function.
Chinese leader — a visionary, who helped take China
from a peasant society to an industrial superpower in Questions over the availability of lithium are mere
a generation. distractions in comparison.

Deng’s point is a simple one when expanded. Next generation motors

The most important of these rare earths is probably
The world’s traditional energy supplies of oil come the metal Neodymium. Neodymium is essential for
from the Middle East, a region that has dominated so-called “permanent magnets” — the top of the
the global economy since the 1970s. Where the price range magnets that are used in generating electricity
of oil goes — here read the cost of energy — so does by wind turbines or running electric motors.
the health and wealth of nations.
Without decent electric motors, it doesn’t matter
And when alternative, more expensive to extract, what battery chemistry is being used, the world’s
sources of oil become affordable — think the future shift to electric vehicles or hybrids will be
bitumen sands of Alberta that give Canada the handicapped.
second largest reserves of oil in the world — these
same producers have tried their hardest to stop their Some of our dependence on these rare earths is new
oil coming to the petrol pump. to us all.

Feast to famine Others isn’t. The battery industry has known for
The easiest way has been to flood the market with years that progress using NiMH chemistry was
cheap oil. The oil price tanks. The multi-billion seriously constrained by the availability of the rare
dollar cost of developing such reserves becomes earth metal Lanthanum. The first generation Prius
uneconomical again. Oil firms pull away. The car for example needed 12kg of Lanthanum per
primacy of those in control is preserved. battery. Talk is that the latest Prius models will need
twice that.
Deng — who died in 1997 well before he could see
the truth of his forecast — understood that the future The trouble is the only current producer of
world economy was moving on from raw materials. Lanthanum is China. And that’s pretty much the case
Old sources of energy would need to be replaced by for Neodymium, Dysprosium, Yttrium, Europium

BATTERIES INTERNATIONAL GUIDE 2010

Issue 6 •
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EDITORIAL
and the other unspellables.

That situation is relatively

new. Go back a generation
and the US mined half of the
world’s rare earths. By 2002
this had slumped to zero as
its last specialist miner shut
its doors.

Adding to the problem is the

fact while there are some
mines that do produce rare
earth ores and oxides, China
is the only country on earth
where these can be refined
into rare earth metals. All
roads lead to China here.
Or put it another way,
all production lines flow
through (and are controlled)
by China.

If you’re of a cynical or
suspicious disposition one
wonders if the western world
might be about to suffer from
a new style variant of the
Alberta oil sands scam.

Because just before the US

found it uneconomical to
mine rare earths a glut of
them had flooded the market,
rendering their diggings uneconomic.
And the origin of the rare earths? China.
Since then the price has been heading up.
China recently slapped an export tax on rare earth
exports. The country is now warning that it might
need all its rare earths for itself in the future.
But that’s not all. China has set its sights on green
energy manufacturing. It can use its near-monopoly
on rare earths to require foreign companies seeking
access to them to locate their factories in China. And,
of course, it can build and operate these factories
themselves.
It’s far-fetched to think China plans to hold the
world to ransom over these metals. But it wouldn’t
be beyond the realms of possibility to reason
that China will want to insist that its own needs
for electric vehicles or wind turbines should take
precedence over the rest of the planet. They have the
history of the US as an example/
In effect, Chinese factories could become the
manufacturing centre for the energy storage
infrastructure and vehicles for the future.
China, as per their next five year plan, plans to do two
things — promote its own resources to benefit its own
citizens rather than push everything towards export
markets. It is also keen to make its own use of its
www.batteriesinternational.com
resources more environmentally friendly. Something, to
date, it’s not been good at and which has made its citizens
angry. China’s move to renewable energy, for example,
will almost certainly be placed ahead of foreigners.
But even if there is no reason to assume that China
is planning to hold the earth to ransom, the fact
that it can do so has to be a major concern for large
swathes of the batteries industry.
Finding a strategy
If a car manufacturer such as Toyota has to worry
— and there are reports that it has been deeply
concerned by this — about resourcing the basic
chemicals operating in the next generation of electric
vehicles then we have another complicating factor
as we struggle to a new and better world of energy
storage.
Time is running out. At some point in the next two
to five years Chinese domestic rare earth demand will
surpass supply. The fan could be well and truly hit.
We need to deal with this intelligently without anti-
China barrel-thumping or whining and whinging à la
Michigan manufacturers. To misquote US president
Barack Obama on another issue — this is the time we
should match strategy to resources and not put the
resource question before the one of strategy.
Mike Halls, editor
editor@batteriesinternational.com
Batteries International Winter 2010 3
PETERSEN
John Petersen says it’s time to critically examine the economics of electric
vehicles and consider how cheaper disruptive technologies — a classic
consequence of rapid technological change — could change the landscape.
EVs and the fixed
cost conundrum
I’m an unrepentant EV critic because
HEVs are more efficient users of bat-
teries, save five to six times more fuel
per kWh of battery capacity than EVs
and have lower CO2 emissions than
EVs plugged into a coal-fired grid.
More importantly, nobody has built
a decent sized fleet of EVs, put them
into the hands of normal people and
run them for several years to find out
how they’ll perform in the real world.
When I look at the broader picture,
I can’t classify EVs as more than an
experiment that will treat buyers like
lab rats — and make them pay for the
privilege.
While there are plenty of reasons
to criticize EVs, my biggest problems
arise from the trade-off between fixed
and variable costs.
In a conventional car with an inter-
nal combustion engine, the fixed cost
of the fuel tank is low and the variable
cost of fuel is high. In EVs the dynamic
is reversed. The fixed cost of the bat-
tery pack is high and the variable cost
of electricity is low.
At current US gasoline prices of $3
a gallon, a car that gets 25 mpg has a
fuel cost of $0.12 per mile. At current
EU prices of $6 a gallon, the fuel cost
All-in Cost Per Mile Driven
$0.40
$0.35
$0.30
Cost per Mile
$0.25
$0.20
$0.15
$0.10
$0.05
$0.00
6,250 12,500
6 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
is $0.24 per mile. The numbers will
move up and down with fuel prices,
but they won’t change because of a
buyer's driving habits.
In an EV, the cost calculation is more
complicated because there is a fixed
cost for the battery and a variable
cost for the electricity. The Wall Street
Journal recently reported that Nissan’s
cost of making a 100-mile battery
pack for the Leaf is about $18,000.
When you add Nissan’s normal 25%
gross profit, the cost at the end user
level is $24,000, or $1,000 per kWh.
Assumptions
Using some charitable assumptions
including a 10-year battery life, no
loss of capacity over time, no cycle-
life limitations and a $4,000 end of
life value, straight-line depreciation
on the battery pack is $2,000 a year,
which means:
• For a cabbie who drives 50,000
miles a year, the fixed cost is $0.04
per mile;
• For a route salesman who drives
25,000 miles a year, the fixed cost is
$0.08 per mile;
• For an average Joe who drives
– US ICE
– US EV
– EU ICE
– EU EV
18,750 25,000 31,250 37,500
Miles Driven per Year
12,500 miles a year, the fixed cost is
$0.16 per mile; and
• For an urbanite who drives 6,250
miles a year, the fixed cost is $0.32
per mile.
To calculate total cost of ownership,
we need to add $0.03 per mile for the
cost of electricity in the US and $0.04
per mile for the cost of electricity in
the EU. The graph compares the effec-
tive cost per mile of ICE vehicles and
EVs in the US and the EU based on
miles driven per year.
While many assume future electricity
prices will remain stable, I think that
assumption is deeply flawed because
the cost of carbon taxes and capital
investments in renewable energy and
the smart grid must ultimately be paid
by consumers. The rate of change in
electricity prices may be slower than
the rate of change in oil prices, but
it will still be substantial under every
reasonable scenario.
A more frightening unknown is serv-
ice life.
Batteries are easily damaged by
misuse and they degrade over time
whether they’re used or not. Human
beings are not as predictable as com-
puter test racks. Most of us don’t read
owner’s manuals from cover to cover
and even if we do we rarely follow
instructions because the temptation to
push the limits "just this once" is just
too strong to resist.
Since it doesn’t take many excep-
tions to cause a lot of battery damage,
I’d give long odds that lithium-ion
battery packs will not last 10 years in
an automobile.
Second life value is anybody’s guess.
I don’t expect rapid advances in
battery technology, but even improve-
ments of 5% a year would reduce the
cost of new battery pack to $14,500
by 2020. Since new batteries in 2020
will presumably offer better perform-
www.batteriesinternational.com
PETERSEN
ance, it seems unlikely that a future
buyer would pay more than scrap
value for a used pack based on 2010
technology that has lost 20% or 30%
of its capacity.
The bottom line is that EVs are only
economical when you buy no more
battery than you need and you use the
battery pack heavily.
That leads to a life and death
struggle between range anxiety and
affordability. When you factor in the
other uncertainties, I have to believe
that plans to electrify passenger cars
are doomed until a better answer
emerges.
Disruptive technologies
Despite the challenges facing EVs and
lithium-ion batteries, the mainstream
media seems convinced that the new-
wonder-batteries will make all other
batteries obsolete and store energy for
everything from iPads to windmills. It
makes for a great story, but it won’t
happen in our lifetimes.
Most of us are familiar with the con-
cept of disruptive technologies, a term
coined by Clayton M Christensen to
describe simple, low-cost technologies
that displace established technologies
as they mature.
According to Dr Christensen, dis-
ruptive technologies often lack refine-
ment and have performance problems
because they’re new, appeal to an
underserved market, and may not
yet have a proven application; but
their low cost creates new markets
that induce network effects and pro-
vide an incentive to enhance them to
match or even surpass the prevailing
technology.
The following graph illustrates the
phenomenon.
anding us
e for cranes and other applications.
Most dem
Performance
High qual
ity use gy
olo
hn
e tec
v
pti
Dis
ru
e
quality us
Medium
Low quality
use
Time
Reduced to basics, the public believes
the battery industry can take tech-
nologies that were developed for the
most demanding uses and make them
cheap enough for low quality uses that
require huge amounts of storage.
The belief flies in the face of time-
proven realities that technological
advances always lead to new appli-
cations the developers never con-
www.batteriesinternational.com
Competitive users for advanced batteries
Device type
Cellphones and MP3 players
Portable medical devices
Laptop computers
Electric bicycles and scooters
Hybrid electric vehicles
Uninterruptible power systems
Plug-in hybrid vehicles
Pure electric vehicles
Utility applications
I see a bright future for lithium-ion batteries in
high value applications that need modest battery
capacity, but think it’s naive to suggest that they’ll
become a dominant technology for EVs and
stationary applications that are incredibly price
sensitive.
templated and that modest users of
quality products are the fiercest price
competitors.
The table at the top of the page is a
simple hierarchy of possible lithium-
ion battery applications from the high-
est value per watt-hour to the lowest
value per watt-hour.
I see a bright future for lithium-ion
batteries in high value applications
that need modest battery capacity, but
think it’s naive to suggest that they’ll
become a dominant technology for
EVs and stationary applications that
are incredibly price sensitive.
Every reasonable battery producer
will sell its products to the custom-
ers that offer the highest margins.
With rapidly growing markets for
high value uses, nothing but surplus
and seconds will be left for use in
plug-in vehicles and utility applica-
tions.
Current developments
R&D spending on lead-acid bat-
teries was curtailed in the mid-70s
after VRLA batteries were brought
to market. While lead-acid research
was being curtailed, the emergence of
portable electronics led to rapid and
sustained growth of R&D spending
on advanced batteries, and a host of
new materials.
The dynamic didn’t change until
recently, when new large-scale energy
storage needs gave researchers reason
to go back and investigate the impact
of new manufacturing methods and
materials on old-line chemistries.
Battery capacity
5 watt-hours
10 to 50 watt-hours
10 to 50 watt-hours
500 to 1,000 watt-hours
1,000 to 1,500 watt-hours
2,000 to 8,000 watt-hours
10,000 to 16,000 watt-hours
24,000 to 50,000 watt-hours
500,000+ watt-hours
Once the work got started, the result
was almost magical.
A key development in the lead-acid
world was Axion Power's PbC battery,
an asymmetric lead-carbon capacitor
that was discussed at length in a recent
report from the US Naval Research
Laboratory which concluded that the
PbC and similar electrochemical capaci-
tors have the inherent potential to:
• deliver higher energy densities than
supercapacitors and faster charge-
discharge response than batteries;
• offer longer cycle life and lower
maintenance;
• significantly reduce the weight and
volume of power systems;
• facilitate deployment of hybrid-elec-
tric military vehicles; and
• facilitate regenerative power systems
At last month’s Advanced Automo-
tive Battery Conference in Orlando
Axion unveiled graphs (see top of
next page) that compare the dynamic
charge acceptance of the PbC battery
with conventional VRLA.
Equally important research has been
progressing at companies like General
Electric, which is developing a molten
salt battery for use in hybrid locomo-
tives and stationary applications, and
Italy’s FIAMM, which joined forces
with Switzerland’s MES-DEA to speed
commercialization of the Zebra bat-
tery through a newly formed company
named FZ Sonick.
Over the next year FZ Sonick
plans to triple production capacity
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 7
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agree, but our previous on-the-desk and comprehensive
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PETERSEN

to 300MWh and offer high energy

systems at prices that are competitive Dynamic charge acceptance graphs
with lithium-ion.
Given MES-DEA’s 12-year operating Standard Lead-Acid Battery (LAB) Axion PbC® Hybrid Battery/Supercapacitor
Dynamic HEV Cycling @ 80% SOC, PDRV Setpoint=12.60V, Channel 7/8C Dynamic HEV Cycling @ 80% SOC, PDRV Setpoint=10.00V, Channel 1/2C
history that has put thousands of elec- 20 110 20 110
tric cars, trucks and buses on the road 100 100
Charge Time (s) and Current (A)
Charge Time (s) and Current (A)

and subjected them to rigorous testing 90 90

15 15 80
in challenging conditions throughout 80
Europe, I expect FZ Sonick to become 70 70
Voltage (V)
Voltage (V)

60 60
a strong competitor in the energy stor- 10 10
50 50
age sector. 40
40
The graph at the bottom of the page 30
5 30 5
shows where electrochemical capaci- Charge Time
TOC Current 20
Charge Time
TOC Current 20
tors and sodium batteries fall in the TOCV
PCRV 10
TOCV
PCRV 10
PDRV PDRV
hierarchy of output energy densities. 0
EODV
0 0 EODV
0
0 2000 4000 6000
Both will improve with time, but 0 2000 4000 6000
molten salt could improve to a point Cycle Number Cycle Number
where it eclipses metal-air for the
energy density crown. I have no doubt that lithium-ion
The PbC is basically a power tech- chemistry will continue to advance
nology that is best suited to repetitive
Mark Twain taught us and that lithium batteries will be the
charge discharge cycling, like you find that history doesn't technology of choice when size and
in automotive stop-start systems. In weight are critical, and price is not a
comparison, molten salt batteries are repeat itself but it does priority. But I can’t buy the sugestion
best suited to storing large amounts rhyme. It is never wise that they’ll defy economic gravity and
of energy. supplant cheaper technologies like the
to ignore the lessons of PbC, which is better suited to low
My cloudy crystal ball history. value power applications, and molten
The key features that PbC and molten salt, which is better suited to low value
salt batteries have in common are that Energy Grid Integration Program, San- energy applications.
neither is a silver bullet, both are old- dia National Laboratories predicted Every industrial revolution in his-
line chemistries that use cheap and that the cost of asymmetric lead-car- tory has sprouted from innovation
plentiful raw materials, both can be bon capacitors like the PbC would fall that delivered more economic value at
easily recycled in existing facilities and by at least 50% over the next decade a lower economic cost. Government
both can be dramatically improved and the cost of molten salt batteries intervention to force suboptimal eco-
by using new manufacturing methods would fall by almost 80%. nomic solutions has invariably failed.
and materials. The price declines won’t come from Mark Twain taught us that history
Those common features leave both fundamental changes in battery chem- doesn't repeat itself but it does rhyme.
technologies in a position where they istry. It is never wise to ignore the lessons of
have substantial disruptive poten- Instead they’ll come from the normal history. ■
tial because there is ample room for learning process that occurs whenever
improved performance and reduced a new technology is introduced to
cost without reinventing the wheel. the market and improved by profit-
In a July 2008 report for its Solar motivated manufacturers.

1000
Output Energy Density
(Input Energy ensity x Efficiency
Metal-Air
Batteries
Weight Energy Density – kWh / ton

300
(Not rechargeable
Lighter

electricity)
SoNick
complete
battery Li-ion
100 NaS Battery

Ni-Cd John L Petersen, is a US lawyer

30 Lead-Acid
based in Switzerland who works
Flow Batteries as a partner in the law firm of Fefer
Batteries
Petersen & Cie and represents
E.C. Capacitors
Smaller North American, European and
10 Fly Wheels Zinc-Air Rechargeable Asian clients, principally in the
10 30 100 300 1000 energy and alternative energy sec-
tors. More of his thoughts can be
Volume Energy Density – kWh / m3 found on http://seekingalpha.com

www.batteriesinternational.com Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 9

• Self-contained and independent modules - to be supplied only with concentrated acid, water,
compressed air, electric power
• Production capacity grows step-by-step with the customers’ requirements
• Controlled conditions guarantee a repeatable and consistent quality of the formed battery
• High productivity: Short formation times and concentrated production
• Reliable and proven technology with more than 100 formation systems in operation worldwide
• Battery / cell type Traction, Stationary
• Module capacity 320 cells per cycle
Up to 100000 cells p.a.
• Formation time Down to 15 hours
• Length of module 8.0 m
• Width of module 2.0 m
• Height of module 5.0m
• Required energy per cell 30 W
• Sulphuric acid exhaust less 1 mg per m3
• Modules in operation > 100 worldwide
• Module includes acid mixing / preparation / storage
• Module includes acid cooling and cleaning
• Module includes exhaust fan / exhaust cleaning
• No electrical powered chiller required
• No excess acid with this process!

• Battery type Truck A, B, C / Gel bloc

• Module capacity 120 batteries per cycle
Up to 120000 batt. p.a.
• Formation time Down to 8 hours (C-type)
Down to 6 hours (B-type)
• Length of module 12.0 m
• Width of module 2.2 m
• Height of module 0.9m (conveyor)
• Required energy per battery 125 W
• Sulphuric acid exhaust less 1 mg per m3
• Modules in operation > 20 worldwide
• Module includes acid mixing / preparation / storage
• Module includes acid cooling and cleaning
• Module includes exhaust fan / exhaust cleaning
• No electrical powered chiller required
• No excess acid with this process!
PEOPLE NEWS
It’s all change at Battery Council International, the lead battery association.
However, the bi-annual changes made at board level have been eclipsed by
the departure of the much-loved Moe Desmarais.

BCI says fond

quarterbacking the Smith
Bucklin staff, did a formi-
dable job of assisting me
during my two years as BCI
president.

farewell to Moe
It’s the end of an era. Moe
Desmarais, executive vice
president at the Battery
Council International —
and the face of the organi-
zation for a decade — has
stepped down.
“I’ve enjoyed my time
working for the BCI,” says
Moe. “It’s been a privilege
working with so many in
the industry but the relent-
less travel — including the
commuting to downturn
Chicago — has proved too
much for me. You can only
enjoy life on the road for so
long. In my new job I’ll be
more based from home and
it’ll be good to spend more
time with my family.”
Moe’s swansong was prob-
ably organizing the BCI’s
last conference in May in
Austin, Texas which was
widely acclaimed as being
the best yet.
Moe started working for
the BCI in 2000 under the
“Through it all, Moe was absolutely
crucial to keeping everybody
right-sided and focused on
moving forward”
auspices of Smith Bucklin,
a management company
that looks after the interests
of associations such as the
BCI. Under Moe’s watch
the number of lead acid
manufacturers has stead-
ily climbed from just over
150, when he started to 235
nowadays.
Hal Hawk, who served as
president of the board from
2007 through 2008, and
has known him for more
than a decade said: “By the
time I took over we had a
pretty sizeable contingency
of lead acid battery mak-
ers,” he says, “but Moe,
“Through it all, Moe was
absolutely crucial to keep-
ing everybody right-sided
and focused on moving for-
ward,” he says.
“It was his idea to initiate
a relationship with China,
and we went there twice
to speak on lead acid bat-
tery issues. We did a lot of
lobbying together on vari-
ous issues demanding sup-
port, and he really helped
me, as membership chair,
to increase our membership
numbers, which, I’m happy
to say, we’ve kept through
tough times since.”
Don Langdon, retiring
chairman of the BCI board
for the last two years, is
similarly enthusiastic
about Moe. “He guided
the organization through
a period of tremendous
change. Consolidation,
regulation, and of course
the financial downturn, and

THE CURSE OF MOE — BEWARE LEVEL GROUND AHEAD!

It was uncanny,” said a colleague.
“One moment you’d be walking
next to Moe, the ground would be
flat — not a molehill or banana skin
in sight — the next he’d be flat on
his back, he’d be rushed to hospital
and come back in a cast. It was
a feature of regular life at the BCI
office.
“It happened so often we called it
the Curse of Moe.”
Some even believed Moe was an
undercover activist for shareholders
in plaster of Paris companies.
It started innocently enough a few
years back. One sunny afternoon
Moe was strolling down Michigan
Avenue, the next he’d broken his
knee and was in a cast for weeks.
Perhaps it was the sun in his eyes
that caused the fall?
An unlikely story. Just months
later on a rainy day, he gets on
a bus. The next thing the same
knee — Moe always had favourites
in these things — is broken and he
remains in a cast for weeks.
The more kindly in the office said
it was a knee thing. His long-time
assistant Ann Noll knew better,
cashing in her investments to buy
Gypsum futures.
In any event Moe soon set them
straight.
Summer sunshine. Gentle breezes
and blue, blue sea over Cape Cod.
What could possibly go wrong?
No need to say the rest. This time
it’s the arm that receives the plaster
of Paris.
“I think his insurance finally cut
him off for all those therapy ses-
sions he was required to take,” said
a close colleague.
“The good news is that he’s been
unhurt for the last year or so —
maybe the curse has worn off. Any-
how, we all wish him the best for
his new job.” ■

12 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 www.batteriesinternational.com

PEOPLE NEWS
all the pressures that put
on all organizations. Moe
was just great, just terrific
for our organization, very
professional — amiable and
unflappable, no matter what
the pressure.
“I will miss him person-
ally as a friend, and the
organization will definitely
miss his genial presence and
leadership.”
Desmarais’s considerable
people-skills, says Hawk,
were largely responsible for
carrying the organization so
successfully through a dec-
ade of profound changes,
including the rise of Asia, the
proliferation of electronic
technology and media and
communication, and the
globalization of markets,
workforces and risks result-
ing economic upheaval.
Though he would prob-
ably blush to hear him-
self described as a gifted
networker, the modest
Desmarais expanded the
council through the addi-
tions of two significant
industry organizations: the
Energy Battery Group in
2007, and the National
Alliance for Advanced
Transportation Batteries in
2009.
Both have helped the lead
acid industry claim a right-
ful place in the growing pan-
theon of nominally green
and clean energy sources.
Succeeding Desmarais is
Jim Kendzel who has over
20 years’ experience work-
ing for associations such as
the BCI.
Kendzel says he is aware
of the very large shoes he
must fill, but he’s eager to
continue Desmarais’ legacy
in matters of both growth
and image. A top priority,
he says, will be expanding
The Facts About Lead—
The Energy Solution, the
promotional programme
Desmarais helped launch
earlier this year.
“Moe is a tremendous tal-
ent in both the industry and
association management,”
he says. “He understood
that one of our greatest
challenges is to find new
ways to reframe lead acid’s
profile to both the industry
www.batteriesinternational.com
and the public as a bat- markets, nations and even “He made the council what
tery that is safe, recyclable, cultures, and of course, pre- it is, and he made us look
reliable and efficient — all siding over informative con- fantastic.”
attributes too few realize in ferences that facilitate good “I loved his patience, and
an increasingly fragmented business for members — in of course his unwavering
mediascape.” the midst of warp-speed commitment to lead acid. He
Desmarais’ contributions change, speaks volumes not was always willing to help,
to the Council and lead only about his devotion to he would do anything to con-
acid, however — expanding the field, but his immense nect people. A kind, kind
its membership, supporting personal skills. man!,” says Laura Schacht,
research and development, “He will be sorely missed, sales director at Bitrode
building relationships across I can tell you,” says Hawk. Corporation. ■
BCI LEADERSHIP — THOSE CHANGES AT THE TOP
And of course there have been major Alex Molinaroli, president, Power Solu-
changes at board level at Battery Coun- tions, Johnson Controls, was elected as
cil International. vice-president of the BCI board of direc-
tors. Molinaroli was elected a corporate
officer of Johnson Controls in May 2004
and has been president of the Power
Solutions business unit since January
2007.
Johnson Controls is a global provider
of lead-acid, hybrid and electric batteries
for vehicles, supplying energy storage
solutions to major automakers, aftermar-
ket retailers and distributors worldwide.
Molinaroli was previously vice presi-
dent and general manager for the North
American Systems Building Efficiency
business and joined Johnson Controls in
1983. Molinaroli has served on the BCI
board of directors since 2007.
Jeffrey Graves, president and chief
executive of C&D Technologies has been
elected treasurer of the BCI board of
directors. Graves has been a director
John Craig, (above) chairman, presi- of C&D Technologies and its head since
dent and chief executive of EnerSys has July 2005.
been appointed the next president of the Before this he was the chief execu-
BCI board of directors. His predecessor tive of Kemet Electronics Corporation,
Dan Langdon, chief executive at East a manufacturer of high-performance
Penn, steps down after two successful capacitor solutions.
years in the job. C&D Technologies is a technology
Under BCI rules, new presidents are company that produces and markets
elected annually but in practice their re- systems for the power conversion and
appointment after their first year of office storage of electrical power, including
is rubberstamped. They typically stand industrial batteries and electronics. Dr.
down at the end of the second year. Graves has served on the BCI board
Craig has been the chairman, presi- since 2006.
dent and CEO of EnerSys since 2000. Jim Kendzel, was chosen as the exec-
From 1998 to October 2000, he was utive vice president of the BCI, replac-
president and chief operating officer ing Moe Desmarais. The executive vice
of Yuasa the predecessor company to president serves as the lead staff person
EnerSys. He joined Yuasa in 1994. He reporting to the BCI board of directors.
is recognised as a man with extensive Kendzel comes to BCI with over 20
knowledge of the lead acid battery years of working at a senior level for
industry and the battery industry as a associations and other not-for-profit
whole. organizations. His career includes expe-
EnerSys is a global leader in stored rience in the development of national
energy solutions for industrial applica- and international products and system
tions with sales and service locations standards related to public health and
throughout the world. safety as well as extensive knowledge in
Craig has served on the BCI board of quality system development and product
directors since 2001. testing. ■
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 13
PEOPLE
McShane joins as EVP for
International Battery
David McShane has joined
International Battery as an
executive vice president for
business development and
engineering.
McShane’s professional
background is in the com-
mercialization of early-
stage technology-based
businesses.
Most recently as chief
executive of Wellington
Drive Technologies US he
gained the market leading
position for high-efficiency
fractional horse-power elec-
tric motors.
Axion Power adds Trego as CFO,
Baker as CEO, Shindle as VP
Three senior executives
started at the beginning
of April at Axion Power, a
US developer of advanced
lead-carbon batteries.
Charles Trego, 59,
became the new chief finan-
cial officer; Philip Baker,
62, becomes chief operat-
ing officer, a new posi-
tion; and Jack Shindle, 40,
became vice president for
engineering. All appoint-
ments will be effective as
of April 1st.
Trego most recently was
an executive vice president
and chief financial officer
of Minrad International,
an Amex-listed pharma-
ceutical and medical device
company. Minrad was
acquired by India’s Piramal
Healthcare in early 2009,
and Trego was an inte-
gral part of the acquisition
strategy and managed the
bridge financing through
the transition.
From 2005 to 2008, he
was chief financial officer
of Hardinge Inc, a Nasdaq-
listed global machine tool
company. From 2003 to
2005 he was chief finan-
cial officer and treasurer
of Latham International,
a privately held manu-
14 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
facturer and marketer of
swimming pool compo-
nents. He started his career
as an auditor with Ernst &
Whinney.
As an indication of where
the firm expects to grow in
the coming years, Axion
said: “Trego is experienced
in M&A activities, sup-
ply chain processes, infor-
mation systems, business
partnering, team building,
capital markets and risk
management, as well as
financial management best
practices.:
Baker comes from Trojan
Battery Company where
he worked from 1997 to
2009. From 2006 to 2009
he was senior vice presi-
dent and general manager
of a new battery facility
for which he led all the
phases of development and
operations in.
Axion said: “Baker guided
the lead-acid battery plant
from negotiations and per-
mitting forward, and is
considered to be an expert
in quality control and doc-
umentation, productivity
and the maximization of
uptime, automation and
the management of envi-
ronmental issues.”
McShane has held sen-
ior management posi-
tions at Capstone Turbine
Corporation, a manufac-
turer of small gas-turbine
systems for distributed gen-
eration, and Wavedriver
Ltd. (a UK developer of
electric and hybrid-electric
drive-train technology).
McShane is chartered elec-
trical engineer and inven-
tor with specializations in
power electronics & con-
trols and a Fellow of the
Institute of Engineering and
Technology (IET). ■ Meanwhile Phil Styles
Between 2001 and 2005
he worked at the Trojan
plant in Georgia as sen-
ior vice president and
general manager, where
introduced Kaizen events
and Six-Sigma tools and
improved productive out-
put by 20% in critical bot-
tleneck areas.
Before Trojan he worked
at Glen-Gery Corporation,
a manufacturer of build-
ing materials where 700
employees reported
upstream to him. He began
his career at the Houston
Brick & Tile Company.
Shindle joins from CTP-
Hydrogen Corp, which
was developing a hydro-
gen generator for fuel
cells. He worked as opera-
tions and ceramic manager
from mid-2005 until 2009
when he joined Axion as a
consultant.
From 2001 to 2005 he
worked at CellTechPower
where he directly super-
vised a team of scientists,
engineers, technicians and
operators in the develop-
ment of a liquid metal
anode solid oxide fuel cell.
Before that he was a senior
manufacturing engineer
Saint-Gobain Industrial
Gys makes
appointments
as part of UK
expansion plan
GYS Ltd, the French
welding equipment and
battery charger manufac-
turer has announced four
appointments.
Cédric Ouguergouz
has been promoted
to UK sales manager
responsible for sales of
all welding equipment,
battery chargers as
well as ancillary equip-
ment to an expanding
network of distributors.
has been appointed an
area sales manager cov-
ering the West Midlands
and Wales.
David Deventer has
been appointed business
development consult-
ant with the mandate to
introduce the GYS brand
and products to the north
of England, Scotland and
Northern Ireland. He has
over 20 years’ experi-
ence working within the
industry
Anthony Pierre joins
from GYS in France
as sales office manager
bringing with him the
experience of setting up
the GYS subsidiary in
Germany. ■
Ceramics Company from
1993 to 2001.
Shindle has several pat-
ents issued and pending,
and has co-authored sev-
eral articles on hydrogen
generation.
Thomas Granville, chair-
man of Axion said: “As
we advance toward com-
mercialization of our tech-
nology, it is time to right-
size our management, to
maintain our forward
momentum.
“All three individuals are
seasoned business veterans
and we believe their con-
tributions will help propel
us to our goals in 2010
and beyond.” ■
www.batteriesinternational.com
PEOPLE

Bolch takes over from Ulsh, O’Leary

as Exide chief exec and president
Exide Technologies has
appointed James Bolch as
its new president and CEO,
replacing Gordon Ulsh as
CEO who is retiring. Ulsh
was the key figure in the
transformation and turn
around of the troubled
company’s fortunes after it
emerged from Chapter 11
bankruptcy in late 2004.
Bolch, who starts on July
26, joins from Ingersoll
Rand Company, where he
was senior vice president
and president of the indus-
trial technologies sector.
Ulsh, who is 64, was to
have stepped down at the
end of June but difficul-
ties in finding his successor
prompted the delay.
Bolch takes over as presi-
dent from Edward O’Leary
— better known as ‘EJ’ and
one of Ulsh’s key recruits
in Exide’s transformation
in the mid-2000s — who
resigned as president and
chief operating officer on
June 16. He had announced
his intention to quit on June
2.
The resignation occurred
at the same time as the
battery manufacturer —
which had been hurt by
the economic downturn —
announced a loss for its
fiscal 2010 year of $11.8
million. This was its second
consecutive annual loss.
Analysts said that this was
far less than the $69.5 mil-
lion of the year before.
“The board of directors
conducted a comprehen-
sive review of a strong field
of candidates and has the
utmost confidence in Jim
Bolch,” said John Reilly,
chairman of the board of
Exide Technologies. “He is
the ideal leader for Exide,
combining deep operational
acumen with a proven track
record of driving innova-
tion and strategic growth.”
Bolch has spent 29 years
in global industrial busi-
nesses working in a vari-
ety of customer segments.
Since 2005, he has led the
$2.2 billion industrial tech-
nologies sector of Ingersoll
Rand, which includes air
compressors, tools, materi-
als handling, fluid handling
and compact vehicles.
Before this he worked
as executive vice presi-
dent of the service busi-
ness for Schindler Elevator
Corporation, where he led
the North American serv-
ices functions, including
sales, marketing and service
delivery.
Bolch also spent 21 years
with United Technologies
Corporation most latterly
as vice president, opera-
tions, for the UTC Power
Division, where he created
and implemented business
strategies to commercial-
ize fuel cell production for
distributed generation and
transportation markets. ■

PowerGenix hires Xu Gang to

advance product development
PowerGenix, a manufac-
turer of rechargeable nickel-
zinc batteries has recruited
Xu Gang, a senior figure
in the Chinese lithium-ion
rechargeable battery indus-
try, as managing direc-
tor of PowerGenix’s Asia
operations.
The firm says its operations
will focus on using nickel
zinc chemistry for both
transportation and stationary
power. “Nickel-zinc offers
several inherent advantages
for hybrid electric vehicles,
including high energy den-
sity, low cost, and safety,”
says the company.
“The technology is well
positioned to be a high
performance alternative to
lead-acid batteries for micro-
hybrids and to nickel-metal
hydride for mild/full HEVs.
“In an industry increas-
ingly focused on cost and
performance, NiZn batteries
are perfectly suited for the
needs of hybrid vehicles,”
said Xu.
Xu has more than 10 years’
experience overseeing battery
product development, engi-
neering, and manufacturing.
Xu has been a post-doctoral
fellow at the Institute of Israel
Technology. He received
his PhD from the Chinese
Academy of Sciences.
“Dr. Xu has an impressive
background and reputation
in the battery industry. With
his addition, PowerGenix
can launch its technology
into more demanding appli-
cations,” said PowerGenix
chief executive Dan Squiller.
“We are ready to take our
high performance batteries
to new markets and embark
on the company’s next stage
of growth.”
Xu previously oversaw
technology development at
Tianjin Lishen Battery. He
helped grow the manufac-
turer to becoming a key sup-
plier of lithium battery prod-
ucts to western power tool,
electronics, and transporta-
tion customers. ■

www.batteriesinternational.com Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 15

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NEWS
FIAMM joins forces with MES-DEA
in ringing endorsement of SMC
FIAMM, the Europe-based
battery manufacturing giant
and Switzerland-based MES-
DEA, one of the two pro-
ducers of industrial quantity
sodium nickel chloride bat-
teries worldwide, announced
in May that the two had
formed a new company
called FZ Sonick to market
molten salt batteries.
The move is important for
the development of the elec-
tric vehicle market. It pro-
vides an alternative energy
chemistry to lithium ion bat-
teries — but one already been
proven extensively across
Europe.
Its importance for the
future electric vehicle market
is partly because FIAMM’s
existing operations in
Waynesboro, Georgia in
the US may be expanded to
include sodium metal chlo-
ride (SMC) production —
although this has yet to be
confirmed.
It is also a fuller endorse-
ment of it as a valid battery
chemistry beyond the scope
of stationary applications.
Capacity expansion
FIAMM says there are also
plans to double capacity of
SMC batteries at its plant
in Stabio, in the south of
Switzerland.
Based on projected market
demand for energy storage
solutions, FZ Sonick says
it hopes to increase annual
production to 170MW annu-
ally from the 90MW level
achieved by MES-DEA.
This will help with the over-
load where demand has out-
stripped supply. (Although
this has apparently been in
part due to quality problems
in the cells’ manufacture
which resulted in some pre-
mature failures.)
“After more than 10 years
of steady testing and growth
in the transportation sector,
we are ready to also focus on
the stationary applications of
www.batteriesinternational.com
“Our sodium-nickel-chloride
technology has received attention
as an emerging alternative energy
source”
this innovative energy stor-
age technology,” says Cesare
Sinigaglia, former general
manager of MES-DEA and
FZ Sonick’s new managing
co-director.
MES-DEA has been pro-
ducing sodium-nickel-chlo-
ride batteries since 1998,
when it acquired the technol-
ogy from AEG and Daimler
while FIAMM has been test-
ing and developing sodium
metal chloride batteries since
2005.
Its antecedent is sodium
sulphur chemistry which has
a distinguished, if often unno-
ticed pedigree. Ford Motor
Company, for example, tri-
alled NaS batteries in a multi-
million dollar electric vehicle
fleet in the early 1990s, called
ECOSTAR.
The ECOSTAR project —
which ultimately was unsuc-
cessful — included exten-
sive fleet testing of over 100
cars. These were operated by
Ford in the US, the UK and
Germany.
The ECOSTAR fleet of
sodium sulphur batteries used
were able to deliver 37kWh
— substantially more two
decades ago than the bulk
of electric vehicles being pro-
posed in the next two years.
Sodium nickel chloride
“Our SONICK sodium-
nickel-chloride technology
enables a wider range of
applications than sodium sul-
fur (NaS) technology, which
has received attention as an
emerging alternative energy
source,” says a FZ Sonick
spokesperson.
He said the addition of
advanced battery technol-
ogy complements FIAMM’s
existing line of industrial
this chemistry will be the
next generation of industrial
energy storage for the tel-
ecom industry. It can be used
as a backup system for hybrid
telecom sites where non-grid
sources of power are utilized,
lead-acid batteries tradition- as well as in traditional base
ally used in telecoms, elec- stations powered by robust
tric utilities, data centers and or unstable electrical grids.
manufacturing sites.
FZ Sonick will be head- NGK, EDF Energy too
quartered in MES-DEA’s In February a consortium
Stabio plant where it employ- that included Japan’s NGK
ees some 190 staff. Insulators, EDF Energy,
Research and develop- MEIDEN and JWD signed
ment efforts will take place an agreement to develop
at FIAMM’s headquarters in large scale sodium sulphur
Italy. FZ Sonick has bought batteries to provide ancillary
all patents, intellectual prop- services in the UK which pro-
erty and manufacturing vide a smoother connection
equipment that were previ- to companies connected to
ously owned by MES-DEA. the national grid.
Sodium metal chemistry has “Large scale sodium sul-
already been used by MES- phur battery systems have
DEA in cars, municipal buses been used in several locations
and even as energy storage across the world to store
for NATO rescue submarine energy and provide various
systems. applications such as load lev-
elling, stabilizing renewable
GE Energy Storage energy and the grid system
Other firms are also look- and will be able to do so for
ing at sodium batteries. GE many years to come," said
Energy Storage Technologies, the consortium at the time.
a unit of GE Transportation, “We are working on a
put its new Durathon bat- demonstration project before
tery — sodium metal halide seeking to apply the technol-
chemistry — on display at ogy more widely.” ■
the end of March. GE says
SMC battery selling points
• High specific energy (120 Wh/kg) — three times
lighter and 30% smaller than conventional batteries
• Immunity to ambient temperature conditions — con-
stant performance and cycle life in harsh operating
environments (-40°F to +140°F)
• Long calendar and cycle life — 15 years or 2000
cycles at 80% DOD
• Infinite shelf life for cold/inactive batteries
• No memory effect
• Maintenance free
• Proprietary battery management system
• Low environmental impact and zero ambient
emissions
• Fully recyclable materials — free from toxic
materials
• Raw materials readily available -- minimal commod-
ity risk
Source: FZ Sonick presentation
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 17
NEWS
Sodium metal halide to fore as
GE releases Durathon battery
GE Energy Storage
Technologies, a unit of GE
Transportation, put its new
Durathon battery on dis-
play at the end of March.
The Durathon battery is
based on sodium metal hal-
ide chemistry.
GE says this chemistry
will be the next generation
of industrial energy storage
for the telecom industry. It
can be used as a backup sys-
tem for hybrid telecom sites
where non-grid sources of
power are used, as well as
in traditional base stations
that are powered by robust
or unstable electrical grids.
The Durathon battery
lasts up to 10 times longer
than traditional telecom
backup storage systems.
This reduces the total cost
of ownership and ensures
network efficiency and
optimization for wireless
providers.
The product of a $160
million investment by GE,
the Durathon battery is also
temperature insensitive,
allowing for coverage in
remote areas with extreme
weather conditions, an
HOMER Energy releases design software for
hybrid renewable power systems for microgrids
HOMER Energy, a US soft-
ware company, announced
in May the release of
HOMER today, the first
commercial release of its
microgrid design software
since it was licensed from
the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory.
The new version of
HOMER includes the ability
to model new storage tech-
nologies, such as flywheels
and zinc bromine flow bat-
teries, both of which will
allow designers to develop
larger systems that have a
higher contribution from
renewable energy.
18 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
important attribute as wire-
less providers continue to
expand coverage around
the globe.
Sodium battery technol-
ogy has been in existence
for more than 30 years, but
GE’s acquisition of Beta
R&D in 2007 jump-started
applications for mobile and
stationary energy storage.
Durathon technology uses
a patented sodium halide
chemistry.
The Durathon battery will
change the way providers
think about backup energy
storage and its importance in
maintaining network availa-
bility,” says Prescott Logan,
general manager GE Energy
Storage Technologies.
“As the telecommunica-
tions industry continues to
expand, it’s essential that
providers have reliable
backup power to ensure
continuous coverage for
consumers in all areas of
the globe”.
The batteries will rely
heavily on new materials,
new manufacturing tech-
nologies and intelligent
controls.
Increased renewable
energy adds to the require-
ment for “spinning” or
standby operating reserve
to bridge periods of vari-
ability in wind or solar
power sources.
Flywheels deliver short
bursts of power effectively
instantaneously to level the
delivery of energy in a hybrid
system, when additional gen-
eration needs to be brought
on-line suddenly. The new
zinc bromine flow batteries
deliver steady backup power
for hours and have a longer
life span than tradition lead
acid batteries.
GE announced in January
that it had received a $25.5
million advanced manufac-
turing credit for the con-
struction of a manufactur-
ing facility to develop next
generation energy storage
systems.
This was part of the 2009
American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act and will
be used to refurbish a pre-
existing GE manufactur-
ing facility in Schenectady,
New York. GE selected the
Schenectady site for energy
storage manufacturing in
August 2009.
The State of New York
has also partnered GE in the
construction of the facility
by pledging more than $15
million in incentives.
The new Durathon bat-
teries will be produced at
this plant which is sched-
uled to be fully operational
by mid-2011. The fund-
ing will create 350 new
jobs. The facility is close
to GE Global Research in
Niskayuna, where advances
to the battery chemistry
were developed.
Observers say that the
HOMER 2.75 generates
warnings when the percent-
age of renewable energy in
a system gets high enough to
require more detailed mod-
elling. The new version of
HOMER also calculates the
peak instantaneous renew-
able penetration. Higher pro-
portions of renewable energy
in hybrid systems are inevita-
ble as the price of renewable
energy technology falls while
the market, environmental,
and security costs of fossil
fuels continue to rise.
HOMER’s decision sup-
port capabilities (simula-
tion, optimization, and
ARRA grants signal a
mood change across the US
where the oil price crisis,
the economic downturn and
the recent oil spill in the
Gulf of Mexico continue
to change public opinion
about its over-reliance on
non-domestic energy.
Certainly GE appears to
think so. “GE is entering
the energy storage mar-
ket at a critical time in the
United States as power
system stability and secu-
rity and an increase in the
renewable energy portfo-
lio are becoming integral
to 21st century economic
development,” said Lorenzo
Simonelli, president of GE
Transportation.
At full capacity the plant
could produce approxi-
mately 10 million cells annu-
ally — capable of generat-
ing 900MW hours of energy
per year. GE says this is
the equivalent of the battery
power required for 45,000
plug-in hybrid electric vehi-
cles with an 80-mile range
or enough energy to support
1,000 GE Evolution Series
hybrid locomotives. ■
sensitivity analysis) allow
users to choose the most
cost-effective energy system
by rigorously comparing
a wide range of options.
In the coming months,
HOMER Energy will release
a web-based version of
HOMER that will respond
to customer requirements
with a modular architec-
ture, including customized
modules.
Version 2.75 of HOMER
will be sold for a minimal
fee, but the original free
version will always be avail-
able at www.homerenergy.
com. ■
www.batteriesinternational.com
NEWS

Nexeon signs
material
Corvus in NMC lithium
evaluation
agreement
tug boat venture
Corvus Energy says its lat-
Nexeon, a UK developer est battery line, which will
of silicon-based anodes be used in a new line of
for next generation lith- tugboats that should ship
ium ion batteries, has next year and which could
signed material evalu- eventually lead to the use
ation agreements with of electric tugboats for all
major corporations inter- types of vessel.
ested in its technology. Although the first electric
The start-up firm says tugboats will only be used
that these agreements for training, future elec-
will herald the start of tric tugboats are aiming at
the commercialization of pulling full megaton cargo
its silicon anode battery ships.
materials. According to Corvus there Maritime will use the tug that tugboats will need
These agreements, are about 2,000 coastal boat, a 7.8 metre long boat to meet future emission
which earn revenues workboats in the world with a 450 horsepower pull- regulations.”
for Nexeon, involve the that are more than 40 years ing power, to train future Although the initial trend
sampling of specially pre- old. And of those it esti- tug boat captains. may lead to a replacement
pared silicon materials mates that about 450 will Corvus says that the new of diesel for lead acid batter-
and data from Nexeon’s be replaced in the next five tugboat contract is part ies — on the simple grounds
manufacturing pilot line. years and the remaining will of a larger trend whereby of cost — longer term, says
“The ‘Gen-1’ materials be replaced over the next 10 tug boat companies are Corvus, their batteries will
have proved to be highly years. to switch from diesel to prove more cost-effective.
reproducible in Nexeon’s Initially, however, Corvus electric. “The switch will The boats will use nickel
own testing,” says the Energy, Robert Allan Naval save about 70% on fuel manganese cobalt (NMC)
firm. Architects and Adrenaline costs, which is expected lithium batteries that
“These initial agree- Marine Ltd of Delta — all to translate to a two year Corvus Energy says offers
ments are likely to be three are Canadian firms — return on investment,” about 22% more power
followed by more such are to deliver a hybrid diesel- says Corvus. “Another than lithium iron phosphate
agreements that are electric tugboat and an all- reason is a 60% reduc- batteries and 76% more
already in the pipeline, electric tugboat to Western tion on emissions over die- power than a typical lead
and represent a strong Maritime Institute. Western sel, which is something acid battery. ■
expression of interest
for silicon anode Li-ion
batteries.”
Nexeon would not
Lithium battery price concerns
reveal the names of the
companies but said they delay e-Spark arrival by GM India
are well known bat-
tery and automotive General Motors India has However a lithium ion have a battery option, then
companies. delayed plans to roll out battery costs around there is no option but to
Nexeon recently an electric variant of the Rs350,000 ($7,500), which delay it. We may not be able
announced the achieve- e-Spark. It had earlier said would push up the cost of to commit any specific date
ment of another mile- it would launch the car by an electric Spark to about as of now,” Balendran told
stone when its cells suc- September this year. Rs700,000 ($15,000), a local news magazine.
cessfully completed 500 The reason appears to according to P Balendran, Last September, GM
full charge/ discharge be the disparity between vice-president of corporate India and Bangalore-based
cycles at 1200mAh/g for the price and performance affairs at General Motors Reva Electric Car decided
the anode without signif- of lead acid against lith- India. to jointly develop an elec-
icant capacity fade being ium ion batteries. GM can “You have to have a tie- tric variant of the Spark.
observed. either fit the electric Spark up with a battery maker While Reva would provide
The firm says silicon with lithium-ion battery or or source batteries locally, the technology,
provides far higher per- lead acid batteries. otherwise it is not going to The car would be the first
formance than current While lead acid batter- be beneficial to customers locally manufactured four-
carbon materials as an ies have a shorter running because the ownership cost door passenger electric
anode material, offering span enabling a vehicle to would be very high. vehicle on Indian roads.
lithium storage capacity run for 60km on a single “We may go for a leasing GM India said that it
around 10 times that of charge, lithium-ion batter- arrangement but none of would do the engineering
carbon by weight. ■ ies have a range of close to the parameters have been and manufacturing from its
150km on a single charge. decided yet. If we do not Talegaon plant. ■

www.batteriesinternational.com Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 19

NEWS
US to restrict export of
spent lead acid batteries
New restrictions on the
exports of spent lead-acid
batteries (SLAB) from the
US for recovery come into
force on July 7.
US exporters will now
require a notification and
obtained consent from the
Environmental Protection
Agency and the receiving
country, SLAB exporters
should submit notifications
to the EPA at least six to
eight weeks before the date
to avoid delays.
The new requirements for
exporters that wish to ship
spent lead-acid batteries to
other countries for recycling
Finland investigates illegal
transportation of used car batteries
Finnish customs authorities
announced this spring they
are investigating exports of
used car batteries to Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania in vio-
lation of environmental regu-
lations. Finnish customs has
launched investigations into
12 different cases of environ-
mental law violations involv-
ing the export of spent car
Additional production lines for China
Ritar as it moves into testing mode
Test runs of China Ritar
Power’s recently installed
additional 10 produc-
tion lines start in July. The
number of production lines
will increase from 19 to
29. China Ritar says it
expects capital expenditures
to be about $6 million to
$8 million for the purchase
and instillation of the new
equipment.
The moves follows the
completion of the battery
manufacturer’s new indus-
trial plant earlier this spring,
“We are looking forward
to the expanding market
opportunities in 2010 as the
global economies continue
20 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
or recovery depend in part
on the desired destination
country — in particular
to the 172 countries that
are members of the Basel
Convention (of which the
US is not a signatory).
Such shipments are sub-
ject to the US requirements
for exports, the regulations
for imports in the destina-
tion country, and whatever
international waste agree-
ment is most relevant to
the waste and countries
concerned.
The Basel Convention is
a multilateral international
agreement governing all
batteries. Some 35,000 kilos
of car batteries are under-
stood to have been moved
illegally in vans and aboard
car ferries to Estonia and then
on to the rest of the Baltic.
The customs say the road
transport of car batteries on
Finnish highways poses a
major security risk. “In colli-
sions, it is very dangerous to
to rebound,” said Jiada Hu,
the firm’s chairman and
chief executive director.
“Our position as a lead-
ing lead battery manufac-
ture is supported by our
high quality batteries with
consistent performance at
lower prices than our inter-
national competitors.
“Moreover, with the new
capacity we have coming
online in the second half
of 2010, we are well posi-
tioned to ramp up our lead
acid battery sales in line
with new demand.”
Separately the firm
announced its results for
the its 2009 financial year
transboundary movements
of hazardous waste for
recovery or disposal.
SLABs are listed as haz-
ardous waste A1160 (waste
lead-acid batteries, whole or
crushed) in Annex VIII of
the Basel Convention.
Article 4, Paragraph 5 of
the Basel Convention gener-
ally prohibits Parties from
permitting the import of
hazardous wastes from a
non-Party like the United
States unless the countries
concerned participate in
a separate international
agreement, also known as
an “Article 11 agreement,”
transport batteries without
tying them down. If the load
shifts or falls, the batteries
might crack. In such a case
battery acid and hydrogen
can leak. The poles might
cause a short circuit, sparks,
and an electric fire if they
touch metal,” said Teemu
Koskela, chief inspector at
Finnish customs. ■
which showed a fall of rev-
enues to $98.6 million with
net income of $8.7 million.
Domestic sales increased
to 34% of total revenues.
Batteries for renewable
energy storage increased to
25%
Revenue for the full year
2009 decreased 12% to
$98.6 million, compared to
$112.3 million in 2008. The
decrease in revenue is mainly
attributable to a 12% decline
in the company’s average
selling price as a result of the
decline in the average price
of lead from Rmb16,000
($2,425) in 2008 to 13,500
in 2009.
that provides a level of envi-
ronmentally sound manage-
ment equivalent to that
of the Basel Convention
requirements.
Exports of SLABs for
recovery to any non-OECD
country that is a Basel Party
are subject to either this
agreement or an Article 11
agreement. ■
Fuller details of this
announcement can be
found at http://www.epa.
gov/epawaste/hazard/inter-
New recycling
plant for
Florida
Envirofocus Technologies,
a Florida lead acid bat-
tery recycling firm held
a ground-breaking cer-
emony in mid-March
for its $100 million new
plant. The firm said it will
increase its daily output
of recycled lead acid bat-
teries from about 10,000
a day to 50,000 daily.
Construction of the new
facility will take around
26 months .
China 2010
lead demand
seen up 20%
on battery
China’s refined lead con-
sumption should rise 20%
in 2010 as production of
lead-acid batteries rises
25%, according to Zeng
Jianjun, deputy secretary
of the China Lead-Acid
Battery Association and
chief operating officer of
Ritar Power, one of the
largest battery manufac-
turers in the country.
Zeng said the growth in
the lead-acid battery sec-
tor — requiring 75% of
the country’s refined lead
consumption — would
be driven by the coun-
try’s green energy projects
and the transport sector,
including electric buses.
China is the world’s top
lead producer and con-
sumer. ■
■
www.batteriesinternational.com
NEWS
Bidding war comes close to end
as Chloride accepts ABB price
Switzerland’s ABB Group
announced in early June
that it had reached an
agreement to buy UK-based
Chloride Group for £860
million ($1.3 billion) in
cash. Chloride — which his-
torically was one of the old-
est battery manufacturing
companies in Europe until it
moved into the uninterrupt-
ible power supply business
in the 1990s — is a global
firm but of medium size.
Chloride is a well respected
vendor of uninterruptable
power solutions for com-
mercial and industrial cus-
tomers in Europe (78%),
the Americas (10%) and
Asia (12%).
Chloride’s products pro-
tect business critical sys-
tems and processes from
the effects of poor power
quality and power interrup-
tions prevalent in developed
and developing countries.
Its products range from
battery back-up systems to
diesel generators and fly-
wheels. It is also seen as a
cutting edge firm of tech-
nology — roughly half of its
revenues come from tech-
nology brought to market
in the previous three years.
Emerson spurned
The deal follows Chloride’s
rejection of an offer from
its US counterpart Emerson
Electric, which had valued
the company at £723m.
The bids and counter-
bids started two years ago
when Emerson approached
Chloride with an offer but
it has subsequently become
clear that ABB has been
in contact with Chloride
for around 18 months. As
Batteries International was
going to press the consen-
sus among analysts was that
Emerson might return to the
table with a higher offer.
There is speculation,
however that other bidders
could still emerge, including
Schneider Electric and Eaton,
www.batteriesinternational.com
a competitor to Emerson in
the US.
Irrespective of further bids
for Chloride, approval will
be needed from the UK’s
Takeover Panel which will
make a ruling on the accept-
ability of ABB’s offer in the
coming weeks.
Following the recent take-
over of British confection-
ary giant Cadbury by Kraft
and the broken promise to
keep a factory open, politi-
cal pressure has been grow-
ing to make it more difficult
for overseas firms to buy UK
assets.
ABB said Chloride would
become the global centre for
There is speculation, however, that
other bidders could still emerge
before the ABB offer concludes,
including Schneider Electric and
Eaton, a US competitor to Emerson.
its uninterruptible power
supplies division. Chloride’s
traditional customers were
in heavy industry and utili-
ties but the increasing reli-
ance on technology in other
sectors has broadened its
customer base and it now
ensures the lights stay on
at EDF Energy, HSBC,
Sainsbury’s and BP.
It has also grown rap-
idly in emerging markets,
as the demand for energy
has led to increasing power
cuts. Chloride last month
reported profits for the year
of £41million ($62 million).
ABB, which provides power
systems and helps industrial
firms to automate processes,
already employs around
2,300 people in Britain, part
of a global workforce of
117,000.
Joe Hogan, the ABB chief
executive, said his company
had been talking to Chloride
about a potential deal for
18 months. “Obviously,
Emerson putting them into
play forced us to move faster
than we would have, but we
had been talking to them for
some time,” he said.
Analysts’ views were mixed
given that ABB is not seen as
having a notable presence
in the uninterruptible power
supply and critical power
markets — meaning that the
opportunities for cost cut-
ting and other synergies was
limited.
High valuation
The valuation is also seen
as high — ABB is paying
roughly 20 times 2010
EBITDA (earnings before
interest, tax, depreciation
and amortization), and 18
times 2011 EBITDA. A
more normal market valua-
tion might have been around
10 times EBITDA.
That said business will
reside within ABB’s automa-
tion and motors segment,
and may have some abil-
ity to leverage ABB’s exist-
ing relationships to extend
Chloride’s market reach.
John Petersen, a lawyer and
also analyst of the energy
storage market, said the
high market price could also
indicate that lead acid bat-
tery manufacturers including
Enersys, Exide Technologies
and C&D Technologies are
“woefully undervalued and
offer outstanding opportu-
nity for patient and risk tol-
erant investors.
“The thing I found fasci-
nating about ABB’s purchase
of Chloride is the fact that
a systems integrator with a
fraction of the assets, equity
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 21
and annual revenue was sold
for cash at a far higher value
than the market attributes to
the original equipment man-
ufacturers,” says Petersen.
“If one looks at the finan-
cial metrics for Chloride,
Enersys, Exide and C&D
for the trailing 12 months,
I can’t help but conclude
that either ABB is overpay-
ing for Chloride, or the mar-
ket is seriously undervaluing
Enersys, Exide and C&D.
“The best explanation
comes from the work of
Benjamin Graham who said,
‘in the short term, the stock
market behaves like a vot-
ing machine, but in the long
term it acts like a weighing
machine’. For the last couple
years, the market has been
showing its voting machine
side. Over the next couple
years I expect the weighing
machine to emerge with a
vengeance.”
Another interpretation
could ascribe ABB taking
a different world picture
whereby ABB sees the acqui-
sition of Chloride as both
an insurance and an asset
against the clearly haphaz-
ard and erratic drive world-
wide away from oil and to
better energy storage as an
alternative.
The argument runs that
ABB knows that govern-
ments around the world are
forcing utilities to implement
alternative energy strategies
that will make their weak-
ened power grids even more
unstable and unreliable.
So, although retail cus-
tomers may suffer lower
power quality and reduced
reliability, businesses would
not allow this to happen.
That being the case, as insta-
bilities increase, demand
for privately owned UPS
and power quality systems
will soar; and in that world,
Chloride class systems inte-
grators and lead acid bat-
tery producers become of
clear value. ■
NEWS
New lead recovery technology to shift
from smelting to chemical extraction
Smelter and lead producer
the Doe Run Company and
Engitec, an Italian chemical
firm, unveiled revolutionary
new technology at the end
of March which replaces
traditional, high-temper-
ature lead smelting with
a chemical process that it
claims will be safer, cleaner
and more efficient.
The proprietary new tech-
nology, called Flubor, uses
a wet chemical process —
essentially fluorboric acid
— to dissolve lead concen-
trates into solution and then
extracts lead from the solu-
tion using an electric current.
The process is similar
to the technology used
to extract zinc from con-
centrates, but has never
been used in primary lead
production.
As a self-contained proc-
ess, the activating solution
is recycled back into the
process indefinitely.
Doe Run says it is run-
ning a demonstration plant
in Missouri, completing a
detailed feasibility study on
the new technology and eval-
uating possible locations for
a commercial-scale plant. To
take the project from a dem-
onstration plant to a com-
mercial-sized operation, the
new technology is expected
to require investments of
more than $150 million.
Doe Run says it is pursu-
ing funding and loan guar-
antees to help bring the new
technology to fruition.
“We still have a way to
go, but we’re convinced this
technology has tremendous
potential to produce a stra-
tegic metal in a manner that
is environmentally sound in
every respect,” said Bruce
Neil, Doe Run’s president
and chief executive officer.
“We’ve been looking for
a breakthrough technology
for almost 20 years and
have invested more than
200,000 man hours to get
us this far. By year’s end,
we will have invested more
22 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
than $30 million in research
and development.”
Doe Run and Engitec first
partnered in the early 1990s
when the mining company
was building its Buick
Resource Recycling Division
in Boss. At the time, Engitec
had discovered Flubor but
had not tested it on a com-
mercial scale.
In the late 1990s, Doe Run
built a pilot plant to test
the technology. Convinced
it could be deployed on an
industrial-sized scale, the
company’s board author-
ized spending $6 million in
2006 to build a demon-
stration plant. This began
operating in 2007 but was
shut down in early 2009 for
nine months because of the
economic downturn.
The plant has been in
continuous operation since
November, and the global
engineering and construc-
tion firm CH2M HILL has
conducted a preliminary
feasibility study that vali-
dates the technology.
“This new proprietary
technology is a game changer
for our industry. It delivers
on shared goals for cleaner
communities, energy inde-
pendence and lead products
that will power our world
into the future,” said Neil.
The process has already
been recognized by lead-
ing figures in the business.
“Given the recycling rate
of more than 97%, lead
is already an environmen-
tal success story,” said
Bob Flicker, chief operat-
ing officer and executive
vice president for battery
manufacturer, East Penn
Manufacturing Co.
“When Doe Run began
testing the new technol-
ogy, we recognized its huge
potential. At its very core,
lead keeps the world mov-
ing through batteries that
deliver dependable energy
storage. Advanced lead-
acid batteries, such as the
UltraBattery, will broaden
Doe Run’s operations at La Oroya in Peru: perhaps the next
spot to move away from smelting
the use of lead for hybrid
electric vehicles, as well as
renewable energy storage
and frequency regulation
for smart grid technology.
“Having a secure domes-
tic supply for lead better
ensures that our US-based
manufacturing facilities are
cost competitive and support
new and existing jobs in the
US,” Flicker said. “We’re
eager to support Doe Run’s
dramatic progress toward
cleaner lead processing
technology.”
The process should
improve overall recovery
rates of lead while dra-
matically curbing pollution,
including air emissions of
both lead and sulphur diox-
ide. Lead is a neurotoxin
that can interrupt normal
brain development and has
been linked to behavioural
problems in children.
The technology also elimi-
nates slag, a glassy, silica-
rich by-product produced in
the smelting process, which
the company stores on-site.
Doe Run has been
cited regularly by the US’
Environmental Protection
Agency for infringing emis-
sion limits, contaminating
roads and polluting the
immediate vicinity of the
smelter.
Exceeding of emission
limits has resulted in the
reduction of the permitted
capacity of its main smelter.
Road contamination has
resulted in orders to clean
up certain roads and to
wash down vehicles before
they go on to public roads.
The company has also
been ordered by the EPA
to address issues relating to
elevated lead blood levels in
the community and lead in
community soils adjacent to
the smelter. It has also spent
$10.4 million on buying up
to 160 residential properties
close to the smelter that are
contaminated.
In addition to improved
environmental performance,
Doe Run’s new technology
provides several economic
benefits to both US state and
federal economies. The tech-
nology is expected to extend
the economic life of US lead
mines by providing a higher
rate of metal recovery.
“Doe Run intends to keep
the US at the centre of the
global lead industry,” said
Neil. “We believe this tech-
nology will set a new stand-
ard for sustainable lead pro-
duction around the world,
even as we face increased
competition from China,
India and other emerging
economies.
“The new technology
was developed with an eye
toward our common goals
of efficiency, environmen-
tal stewardship and cleaner
communities. We’re ready
to take a leadership role
in transforming the lead
industry.”
The Doe Run Company
is a privately owned natu-
ral resources company and
the largest integrated lead
producer in the Western
Hemisphere. ■
www.batteriesinternational.com
NEWS

Axion to provide new BMS with

regenerative braking for train sets
Axion Power International,
the developer of advanced
PbC batteries, is to launch
a development programme
with Norfolk Southern
Corporation, one of the larg-
est railways in the US, to
develop a battery manage-
ment system that would allow
rail locomotives to operate on
battery power and recharge
their batteries through regen-
erative braking.
The new BMS could be
a striking endorsement of
the value of Axion’s PbC
battery which essentially
acts as an asymmetric lead-
carbon capacitor.
“The key will be devel-
oping a battery manage-
ment system that is robust,
safe, dependable and easy
to maintain,” says Thomas
Granville, chairman of
Axion Power and also its
chief executive. “We are
highly confident, that this
system can be successfully
demonstrated in a short
time frame.
“Railways are the most
fuel-efficient method of
transporting freight, moving
a ton of freight 457 miles on
a single gallon of fuel. The
ability to run locomotives on
electricity is well established,
although the standard means
of doing so to date has either
been a third rail or an over-
head connection — both
of which require extensive
and expensive infrastructure
apparatus.
Most locomotives oper-
ate by burning fossil fuels
although Japanese firm
NGK uses sodium metal
chloride batteries as the
motive force.
Norfolk Southern Railway
subsidiary operates approx-
imately 21,000 route miles
in 22 states and the District
of Columbia. ■

Exide makes further international moves

expands in Brazil, ups UK brand presence
Exide Technologies has
formed a new business entity
Exide Technologies do Brasil,
headquartered in São Paulo,
Brazil, to capitalize on the
growth potential for stored
energy markets in South
America.
Meanwhile Exide UK has
also launched a new brand
in the UK to capture a larger
share of the £160 million
waste battery market.
“The company’s new entity
in South America gives Exide
better access to our existing
customers and potential cus-
tomers, with the opportunity
to market specific solutions
for local needs,” says Gordon
Ulsh, chief executive of Exide
Technologies.
“This move forward will
provide more opportunities
for us to deliver our products
and services to the region,” .
Exide says the new entity
will serve the industrial
energy and transportation
markets in South America
with comprehensive portfo-
lios of electrical energy stor-
age products manufactured
at its facilities globally.
The company says that
the business structure also
enhances the ability of its
ReStore Energy Systems
division to penetrate the
developing markets for
renewable energy applica-
tions such as solar, wind and
www.batteriesinternational.com
hybrid electric vehicles. valuable lead content find which means that anyone
Exide Technologies do their way to the ‘white van dealing with them is in dan-
Brasil will market a range man brigade’ who then cash ger of an unlimited fine or
of vented and advanced them in at smelting plants. even worse.”
valve regulated lead acid “The problem is that these The marketing will also be
technologies and lithium ion operators aren’t licensed, extended online. ■
batteries for motive power,
network power and trans-
portation applications in
South America under the
Exide premium brand-name
portfolio and Absolyte,
Marathon, Sprinter, GNB
Flooded Classic, and Fulmen
brands.
“With the establishment of
Exide Technologies do Brasil,
our company is better posi-
tioned to capitalize on the
growth potential for stored
electrical energy markets in
the South American region,”
says Ulsh.
Separately Exide UK has
launched a new brand called
‘Act Positive’ to help it cap-
ture a larger share of the
£160 million waste battery
market.
The ‘Act Positive’ brand
has been designed as part of
a broader campaign which
highlights the environmen-
tal and public health hazard
that discarded batteries can
cause, as well as the prob-
lems causes by unlicensed
traders selling them
Craig Everett, marketing
manager for Exide, says;
“Currently a high proportion
of waste batteries, with their
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 23
NEWS
Johnson Controls expands in
China, GM to roll out new EVs
US automotive battery
supplier Johnson Controls
announced in mid-June that
it is planning to expand its
production of car starter
batteries in China, which
it says is the fastest grow-
ing battery market in the
world.
Johnson Controls, which
already has one plant in
China and is building a sec-
ond plant, plans to build
three or four new plants in
China, raising production
capacity for lead acid auto-
motive battery to 30 million
units a year by 2015.
Johnson Controls is also
a manufacturer of build-
ing controls as well as auto
interiors, seating and batter-
ies for hybrid vehicles.
“We are expecting to
add a plant a year over
the next few years,” said
Asia UPS sales surge in first quarter
Sales of uninterruptible
power supplies (UPS) into
Asia during the first quarter
grew by over 25% from
last year. According to a
recent analysis of the mar-
ket by IMS Research, Asia
added revenues at the fast-
est rate in five years. The
spike in billings comes after
four consecutive quarters of
decline, resulting in a $500
million dip in volume.
The research also esti-
mates that UPS revenues
from the Asia eclipsed that
of the Americas and Europe,
Middle East and Africa for
the first time.
“There was a swift uptick
in the Asia UPS market in
the first quarter while UPS
sales in much of the rest of
the world remained stag-
nant,” said Jason dePreaux,
a senior analyst at IMS
Research.
“The extremely high
growth in Asia can be
attributed in part to the
24 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
Alex Molinaroli, Johnson
Controls president of the
power solutions unit.
“China is where we need to
invest.”
In 2008, Johnson Controls
announced plans to spend
$90 million to build a lead
acid battery production
facility in eastern China’s
Zhejiang Province. The pro-
duction facility is located
in China’s green-power
energy industrial centre
in Changxing Economic
Development Zone of
Zhejiang Province.
The capacity of the plant
was expected to be 4 mil-
lion auto batteries per year.
Construction of the plant
was designed to start in
January 2009 with comple-
tion in June 2010.
Separately car giant
General Motors Corp has
snappy economic rebounds
of several key UPS mar-
kets like India, China, and
areas of south-east Asia.
These countries are once
again deploying UPS across
infrastructure, small and
medium business, and data
center segments. The first
quarter marked an impor-
tant milestone in the history
of the market.”
However, dePreaux says
the current exceptional rate
of growth is unsustainable.
“What we are seeing in
Asia is the rapid recovery
to pre-recessionary demand
levels. UPS spending in Asia
dropped by nearly 20%,
so while it is recovering
quickly, the current growth
is being fuelled in part by
inventory restocking and
a pipeline of projects that
were in the waiting.”
He projects growth will
taper slightly into 2011/2012,
though the five year com-
pound annual growth rate
announced plans to launch
more fuel efficient vehicles
in China, as it aims to cut
fuel consumption by 15%
by 2015, according to local
paper the Shanghai Daily.
Some new hybrids and
vehicles powered by elec-
tricity will be launched
within five year.
The joint venture will
initially show a Chevrolet
New Sail electric vehicle
prototype this year and roll
out the new Buick LaCrosse
hybrid and the Chevrolet
Volt electric vehicle with
extended range capability.
In 2008, Shanghai General
Motors Corp Ltd, the joint
venture between GM and
Shanghai Automotive
Industry Corp, launched
a similar plan called “the
2011-2015 Green Product
Strategy”, which focusing
will remain above the rest of
the world.
Against the backdrop of a
fragmented recovery comes
renewed M&A activity as
companies jockey for pieces
of the power protection
pie. Emerson Electric’s sec-
ond effort to absorb UK’s
Chloride Power was dealt a
potentially lethal blow when
Swiss-based ABB swooped
in with a higher offer that
was approved by Chloride’s
board (see fuller story).
While the supplier base
for UPS is highly concen-
trated with the top five ven-
dors controlling 60% of the
market, Asia has a more
diverse landscape with doz-
ens of suppliers that cater to
the varied market require-
ments in the regions.
DePreaux says: “With
attractive long-term growth
prospects and a diverse
supplier base, expect future
acquisitions to increasingly
focus on Asia.” ■ 2010 in Shanghai.
on 12 new small displace-
ments engines.
The Chinese government
recently announced that
it will subsidize buyers of
electric vehicles by up to
Rmb60,000 in five cities.
Another Rmb3,000 will be
given to buyers of cars con-
suming 20% less fuel.
• Chaowei Power Holdings,
the lead acid battery
maker based in Zhejiang-
based aims to raise $100
million in an initial public
offering in Hong Kong. It
plans to sell shares at
between HK$2.18 and
HK$2.90 each. ■
• The American Chamber of
Commerce in Bangladesh
has proposed that the
government reduce the
import duty on sealed
lead acid batteries sug-
gesting it fall from 36.7%
to 24.5%.
“Computers need the bat-
teries as a main device for
UPS. Presently, computer
imports are free of tax.
These kinds of batteries
are not produced in the
country,” the proposal
said. ■
• China Ritar Power Corp,
one of the country’s lead-
ing lead acid battery
makers has announced
a surge in first-quarter
profit — up almost three
times from $500,000
in the same period last
year to $1.6 million for
this quarter. Revenue
increased by 51% to
$24.8 million as manu-
facturing volumes rose
31%. Sales in its inter-
national division, which
takes up about three-
fourths of its total rev-
enue, increased 45%
and domestic sales rose
72%. China Ritar said
its results had benefited
from the World Expo
■
www.batteriesinternational.com
NEWS
India’s Amara Raja show
ever more robust results
India’s industrial and auto-
motive battery manufac-
turer Amara Raja Batteries
reported at the end of May
a 107% rise in net profit to
Rs 1,670 million ($36 mil-
lion) for the year ended
March 31, 2010. Total
income for the financial
year grew to Rs 14,674
million ($315 million) from
Rs 13,196 million in the
previous year.
Amara Raja Batteries
NYSERDA commits $8 million for
exciting range of technologies
More interesting than the
funding levels is the choice
of awards by the New York
State Energy Research and
Development Authority
which provide an interest-
ing snapshot of the hottest
areas in battery develop-
ment and energy storage.
New York State Energy
Research and Development
Authority has awarded $8
million to help develop or
commercialize 19 energy
storage projects to compa-
nies and universities across
New York. The projects
will leverage $7.3 million
in cost-sharing by recipients
for a total of $15.3 million
in funding.
Funding is either for
industry-led near-term com-
mercialization partnerships
or technology development.
• General Electric is devel-
oping improvements to its
sodium metal halide batter-
ies for use in a new genera-
tion of cleaner locomotives
and stationary applications
to smooth intermittent
renewable power genera-
tion as it interconnects with
the grid and critical load
back-up power and other
applications: $2.5 million.
• Ultralife Corporation,
Newark is integrating bat-
tery and ultra-capacitors in
an electronic energy-storage
www.batteriesinternational.com
managing director Jayadev
Galla said the 2009-2010
fiscal year, had given it the
highest ever profits in the
company’s history.
“The recovery of the auto-
motive industry, operational
excellence aided by organi-
zational restructuring and
strong brands have enabled
the company to post excel-
lent results,” he said.
“But, we continue to face
the challenges of volatility
device on a common power
circuit serving two renew-
able-energy generation
sources: $2.4 million.
• Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute is developing next-
generation Li-ion recharge-
able batteries: $200,000.
• Ioxus under three
projects, is improving its
ultracapacitor performance
through developing a novel
electrode-electrolyte inter-
face, using nanostructured
materials in the electrodes,
and developing a new high
density electrode material:
$600,000.
• College of Nanoscale
Science and Engineering of
the University at Albany
is developing electrolytes to
improve the performance of
ultra-capacitors: $200,000.
• Hollingsworth & Vose
is developing an advanced
separator for valve regu-
lated lead acid batteries:
$200,000.
• City University of New
York, under two projects, is
developing a novel nickel-
zinc battery that uses low-
cost materials and tech-
nologies to improve the
performance of ultra-capac-
itors: $349,600.
• Cornell University is
developing non-flammable
battery electrolytes with
improved temperature
in lead prices and forex
rates in managing our per-
formance,” he said.
Amara Raja Batteries is
an Amara Raja Johnson
Controls Company, with
26% equity held by
Johnson Controls. It manu-
factures lead acid batteries
for industrial and automo-
tive applications.
The batteries are exported
to the Asia-Pacific, Africa
and the Middle East. ■ there are 87 other com-
and voltage performance:
$200,000.
• General Motors is
developing materials for
improved lithium-ion bat-
tery electrodes for automo-
tive applications: $196,000.
• Impact Technologies is
developing a way to increase
the lifetime of batteries by
assessing battery health
using in-cell measurement:
$99,800.
• Cerion Enterprises is
developing materials for
next-generation lithium-ion
batteries, which are used
in automotive applications
and in consumer electron-
ics: $200,000.
• Rochester Institute of
Technology is develop-
ing methods to recycle and
reuse lithium-ion batteries:
$195,900.
• Brookhaven National
Laboratory, SUNY
Binghamton, and SUNY
Buffalo are working on
three projects to develop
improved batteries for sta-
tionary grid scale energy
storage applications, includ-
ing, lithium-air, lithium-ion,
and lithium-titanate batter-
ies: $552,900.
• Binghamton University is
developing lithium air stor-
age systems that could have
applications in vehicle or
grid systems: $200,000. ■
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 25
UK bounce back
— for some,
but take-over
likely for others
In encouraging news for
the UK tyres, exhausts
and batteries industry,
349 of the top 1,000
companies in the market
are growing at more than
10% a year and making
healthy profits. However,
according to industry
analysts Plimsoll, while
many of these companies
are leading a sustainable
recovery in the market,
panies whose headline
grabbing sales growth
masks difficulties and
which could well be ripe
for a take-over.
David Pattison, senior
analyst and author of
the new Plimsoll report
says “Essentially there
are two types of growth
in the market – Good v
Bad: 87 companies have
achieved over 10% sales
growth but in doing so
have seen their profit
margin collapse.
“They are simply over-
trading. More worrying,
nine of these companies
have been loss making
for two years — even
with double digit sales
growth I doubt they will
make it to a third.
“While the market con-
tinues to recover and the
349 top performers show
the way, there are 110
companies facing a very
bleak future indeed. Losing
sales, profits and probably
most of their remaining
options, these companies
have been rated as Danger
in our report. Time is run-
ning out and only a takeo-
ver or a rapid turnaround
is likely to redeem their
situation.”
The new analysis gives
an instant performance
rating on the top 1000
companies in the mar-
ket and an overview of
which companies are ripe
for acquisition and who
is set to be buying. ■
PRODUCT NEWS
Groundbreaking Li-ion
separator set for market
Advanced Membrane
Systems, which filed a pat-
ent in February with what
it claims is a breakthrough
in lithium battery safety —
with a separator that even
passes the so-called nail pen-
etration test — told Batteries
International in June that it is
set to move into manufactur-
ing these separators within
the next three months.
“Our separator is not a
pure polyolefin material but
uses mineral ingredients in
our proprietary cell struc-
ture,” an official said. “If
you apply a standard nail
penetration test, our rivals’
cells explode. With ours
after about 60 seconds we
see venting. This is a major
step forward in lithium bat-
tery development and its role
within electric vehicles.”
Industry reaction has nat-
urally been positive — the
explosive nature of lithium
within next generation bat-
teries continues to be a major
drawback to its use.
“That said, extraordinary
claims require extraordinary
proofs,” a senior indus-
try figure told Batteries
International. “This may
be a step forward in lith-
ium battery chemistry. But
is it enough? I’ve been test-
ing these batteries for years
and know pure lab tests are
insufficient.
“It’s real life situations
that count, say, the effect of
a steel bumper entering a
lithium battery at 100 miles
an hour — not just a nail.
It’s getting, for example, the
fat lady stuck in the back of
a smashed car out quickly
before an explosion happens,
rather than just giving a cou-
ple of minutes’ grace.”
But even the most cyni-
cal welcome the advance and
full commercialization of the
product could happen within
months.
AMS says it has entered
into a joint venture with
26 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
Biax Laboratories to open a offers better performance, the technology advantage
25,000 square foot manu- improved safety, lower costs, and that our new produc-
facturing plant in North the ability to work in any tion facility will allow us to
Carolina. The new venture, lithium chemistry and it can be the type of resource that
called UltraLith LLC, plans run on the same equipment US government sponsors are
to ship products to battery that battery manufacturers seeking.”
manufacturers in August. use now,” says a company Advanced Membrane
No eventual buyer has been official. “UltraLith-SD, a Systems has been involved
confirmed but AMS says shutdown separator, offers in research and development
that A123Systems, Enerdel performance and adaptabil- of separator and materials
technology for green energy
designs since 2000. “With
multiple patents awarded
and pending, AMS is a leader
in the creation of intellec-
tual property for lithium and
alkaline applications,” the
firm says.
One key question for the
success of the operation —
and its eventual valuation,
at present the firm is a pri-
vately held closed corpo-
ration — will be its future
sales. AMS believes that
“demand for EDV sepa-
rator material expected to
rapidly exceed several hun-
dred million square meters
in five years, coupled with
lithium separator material
Here are the battery separator and components within a for consumer applications
typical spiral wound lithium ion battery. The newly patented seeing double digit growth
Ultralith-HP separator is claimed to offer greater battery
in China, AMS intends to
performance and improved safety — without the added cost
of multiple layersor expensive coatings. The firm says it was deliver volume quantities of
engineered specifically to meet all current requirements for leading separator products
Electric Drive Vehicle applications. for lithium battery manufac-
turers worldwide.”
and JCI are looking into the ity advantages for consumer The firm claims that, com-
new separator. The separa- applications. pared to other lithium bat-
tor works with all classes of AMS believes that its sepa- tery separators, UltraLith-HP
lithium ion batteries. rators will give the US a com- offers a combination of
The North Carolina plant petitive edge in lithium bat- advantages:
will represent the first new tery manufacture that it lacks
battery separator manufac- when compared to Japan, • Better performance, up to
turing company in the US in China and Korea. 70% porosity; up to five
decades, says the firm. It will “While US separator manu- times longer cycle life; fast
also be the world’s only plant facturers are trying to extend wettability and improved
to offer battery separator the capabilities of their exist- ion conductivity;
technology that meets all of ing separator products, more • Improved safety, a special
the lithium battery capabil- recent patents, particularly formulation for robust, high
ity targets in planned electric from Asia, have given those melt integrity performance
drive vehicle applications. companies a technology lead with an enhanced ability
“The newly patented in lithium batteries, and a to mitigate short circuit or
UltraLith-HP is a non-shut- head start in electric drive thermal runaway condi-
down polyolefin separator vehicles,” says Abbas Samii, tions should they occur;
engineered for high power, president and chief scientist • Lower costs, due to a
high density lithium batteries for AMS. proprietary ingredient
(LIBs). Compared to other “We believe our new
separators, UltraLith-HP UltraLith patents give us Continued on facing page
www.batteriesinternational.com
PRODUCT NEWS
Abertax releases another
version of GRS VRLA valve
Abertax, the Malta-based
company manufacturing
advanced battery accesso-
ries, has released their inno-
vative valve for providing
the ideal gas release system
(GRS) in M27 size as well
now, making their technol-
ogy available for a wider
range of 2V cells in VRLA
batteries — both for gel and
high quality absorbent glass
matt (AGM).
Until now the patented
valve has only been availa-
ble in the smaller M18 size.
Abertax says other sizes will
be later made available —
the M27s became available
at the end of March — and
a 27mm valve with bayonet
fitting should also appear
shortly.
Since battery venting is
the prime reason for humid-
ity loss in VRLA batteries,
the GRS design and tech-
nology providing the right
release pressure of a better
valve, can dramatically keep
moisture levels higher inside
the battery and so extend
the battery life.
Additionally, the dia-
phragm design in the GRS
also ensures the preven-
tion of air entering the cells
Continued from facing page
that eliminates the added
expense of external coating
applications and the risk of
those coatings peeling off;
and it eliminates the need
for expensive, multi-layer
products
• I n t e r c h a n g e a b i l i t y,
meaning, UltraLith-HP
can replace existing sep-
arator material in any
lithium chemistry and
run on the same equip-
ment that LIB manufac-
turers currently use.
“While specifications for
next generation lithium
batteries and electric drive
www.batteriesinternational.com
which potentially damages
the plates.
“One of the prime advan-
tages of our GRS is the very
low tolerances and consist-
ency of closing pressures,”
says Joseph Cilia, research
director of Abertax. “And
we have rigorously tested
them in some extreme field
conditions.”
The patented valve can be
supplied in various ranges
of opening pressures, with
the lowest range starting at
150mbar and the highest
with an opening pressure
at 400mbar. Thus the valve
can be designed to give the
optimal pressure for any
battery size and design.
The consistency of the
GRS calibration pressure is
ensured through the equip-
ment specially devised and
manufactured by Abertax.
Although the fundamen-
tal chemistry of the lead
acid battery is virtually
unchanged since the mid-
19th century, KD Merz, the
battery expert at Abertax,
says there are still refine-
ments to be made. “For the
past decade or more bat-
tery developers have looked
to alternative chemistries in
vehicle continue to evolve,
UltraLith-HP represents the
first separator to deliver the
performance, safety and mass
market cost structures the
industry requires. Production
quantities of this technology
are what LIB manufacturers
have been asking for” says
Samii
On February 16 the
United States Patent Office
had awarded a new patent
to Advanced Membrane
Systems for its latest lithium-
ion battery separator inven-
tion. Patent #7,662,518 B1
sets forth technology exten-
sions to previous AMS pat-
ents, and represents major
state-of-the-art advancements
seeking an advanced bat-
tery,” he says.
“And engineering design
around the battery has been
left relatively unexplored.”
Research into the econ-
omies that a high quality
valve such as the GRS can
bring has been scarce, say
Abertax, and has been dif-
ficult to quantify as gas-
sing and venting are often a
function of how efficiently
or inefficiently charging
or discharging a battery is
being carried out.
However, all manufactur-
ers are aware that a bet-
ter GRS produces a better
battery.
Abertax presently keeps up
with the current demand of
GRS but has spare produc-
tion capacity to produce up
to another 2 million annu-
ally from its headquarters in
Paola in Malta. “But we’re
planning to up production
to around 11 million a year
in the next couple of years,”
says George Schembri, gen-
eral manager at Abertax.
Abertax reckons that
there will be a big increase
in demand for GRS for the
new ‘stop-and-go’ vehicle
applications as well as for
in the safety and performance
features for consumer elec-
tronic battery applications.
The new product involves
a single layer shutdown sep-
arator with very high melt
integrity. In addition, it offers
improved air permeability
and mechanical strength.
These traits represent sig-
nificant improvements over
other LIB separators.
“The awarding of the
patent, combined with sev-
eral other patents pending,
exemplifies ... leadership
in developing intellectual
property for lithium-ion
and alkaline battery appli-
cations,” said the firm at
the time.
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 27
the new generation of elec-
tric vehicles requiring fur-
ther AGM batteries.
Abertax, which has
invested extensively in
research and development
— and has the capabil-
ity to design and manufac-
ture most of the machinery
needed to produce a new
range of GRS in-house —
believes that automation
provides it with a competi-
tive edge against compe-
tition from Asian econo-
mies where labour costs are
low.
“Once you have devised
one set of machinery to
produce the GRS,” says
Schembri who is an engi-
neer specialised in high
quality manufacturing. “It’s
simply a question of multi-
pyling them to scale up
production.”
Abertax says its origi-
nal M18 valve has already
undergone years of test-
ing — both in-house and
through independent moni-
toring in German labora-
tories — in a rugged, dirty
environment, including pro-
longed exposure to sulphu-
ric acid and dust, and has
not been found wanting. ■
Profoto goes
Lithium with
ProB3 1200 AirS,
AcuteB2 600 AirS
Profoto has rolled out two new
battery powered flash packs,
both of which use lithium
iron phosphate (LiFe) battery
chemistry to reduce pack size
and weight.
The Pro-B3 1200 AirS is
rated at 1200ws, features a
full power recyling time of 1.8
seconds and 300 full power
pops per charge.
The AcuteB2 600 AirS is
rated at 600ws, recycles in 2
seconds and delivers 200 full
■ power pops per charge. ■
PRODUCT NEWS
Battery chargers
for agricultural use
Two battery charger manu-
facturers — GYS and CTEK
have released new products
for agricultural vehicles.
These have different battery
needs from other equipment
as they may be left unused
for months at a time between
seasons and without the cor-
rect battery maintenance,
the natural onset of stratifi-
cation will begin to kill the
lead acid battery.
GYS, the French weld-
ing equipment and battery
charger manufacturer, has
introduced Batium 15/24,
a high tech battery charger
Dual input,
dual output battery charge controller
Tycon Power Systems
released end-May its dual
input/dual output bat-
tery charge controllers for
backup power and remote
power applications. The
SCPOE series can charge
lead acid batteries from
solar panel input or Power
Over Ethernet (POE) input.
The 5A solar panel input
takes priority so when the
Trojan updates deep cycle
renewable range of RE series
Trojan Battery Company has
updated its models of bat-
teries for renewable energy
applications. The firm says
these deep cycle batteries
are suitable for small wind,
solar/photovoltaic and
micro-hydro applications
and can deliver uninter-
rupted power in harsh envi-
ronment conditions.
The Renewable Energy
(RE) Series batteries avail-
able from Trojan Battery
Company are lead acid deep
cycle batteries. The RE Series
batteries such as L16RE-2V,
28 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
designed for use on modern
agricultural vehicles.
Batium 15/24 is a heavy
duty, micro-processor con-
trolled charger with a multi
stage ‘WuoU’ charging curve
to ensure a 100% charge of
GYS’ Batium
chargers
sun is shining grid power
is not used. There are two
outputs; The 24W Power
Over Ethernet (POE) out-
put utilizes a high efficiency
DC-DC converter to provide
12V, 18V, 24V, or 48VDC
POE and the secondary
wire terminal output on the
back is essentially the bat-
tery voltage.
The SCPOE series offers
L16RE-A, L16RE-B and
T105-RE models are made
of Maxguard XL separa-
tor with DuraGrid tech-
nology. The company also
offers deep cycle batteries
in flooded and dual purpose
AGM types in 6V and 12V
sizes, and also in mainte-
nance free Deep-Cycle Gel
types.
The L16RE-B deep cycle
battery is available in a length
of 295mm, width of 178mm
and height of 450mm. It
weighs up to 54kg. The deep
cycle battery’s 20-hour rate
the battery. It will charge
6V, 12V and 24V batteries
up to a rating of 225Ah .
GYS says a cost-saving fea-
ture of this battery charger
is the SOS recovery func-
tion. When connected to the
full protection for over-
charge, over-discharge,
short circuit, over-voltage,
and over-current. Low self
consumption of <0.5W
suits them for remote power
applications. The units are
rated for operation from
-30°C to 60°C, suitable for
year round outdoor opera-
tion in a weatherproof
enclosure. ■
is 370AH and its 100-hour
rate is 410AH. Its voltage
capacity is 6V.
The terminal types used
for the deep cycle battery are
the following: Low Profile
Terminal, High Profile
Terminal, Wingnut Profile
Terminal, Automotive Post
Terminal, Automotive
Post and Stud Terminal,
Stud Terminal, Universal
Terminal, Dual Wingnut
Terminal and L-Terminal.
The terminal of the
L16RE-B deep cycle battery
is L-Terminal (LT). ■ reverse polarity protected. ■
battery the Batium 15/24
can detect sulphation in the
battery and the user can
then select the SOS process
which will perform the de-
sulphation. In many cases
this process can recover an
otherwise ‘dead’ battery.
Sulphation is the single big-
gest killer of batteries and
occurs when batteries are
left for prolonged periods.
All types of batteries, liq-
uid, gel and AGM batteries
can be re-charged without
disconnecting them from
the vehicle.
Other features include
automatic charging with-
out supervision, an easy
to use control panel and
protection against polarity
reversal.
Meanwhile, CTEK, a
vehicle battery maintenance
firm, has released Multi
XS 7000, a smart battery
charger that it says will
revive, charge, condition
and maintain all types of
12V lead-acid batteries.
“Once fully charged, the
patented CTEK float / pulse
maintenance charge mode
All types of
batteries, liquid,
gel and AGM
batteries can
be re-charged
without
disconnecting
them from the
vehicle.
enables batteries to be con-
nected to the charger for
months at a time ‘exercising’
the battery to extend its life,”
says the company. “This
makes it ideal for vehicles
that are used infrequently or
left standing for long periods
of time – the charger is also
approved for outdoor use
and can withstand tempera-
tures as low as -20˚C.”
The firm says the Multi
XS 7000 is spark proof and
www.batteriesinternational.com
PRODUCT NEWS
Exide launches industrial high
frequency charger for VRLA
Exide Technologies has
launched its EHF Series
industrial charger, a multi-
profile range of high fre-
quency chargers for
standard-flooded, low-main-
tenance-flooded and valve-
regulated lead-acid motive
power batteries.
“The new EHF Series
charger line, with mod-
els ranging from 24V-80V
New ‘fast charge’ electric vehicle
equipment arrives in the UK
Infracharge Technologies,
the parent company behind
the POD Point charging unit,
has launched two new elec-
tric vehicle charging prod-
ucts in the UK — FastCharge
and HomeCharge — and
announced a replacement to
its existing POD Point unit
to be called DuoCharge.
The products come at
a time when the move to
put EV infrastructure in
place is gathering pace.
Last December the mayor
of London, Boris Johnson
laid out plans for 25,000
charging bays to be in place
across London by 2015.
This March, the government
also announced financing
for three regions — London,
Milton Keynes and the north
east — to install over 10,000
charging locations as part
of its ‘Plugged in Places’
initiative.
The recent proposals
further support the antici-
pated growth of electric
cars expected from January
2011, when a 25% (up to
£5,000 ($7,400) government
subsidy on electric car pur-
chases is introduced.
The Chargemaster
FastCharge is the first ‘fast
charge’ unit to be introduced
to the UK market. Delivering
a 32A (7kW) current, the
system is able to charge an
electric car at more than
twice the speed of London’s
www.batteriesinternational.com
contains environmentally-
advanced elements that
incorporate an energy-
efficiency design,” says the
firm. “The charger uses
less electricity resulting in
increased utility savings, a
higher power factor (the
percentage of electricity that
is delivered and used effec-
tively) and efficiency opti-
mization — all which help
200 existing on-street charge
points. The FastCharge can
charge two cars simultane-
ously from a single unit and
uses the proposed European
standard automotive
connector.
The Chargemaster
HomeCharge is the first
charging station specifically
designed for home use. The
HomeCharge automatically
uses low-cost night-time
electricity tariffs which can
save up to 70% off the cost
of charging.
The unit also features the
ability to remotely switch on
the car’s heating and defrost-
ing system 15 minutes before
the owner needs to leave,
providing a clear windscreen
and a warm car without
customers use batteries to
their maximum potential in
conventional motive power
applications.
“The EHF Series charg-
ers offer greater efficiency of
power conversion — as com-
pared to chargers that incor-
porate Ferroresonant and
SCR technologies — lead-
ing to reduced power con-
sumption and energy costs.
using battery charge.
The HomeCharge con-
forms to the latest safety
cut-off legislation and the
unit is also future-ready for
connection to Smartgrid
Technologies.
The Chargemaster
DuoCharge updates the
existing standard rate,
dual charging station with
improved design and reli-
ability features for on-street
and car park charging.
The modifications include
updated styling, high resolu-
tion and high visibility colour
screen, redesigned electron-
ics and improved network
communications. The design
update also improves safety
by eliminating the need to
cross over charging cables. ■
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 29
Reduced maximum input cur-
rents allow for reduced circuit
breaker, cabling and distribu-
tion equipment sizes.”
The charger also ensures
that the charging current and
voltage remain constant dur-
ing any mains fluctuations,
guaranteeing a constant and
optimized charge. End-of-
charge on the EHF models
is detected by the change
in voltage over the change
in time measure (dV/dt) to
avoid risk of undercharge or
overcharge.
“As a result, the EHF
industrial chargers boast an
efficiency rating of up to
92%: approximately 15%
to 23% more efficient than
other charging technolo-
gies,” Exide says.
The chargers use fourth
generation MOSFET tech-
nology and Zero Volt
Switching which provide
greater power conversion
efficiency. The EHF charger
utilizes a space-saving Planar
Transformer design which
allows for reductions in size
and weight and efficient
cooling.
The chargers are equipped
with a high resolution
LCD display that pro-
vides detailed information
in Danish, Dutch, English,
French, German, Spanish
and Swedish. A data archive
also is available on the front
panel and details recharge
information from the last
250 cycles, including charts
from the last 15 recharges
which all viewable on the
LCD display.
The EHF Series Industrial
Charger models are UL listed
and built to Battery Council
International standards. The
chargers also are designed for
multiple lead-acid technolo-
gies offering a wide range
of charge profiles that can
be selected for all of Exide’s
product offerings includ-
ing Tubular-HP, Liberator,
Titan/GNB Flooded Classic,
Element and Sonnenschein. ■
PRODUCT NEWS
Ground faults in storage battery systems are common and can be hard to
locate. There is now, however, a test technique that can make the job much
easier, as Tony Wills, application engineer at Megger explains.

Grounds for a fault

In many applications, rang-
ing from circuit breaker
tripping systems to uninter-
ruptible power supplies for
data and telecommunication
installations, storage batter-
ies are used as a standby
power source. And, in most
cases, the battery systems
are designed to float — that
is, to operate without an
earth connection.
A common problem, how-
ever, is that a ground fault
develops somewhere in the
battery system, typically as
a result of dirt and moisture.
The fault is usually indicated
on a control panel and may
create an alarm condition.
Such faults can be very dif-
ficult to locate, especially in
large battery installations in,
for example, power stations
and large substations.
The most obvious
approach to ground fault
location is to disconnect the
battery from its load, and
to split it into sections so
that the fault can be local-
ised. While this approach
undoubtedly works, it is
inconvenient, as equipment
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30 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
the equipment powered by
the battery has to be taken
out of service while the tests
are performed.
Several alternative testing
techniques have been pro-
posed in an attempt to solve
these problems. One of these
is to inject a low-frequency
test pulse, typically around
5Hz, and use a signal tracker
to determine how this prop-
agates through the battery
system, thereby locating the
fault.
This arrangement has the
benefit that the tests can,
at least in theory, be car-
ried out while the battery
remains in service, and that
no removal of connecting
straps is needed. However,
the use of low-frequency
pulses has a major draw-
back, as the pulses are very
likely to upset the operation
of protection relays associ-
ated with the battery, lead-
ing to spurious tripping.
The designers of some bat-
tery ground fault location
test sets have sought to avoid
this problem by using test
signals of much higher fre-
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quency, in the 5kHz range
This eliminates the adverse
effects on protection relays,
but it introduces another
problem. At these frequen-
cies, the capacitors that are
often used in battery sys-
tems for surge suppression
present a low impedance
and, therefore, during test-
ing they appear as “phan-
tom” ground faults, making
it much harder to localise
the real ground faults.
The most effective solu-
tion, and the one adopted
in Megger’s BGFT battery
ground fault tester, is to use
a test signal frequency in the
range 20Hz to 30Hz. This is
high enough to prevent inter-
action with protective relays,
but low enough to minimize
the phantom ground fault
problems associated with
capacitors.
The technique of locating
ground faults with test sets
operating at these frequen-
cies is straightforward. The
test equipment comprises a
signal generator, which is
mains powered, and a sepa-
rate battery-powered probe,
which is essentially a clamp
meter that has been tuned so
that it discriminates against
signals at frequencies other
than that of the test signal.
The transmitter incorpo-
rates a resistance bridge,
it shows the resistance of
all the parallel circuits to
ground from the point where
it is clamped. A capacitance
bridge is also provided as an
additional aid to discrimina-
tion against phantom faults.
To locate a fault, the sig-
nal generator is connected
between earth and either the
positive or the negative pole
of the battery system, the
correct choice being the pole
that has the ground fault.
The probe is then used to
track the test signal from the
source, always following the
circuit branches that show
the lowest resistance.
Systematically applied, this
procedure leads quickly and
positively to the fault loca-
tion. Note that tests can be
carried out equally well on
batteries that are in service
and those that have been
isolated.
While this method of locat-
ing battery ground faults is
simple in principle, it nev-
ertheless makes substantial
demands on the test equip-
ment used. To ensure suc-
cess, the equipment must,
for example, be immune to
distributed noise in the bat-
tery system and it must also
be able to deliver consistent
results even in the presence
of large ripple currents.
With good quality equip-
ment, however, there is no
doubt that testing at fre-
quencies in the 20Hz to
30Hz range provides a fast,
dependable and convenient
solution to the perennial
problem of locating ground
faults in battery systems. ■
www.batteriesinternational.com
SUPPLIER FOCUS — NORTH AMERICA
Batteries International took a sample of leading North American
suppliers and asked them for their take on the present business
environment. What are the main trends? What changes have most
affected their business after the economic downturn? And what are
their prospects? Lynnda Greene reports.
Keep the customer
satisfied
The noughties — the first decade of
the new century — have been char-
acterised by sweeping changes in the
battery industry.
Suppliers and manufacturers alike
have faced the same series of develop-
ments — globalization of both mar-
ketplace and workplace, the explosion
of electronic media/communication
hitting every aspect of marketing and
the supply chain, accelerated develop-
ment of technologies and applications,
China’s ascendency as a major power
with India on its coat-tails — and cri-
ses — energy instability and financial
chaos.
And let’s not forget a global reces-
sion deeper than anything seen since
the 1930s.
Bad news aside, there’s been one
sweeping change worldwide — gov-
ernments around the world have
finally accepted the urgent need for
new energy sources and their storage
as well as the policies to implement
them. The good news is that batteries,
so long the wallflowers among energy
technologies, have found their way
into the mainstream.
So how have lead acid suppliers,
the backbone of the North American
battery industry, fared through what’s
been billed as the worst economic
recession in 75 years? What changes
have had the most impact on their
business? What new problems have
they encountered, and how have they
handled them? And with that do cus-
tomers most value in their products,
and services, and what innovations do
they want to see? Where do they see
the industry going in the future? What
do they worry about?
Answering these interrelated ques-
tions is problematic in that some
aspects of work change while other
stay the same. Marketing and closing
www.batteriesinternational.com
deals are a good example.
While no business can achieve suc-
cess without a traditional marketing
network, suppliers say new elec-
tronic media — the internet,
websites and email — have
had a profound effect on
how companies accom-
plish that. Certainly, it’s
become much easier to
get their companies’
products and serv-
ices out in front of
customers. That said
some basics don’t
change, be they the
face-to-face meeting
to conclude a deal or
the simple meeting over
lunch to get to know the
customer.
“The world is a much smaller
place now, because of internet
communication,” says Doug
Bornas, vice president of sales
and marketing for MAC Engi-
neering, based in Michigan.
“Just 20 years ago you had
to go visit everyone, or you
had to hope they’d come to
trade shows so you could
see them. Otherwise people
who might buy equipment
wouldn’t even know who
you were.”
Now, he says, they still par-
ticipate in all battery shows
and conferences, and they
advertise in the magazines.
This kind of communication
helps reduce time and travel
on the front end. Conversely,
it places a new emphasis and
investment in time and care, on
the back end, when it comes to
the sale. The personal meeting
with the customer is as important
Batteries International Spring /Summer 2010 31
 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

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 SUPPLIER FOCUS — NORTH AMERICA
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE LEAD ACID SEGMENT OF THE INDUSTRY IS HEADING?
Which way lead? One word: forward.
All the survey suppliers said no mat- “Batteries will play
ter what misconceptions the news
media spin — the economy is tank- an ever greater role
ing, US manufacturing is dead, lith- as the entire world
ium batteries will save the world —
customers still have work to do, and seeks better energy
they need the equipment to do it.
“The media tends to focus on
solutions. From
perceived trends, sound-bites the continuation of
rather than well researched, veri-
fied facts,” says Susan Hoffmann,
lead acid demand,
director of marketing at Inter- to ‘super’ lead acid
national Thermal Systems.
technologies, to the
Over-hyped downturn advanced battery
“They have hyped the economic
downturn across the board, particu-
chemistries, this is an
larly in manufacturing," Hoffmann exciting time.”
says We’ve continued to get orders
and serve our customers as always.
When it rains, you close the win- ers kept things as slim as they could
dows and put on your rain coat.” — kept stocks down as low as they
That said, a nice cold — and could. Now we see things taking off.
long winter — always helps. There are always those who have
“Cold winters certainly boost bat- credit issues, but I don’t think this
tery sales,” says Kevin Whear, vice recession has generated more credit
president of technology for Daramic, issues than there would be normally.”
noting this last one primed the pump
for what promises to be a good Drive to consolidation
year. “Here at Daramic, we think in All reported they were busy find-
terms of the inventory pipeline, from ing ways to meet anticipated
distributor, battery manufacturer, to needs. Daramic is watching the
seller. In 2009, we noticed custom- promising mini-and micro-hybrid
auto industry, in which lead acid
looks to be a frontrunner. In the
meantime, they’re heeding cus-
tomers’ expressed needs for con-
solidation of popular products.
“We’ve begun working toward
consolidating several of our niche
products into one new product fea-
turing multiple benefits,” he says,
“so that we can bring them to the
market in a more cost-effective way.”
Suppliers appeared universally
energized by exciting work being
done across the lead acid indus-
try, with Enersys, Exide Technolo-
gies, C&D Technologies, Ultralife,
Axion Power International, and
ZBB Energy as leading the field.
The CSIRO’s Ultrabattery in Aus-
tralia, which has been adopted by
the likes of Banner and East Penn, is
“From the continuation of lead acid demand, to
‘super’ lead acid technologies, to the advanced
battery chemistries, this is a truly exciting time
to be in the business”
Alessandro Fossemo, Sovema US
34 Batteries International Winter
Spring/Summer
2010 2010
regarded as significant in terms of
its ability to address the Achilles heel
of lead acid: partial state-of-duty.
Lead acid: here to stay
“I feel secure in the certainty that
the lead acid battery is going to be
around for a long time,” says Doug
Bornas, vice president of sales and
marketing for MAC Engineering.
“It is not going to be replaced
by any new chemistry any time
soon — this technology is an
inexpensive way to power,
and completely recyclable.”
For all the hype about dog-eat-
dog competition, however, Ales-
sandro Fossemo, head of sales for
Sovema US, notes a new spirit of
collective learning in the industry.
“I am happy to say that Sovema
enjoys working in a pool of com-
petitors that are open to work-
ing together and learning from
one another,” he says.
For example, Sovema has been
largely responsible for the adoption
of the Ball Mill production method by
the likes of Johnson Controls, among
others battery producers in the US.
That said Sovema USA does not
itself sell its curing chambers directly
in the North American market, allow-
ing them to be sold by MAC Engi-
neering under Sovema’s licence.
“This helps the industry in that we
all help development of ever bet-
ter equipment,” says Fossemo.
“That’s why I think the bat-
tery industry can only grow
stronger now,” he says.
Increasing role of
energy storage
“Batteries will play an ever greater
role as the entire world seeks better
energy solutions," says Fossemo.
"From the continuation of lead acid
demand, to ‘super’ lead acid tech-
nologies, to the advanced battery
chemistries, this is an exciting time.”
Although much of the future is
clearly uncertain, what is known
is that while the newer lead acid
technologies, including the very
promising work being done in
ultracapacitors, may not yet
offer the best long-term solu-
tion for full EV applications.
But that said they do offer excit-
ing possibilities to power a variety of
hybrid applications, and new ways
to reduce vehicle emissions without
trading out the entire vehicular fleet.
www.batteriesinternational.com
SUPPLIER FOCUS — NORTH AMERICA
“Customers are looking
for anything we can
bring them that will help
them differentiate their
battery from others.
That means we have to
know their product and
process inside out”
Kevin Whear, Daramic
as it ever ways, if not more so, on
some level, especially with customers
outside the US.
“So we visit customers on an almost
daily basis around the world — that’s
how we get the word out on what
we do,” says Bornas. “We follow
that through with quotations, techni-
cal answers and orders, and we build
equipment. Customers want to meet,
they want to negotiate things in per-
son. We rarely sign a contract that
does not involve on-site visits. Cus-
tomers do not want to do everything
through the internet.”
Evolution of product lines
Certainly suppliers have had to refine
their product lines as the industry’s
needs have shifted, and adjusted to
the demands of the global marketplace
and the strains of a global recession.
“Our customers have continued to
come to us for products and services,
even if the nature of their requests has
“Instead of customers ordering a major piece of
capital equipment, they not infrequently focus on
refining how they use what they have to achieve
greater efficiency”
Susan Hoffmann, International Thermal Systems
COMPANY PROFILE
INTERNATIONAL THERMAL SYSTEMS
Formed in 2000 from the merger of
three well known and well respected
names in the heat processing, finish-
ing and metal decorating industries
— Industrial Heat Enterprises Inter-
national, Oven Systems Incorporated
and LTG Metal Decorating — Inter-
national Thermal Systems is a global
original equipment manufacturer of
industrial process ovens, furnaces,
www.batteriesinternational.com
changed, reflecting the times,” says
Susan Hoffmann, director of market-
ing at International Thermal Systems.
“Instead of ordering a major piece
of capital equipment, they not infre-
quently focus on refining how they
use what they have to achieve greater
efficiency. We can offer operational
assistance, to help control costs and
streamline operations.”
For example, when a company has
to shut down a line to make a repair, it
loses money. To reduce downtime and
costs, ITS can examine the operation
and find ways to institute a change,
whether it’s replacing a motor or refin-
ing a process.
“Or let’s say a company wants to
reduce energy usage, cut their util-
ity bills by a certain percentage,”
she says. “We can come in and help
them achieve that. Maybe it’s install-
washers and associated
material handling equip-
ment for applications
in automotive, aerospace, power
generation, battery manufactur-
ing, building products, foundry
and metal packaging industries.
It is headquartered in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin in the US with offices in
Europe and Asia, ITS boasts thou-
COMPANY PROFILE
DARAMIC
Established 75 years ago, Dara-
mic, a business unit of Polypore,
has become a major manufacturer
and supplier of battery separa-
tors for automotive, industrial
and specialty applications.
Daramic claims it supplies more
than 50% of the world’s demand
for high performance polyeth-
ylene battery separators to the
lead acid battery industry.
From their headquarters in Char-
lotte, North Carolina in the US, Dara-
mic operates marketing and sales
offices across the Americas, Europe,
Australia, south-east Asia and China.
It has nine manufacturing facilities
with a combined annual capacity of
over 350 million square metres of
battery separators produced in Ken-
tucky and Indiana in the US; Selestat,
France; Norderstedt, Germany; Feist-
ritz, Austria; Bangalore, India; Tianjin,
China; and Prachinburi, Thailand.
Daramic’s Center of Innovation
in the Kentucky location serves
as the central hive of scientists,
industry experts and service tech-
nicians charged with developing
state-of-the-art product develop-
ment, material analysis, pilot manu-
facturing and testing facilities.
sands of thermal processing units
installed worldwide. ITS capabilities
also include the engineering and
manufacturing of complete heat
processing solutions including ovens,
furnaces, washers, coolers, and asso-
ciated material handling equipment.
Batteries International Spring /Summer 2010 35
 SUPPLIER FOCUS — NORTH AMERICA
ing more energy efficient
motors or auxiliary equip-
ment, or retooling a machine
for smoother operation.” These can
include measures that will help com-
panies qualify for green energy credits,
tax incentives and grant funding.
“We find we often serve as a sort of
go-to knowledge resource,” she says.
Problems only spur suppliers to come
up with ever more inventive solutions
that will save customers money, says
Alessandro Fossemo, head of sales
for Sovema US which operates from
its subsidiary Bitrode Corporation, in
Missouri.
He points to issues such as the rising
costs of raw materials, in particular, and
manufacturers’ ever-watchful eye on the
improvement of productivity, reliability,
and up-time to retain profitability.
“For example, we heard so many
complaints about lead oxidation
GLOBALIZATION OF THE WORKFORCE
Lead acid — perceived as a com-
moditized product — is cost driven
because it is a volume product. As
with any manufactured product,
players strive to find the lowest
cost to make that product, and that
drives manufacturers to China and
India, other low cost countries.
Finding enough qualified work-
ers to man these Asian plants is
an issue for any company working
there, most add. Kevin Whear, vice
president of technology for Daramic,
says the company makes a point of
employing local people in it plants in
India, Thailand and China. “But that
means we first have to find people
who want to work for a western
company (not hard), and who have
language skills (English). Then we
try to relocate other workers from
other countries for a time, to get
them trained and up to speed.
“This has been problematic in China,
more recently, where growth has been
so fast and inflation relatively high,
that I think people have thought that
if they changed jobs they could do
better. So they tend not to stick in one
job very long, and that has proven
difficult to work around, though
recently things have stabilized.”
Challenges abound in cross-cultural
workforces, particularly the need for
fast-track cultural sensitivity training
at nearly every level. The survey's
suppliers, most of whom had been
in the battery business for at least 10
years, remarked on the dizzying pace
of expansion — and acculturation.
36 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
What sets apart successful suppliers, however,
seems to be an ability to provide a kind of total
solution — an ownership of what has to be done
to be successful.
machinery,” he says. “The Barton
System can be inconsistent, tempera-
mental to run, and greatly affected
by environmental conditions; more
importantly, the machines require fre-
quent, lengthy cleaning downtimes
sometimes running 30 dirty and dan-
gerous hours per month.
“The higher reactivity of the Ball
Mill system allows higher reactivity
of the lead oxide, resulting in a 5%
decrease in lead use. So we set to work
refining the process to create a virtu-
ally maintenance-free and consistent
Extraordinary change: Beijing business district, mostly farmland 20 years ago
All reported learning to be flexible
in what they loosely called “cultural
expectations”. When Daramic, origi-
nally based in Boston, began building
plants, work forces and sales teams
abroad, they found that no matter the
location — France, Germany, Austria,
and later Asia, each culture presented
its own challenges. “For example in
China, we found that people tend
more toward subservience,” says
Whear. “Used to a more hierarchical
structure, they waited for instructions
from a leader, a boss. To us, a boss
has a role but he doesn’t have all the
answers. So we had to help them
break out of that — making them feel
more comfortable taking the initiative.”
A tangential issue, too, he says, is
just managing growth in a time of so
much change, not only in the industry,
but among consumers themselves.
Ball Mill production method.”
The result has been the Sovema “S”
series oxide mill, developed specifi-
cally to meet customers wanting extra
production performance featuring new
control features, such as a pre-heating
system for temperature control and
to achieve exactly the exact level of
oxidation required.
“Clients seek a total solution
approach to their problems,” he says.
“They want you to think along with
them, and offer expanded solutions
for them.
Globalization has changed the way
companies produce — but also the
way they approach new markets.
“The thing we have the most trouble
with is making sure we have the right
match of capacity in the right region,”
he says, referencing rising demand
for products in China where consum-
ers, just purchasing a car for the first
time, are often less knowledgeable.
“Another problem is that there
is a conversion going on in Asia
from what we call historic separator
technology — cellulosic and rubber
and PVC — to polyethylene, which
has replaced the bulk of the busi-
ness in North America and Europe.
So China represents a market that
is making essentially two transi-
tions in terms of consumers and
technology, which requires some
accommodation on our part.”
www.batteriesinternational.com
SUPPLIER FOCUS — NORTH AMERICA
The bottom line, comes to value —
but with a twist.
The mature market is into optimizing
costs. But the cost is not just tied to
the purchase price, it’s also tied to how
well it serves in their operational proc-
ess. Increasingly important now is a
new kind of multi-pronged service that
includes partnership as well as nimble-
ness in delivering a rapid, response to a
demand — after the sale.
One step ahead of the game
What’s needed is a laser-sharp acuity
in perceiving clients’ needs before they
know it themselves. That means keep-
ing five steps ahead, not just one.
What sets apart successful suppli-
ers, however, seems to be an ability
to provide a kind of total solution, an
ownership of what has to be done to
be successful. Because every company
feels their product is unique, they nat-
urally want to feel that whatever goes
into its production is likewise unique.
“Customers are looking for any-
thing we can bring them that will
help them differentiate their battery
from others,” says Whear. “Any kind
of performance increase is welcomed.
So that means we have to know their
product and process inside out.”
And because companies don’t neces-
sarily expand their equipment capaci-
ties every year, their needs vary as
they absorb one purchase, or adjust to
some operational change.
“We find customers demand a con-
sistent ability to deliver manufactur-
ing solutions that are not only reli-
able and production-efficient, but also
prompt,” says Fossemo, affirming
a certain time-is-money urgency all
the suppliers noted in an increasingly
competitive industry. “Customers can-
not wait a week to get a line back into
production. They demand help now,
and over the years, we’ve learned to
react quickly with solutions.”
Customers worldwide often expect
not just a repair but an improvement
www.batteriesinternational.com
COMPANY PROFILE
MAC ENGINEERING
After launching production of its first
machine, an SLI-cast-on strap, in
1965, MAC Engineering expanded
further into the lead acid battery
industry with state-of-the-art
pasting and plate flash drying
equipment for both automotive
and industrial battery production, as
well as an automotive plate parter.
In recent years MAC has intro-
duced numerous new machines
including platemaking equip-
resulting in immediate savings. A ment, curing equipment, panel
company’s success can depend on its parters, Cast On Strap machines
ability to meet that demand, he says. for both automotive and indus-
“For example, our acid recirculation trial batteries, acid fillers, heat
product is considered one of the most sealers, short testers, leak test-
effective industry solutions for short- ers, and continuous expanded
ening lead acid battery formation— metal plate production under the
dramatically reducing overall produc- names COMAC and MAC ACP.
tion time, which can multiply fantastic In 2005, MAC formed a partner-
ROI to the bottom line.” ship with Eagle Oxide Systems,
Bornas says about a third of the giving it the ability to offer all
equipment MAC Engineering sells will sizes of Linklater, Eagle Barton
have some innovative design on it that oxide, red lead furnaces, ball mill
originated from a customer. systems and components.
“Our major focus is equipment,
design for the battery industry, for the
battery making companies, to help get
the best and most consistent product,
and to save labour,” he says.
“We have consistently found that
our customers always want some
innovative design, some advantage
over company ‘B’ down the street that
they can promote to their customers.
So they’ll often ask us, ‘Can you do
it?’ Our reputation rests in our answer
to that, and it is ‘yes, we will do all
those things.’ If we think it will work,
we’ll do it.”
Over-hyped and over here
Most suppliers felt impatience with
what they view as an industry-wide
malaise, particularly given the over-
hyping of the lithium segment in the
last few years. To some degree, lead
acid batteries have suffered from their
own success in quietly being behind
the power of modern living for over
a century.
But in the past decade suppliers — “Customers want to
both high-tech or otherwise — to the
lead acid business have been seen as meet, they want to
inferior to their lithium-ion counter-
parts now being developed for electric
negotiate things in
vehicles. person. We rarely sign
The topic is a sore one, given the
younger chemistry’s unresolved per- a contract that does not
formance issues. involve on-site visits”
“The lithium industry, for automo-
tive application, is still relatively under- Doug Bornas, MAC Engineering
Batteries International Spring /Summer 2010 37
 SUPPLIER FOCUS — NORTH AMERICA
developed,” says Bornas. “It’s
at the stage where lead acid
was 100 years ago. They’ve
got a chemistry that works, that
gives good test results, but now they’ve
got to figure out how to produce it in
quantity, and at an affordable price,
at a time when we’re trying to find
ways to reduce costs in cars. So far this
chemistry just adds costs.”
Advancing the business
What’s not being done in the lead acid
industry, they say, is proper marketing
of the technological advances being
made in this segment every day.
John Sims, director of sales for Wirtz
Manufacturing in, Michigan says “The
way to build a lead acid battery hasn’t
changed much in 100 years. Materi-
als have changed, techniques have
changed, but the basic chemistry has
stayed the same.
“That’s one of the testaments as to
why developing lead acid chemistry is
the right course, long term. Its longev-
ity says a great deal.”
It’s a familiar industry refrain too.
The old saw among battery men —
“Once you get lead in your blood,
you never get it out” — holds true at
a business level tool.
“We haven’t done enough in the last
five years to champion the cause for
why lead acid is still the best mouse-
trap,” says Sims.
“What politicians and bureaucrats
don’t understand — when they say
they want it clean and green — is that
when it comes right down to it, lead
acid is the most reasonable alternative
compared to all the other materials on
offer for high tech batteries.
“Lithium doesn’t recycle well, and
nickel not easily — 99% of all lead
used in North America comes from
recycled batteries.”
The industry needs to do a better job
of getting the truth out about lead acid,
he says. “What we need are good com-
municators who can distil and articu-
late this technology into language from
a manufacturing and business stand-
point to the general public.” ■ and department lay-out through to
“Clients seek a total
solution approach to
their problems. They
want you to think along
with them, and offer
expanded solutions for
them”
Alessandro Fossemo, Sovema US
38 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
COMPANY PROFILE
WIRTZ MANUFACTURING
Specializing in battery grid and plate-
making technology since its founding
in 1932, Wirtz has also moved into
oxide conveying and mixing, battery
assembly and corrosive resistant con-
veyors, and finishing line machines.
The company prides itself on its
grid casting machines and con-
tinuous casting (ConCast and
ConRoll) and pasting lines, con-
sidered industry standards.
The Wirtz group of companies also
includes several acquisition, including:
LEKO, offering a full range of assem-
bly products including TTP welders,
heat sealers, and related line equip- and washing/drying systems; and
ment; Oxmaster; ConBro formation Battery Recycling Systems, which
and finishing systems including acid provides turnkey secondary lead
dilution plants, acid fillers, dumpers, smelting and recycling systems.
“We haven’t done enough in the last five years to
champion the cause for why lead acid is still the
best mousetrap” John Sims, Wirtz
COMPANY PROFILE
SOVEMA US
Founded in 1969, Sovema offers an product know-how and plant com-
extensive line of production machin- missioning by specialized staff.
ery for battery manufacturing from Sovema is particularly known
its own headquarters near Verona for its "Performer", the continuous
in Italy, and through Sovema US, progressive expander, the innova-
based in Wisconsin, and subsidiary tive technology that makes it pos-
Bitrode Corporation, in Missouri, as sible to produce both positive
well as a facility in Tianjin, China. and negative grids at double the
The company supplies individual speed of other available systems.
equipment (paster, flash drying In 2008 Sovema incorporated
ovens, plate collecting systems, Bitrode Corporation, a respected
etc.) for specific processing opera- supplier of electrical power conver-
tions, as well as complete lines for sion systems for electric vehicle
the entire production cycle, using an and hybrid electric vehicle bat-
integrated technological approach tery testing, as well as produc-
starting from the study of factory tion and test systems used in
the manufacturing of batteries.
www.batteriesinternational.com
 3 GRID TYPES
1 SYSTEM

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AF F O R DAB LE Q UALI T Y WO R L DWI D E F RO M T H E WI RTZ G RO U P O F CO M PA N I ES

PROFILE: PAUL CHEESEMAN
How advanced is advanced lead acid? And why is one of the largest battery
manufacturers devoting resources to reinventing the humble lead acid
battery. Lynnda Greene interviewed Paul Cheeseman, vice president global
engineering and research, at Exide Technologies.

The new masters

of lead acid
It’s a surprise twist of fate. Dr. Paul
Cheeseman, vice president, global
engineering and research at Exide
Technologies, after spending virtually
his entire career working on every bat-
tery chemistry except lead is now to
concentrate on ... lead-acid.
“I’ve saved the oldest for last, in the
third trimester of my career,” he says.
“I’m excited in that I am confident we
are able to reinvent lead-acid for the
future. Already there is an understand-
ing that advanced lead-acid is not the
same as old lead-acid. At Exide, we’re
applying what I like to call the ‘Back
to the Future technology strategy’.
“Of course we can’t go into the
future,” he says, “but what we can do
is take technologies that existed yes-
terday, not to mention 150 years ago,
and we can apply those technologies
to problems that could not be solved
in the past, so we can be successful in
the future.”
There are thousands of examples, he
insists, of how we can do that, though
his favourite example is carbon.
Until 20 years ago, there was just
plain black carbon. But since then,
due in part to the development of fuel
cells and in part to the development of
lithium-ion, very sophisticated graph-
ite and activated carbons have been
developed featuring different conduc- Does he get the urge to just go in the lab and fool
tivities, and with high surface areas. around? “Oh yes, all the time. Trouble is my staff
Eliminating sulphation gets scared when I even get near the door.”
But the lead-acid industry has found,
he says, that applying those carbons lead’s weight, have been some of the then make lead-acid a better product
to the negative plate in a lead-acid bat- most significant obstacles to lead-acid for the future,” he says, adding that
tery can reduce and maybe even elimi- being used in hybrid electric vehicles. the R&D initiatives at Exide’s new
nate the age-old chemical problem of “So, ostensibly, if we steal these research centre in Milton, Georgia,
sulphation, which significantly inter- new carbons — from fuel cells and in particular, are keyed around the
rupts the charge acceptance capability lithium-ion — that have developed principal of taking technologies today
of a lead-acid battery. Sulphation, and and apply them to lead-acid, we can (that didn’t exist yesterday) and apply-
40 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 www.batteriesinternational.com
PROFILE: PAUL CHEESEMAN
ing them to lead-acid for the purpose
of reinventing it.
It doesn’t take much to cajole a
few more such examples from a man
clearly excited about the future of
lead-acid batteries in all manner of
applications.
Take the way lead acid is manufac-
tured. “Historically, it’s been done
with relatively dated processes,” he
says. “If we apply some of the process
precision that’s available with nickel
metal hydride and lithium-ion, we can
make better products.”
As a technologist, he says, he has no
intention of putting a lot of work into
something that’s not marketable.
“The thing that switched me over
years ago, from enjoying a sociable
life to being driven to develop new
products and technologies, was really
wanting to see products in the market-
place – products that customers love
and that consumers want to buy, that
they can use.”
Gasoline savings
Having spent more of his career work-
ing on AA batteries, he says, the
chance to work on something that
can reduce energy usage and help the
environment is tremendously satisfy-
ing. “The batteries we make with the
assistance of an approximately $30
million grant from the United States
Department of Energy will save, in the
right vehicles, up to 75 million gallons
of gasoline.”
“We’ve reached some tipping points about the
way we see the world and how we manage our
economies, and that’s changed how we think
about our economic security.”
DIVERSITY: A KEY ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY
During the past 18 months, Exide
has established two technical cen-
tres, one in the state of Georgia
in the US and one in Büdingen,
Germany. It also has another exist-
ing facility in Azuqueca, Spain.
Cheeseman is clearly proud of
Exide’s new state-of-the-art 20,000
square foot technical centre in
Milton, Georgia, one of three new
or upgraded engineering centres
dedicated to development of vari-
ous forms of stored energy.
It boasts analytical, electronics
and prototype battery laborato-
ries and world-class instrument
rooms, as well as a garage for
www.batteriesinternational.com
Exide Global RD&E team at Milton, Georgia: Paul Cheeseman, (far left).
Cheeseman’s present work at Exide
— he joined in June 2008 being spe-
cially chosen for the post by then-chief
operating officer Edward O’Leary,
caps an already extensive career in the
battery business.
He spent 16 years at Duracell, where
he held a variety of jobs including
director of lithium-ion technology and
director of operations for its New
Products Division.
In the early 1990s he moved to
Spectrum Brands, (formerly Rayovac),
where as senior vice president for
R&D and quality, he led four global
research and development integration
programmes resulting from acquisi-
tions, and oversaw the efforts of some
150 scientists and engineers.
hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) prod-
uct development — an environ-
ment that enables advanced R&D
surrounding emerging applica-
tions for stored electrical energy.
Cheeseman sees the Mil-
ton’s function as an incubation
centre for product develop-
ment groups elsewhere.
“I want to develop better prod-
ucts,” he says. “I want to meet
customers’ needs. It’s a bit like fir-
ing arrows. R&D is like stocking up
the quiver, and the new technolo-
gies are arrows in the quiver. You
use them as you need them — but
the main point is to have a lot of
PHOTO: MICHAEL LESTER
Oddly enough, it was only a whim
of fate that led him to the energy
storage business. “In my final year
of university — my first degree was
in chemistry and materials science
— I’d already signed up to join an
accountancy firm,” he says. “At that
time, they were recruiting chemists!
But I became captivated by a research
project, and one thing led to another.
I stayed on and earned a PhD in elec-
trochemistry.”
Duracell days
From there it was a natural step
to move into the battery business.
“Duracell liked me, and I liked them,
so I set off to become a research
scientist in their European technical
centre,” he says.
Those early years with Duracell were
crucial, he says, in that they allowed
him to spend half his time in R&D
and half in manufacturing, doing dif-
ferent jobs in different places, often
abroad.
Through the early 1990s he worked
arrows. The best technologies are
the ones that are usable or reus-
able across different product lines.”
But why three facilities scat-
tered across the world?
“The best way to solve a prob-
lem is to bring different perspec-
tives to the table, so they can
see that problem from different
angles,” says Cheeseman.
“People of different educa-
tions and cultures bring a lot to
the table. Over the last 15 years,
I’ve come to see diversity as a
key organizational strategy to
help me create an organization
that can beat the competition.”
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 41
PROFILE: PAUL CHEESEMAN

RESEARCH IN THE FAST LANE

Before his arrival, each of Exide’s
operating divisions principally con- Just before I came, R&D was focused on
ducted its own engineering accord-
ing to product line and application. two years and in, not much more. But with
Cheeseman considers he wears
two hats on the job, serving as both
new markets emerging and opportunities
captain and navigator to the vast developing, there was need for a longer-term
vessel that is Exide’s R&D division.
“Exide wants to achieve two
viewpoint for research and development
things,” he says. “The first is to con-
nect all the engineering groups that
we have working around the world.
This is a product of Exide’s history.
We’ve accumulated lots of engineer-
ing groups through historical acquisi-
tions, working in multiple countries
and divisions. So, one key part of my
job is to connect all those together,
and coordinate their efforts.”
And this is quite some operation —
the ship’s crew numbers in the thou-
sands and operates in 80 countries.
Exide already has engaged in
a number of partnerships aim-
ing to accelerate growth and offer
new directions for the firm.
The company’s recent alliance with
Axion Power International means
that Exide expects to enhance its
ability to expedite the development
of advanced lead-acid batteries and
new chemistries for use in prod-
uct development, thus broaden-
ing opportunities in transportation Lookose Malikayil, lab engineer, at Exid'es new technology centre in Georgia
original equipment channels.
Exide essentially becomes Axion and not much further,” he says. able lead-acid batteries incorporat-
Power’s principal transporta- “But with new markets emerg- ing advanced carbon technology.
tion battery OEM customer. ing and opportunities develop- Exide’s project involves two of its
Exide’s new collaboration with the ing, there was need for a longer global technologies: a spiral wound
US Department of Energy’s Savan- term viewpoint for research and absorbed glass mat (AGM) design
nah River National Laboratory and development. So, another key and a flat plate AGM design.
the University of Idaho should help part of my job was developing Exide, nevertheless, regards
the company commercialize further strategies and plans for technol- lithium-ion as part of its future. “Our
improvements in lead-acid battery ogy, and for developing roadmaps strategy is to make sure we build
technology. Already, scientists have looking out five years and more.” an energy storage portfolio that
developed a unique glass micro- Put another way, his role at Exide enables us to meet the many mar-
sphere technology now being con- can be compared to a recalibration ket opportunities,” he says. “We
sidered for a variety of commercial of routes that reflects not just the will maintain a focus in the indus-
uses, particularly in battery perform- next port, but an entire voyage last- trial segment, as we expect that to
ance enhancement applications. ing years into the future — including grow over the next years, and on
Through a new deal with Nano- ports and markets still underap- the backbone of lead-acid will grow
Terra, a nanotechnology firm, Exide preciated by too many companies. lithium-ion. But we will be on the
plans to expand work in surface Exide, he says, is not one of them. lookout for other battery chemistries
chemistry and engineering to cre- “What excited me was the Exide that might supplement our portfolio.
ate innovative functionalities for team’s vision to grow energy stor- Yes, people still deride lead-acid
stored energy solutions toward age, particularly for markets related as being old and heavy. “But it’s
motive power, network power to hybrid electric vehicles,” he says. incredibly low cost, incredibly good
and transportation applications. “Exide recognized this was going energy storage, and is effectively
Cheeseman already has to be a great market opportunity.” recycled — more so than any other
helped change the mindset of As it happens, last summer Exide chemistry. However, it still can’t
the research department. was awarded $34.3 million under the meet all needs,” he says. “So, we
“Just before I came to Exide, the American Recovery and Reinvest- will supplement what lead-acid
company’s R&D initiative was prin- ment Act of 2009 for its proposal for can do with lithium-ion and other
cipally focused on two years out the domestic manufacture of afford- chemistries that make sense.”

42 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 www.batteriesinternational.com

PROFILE: PAUL CHEESEMAN
in Duracell’s rechargeable division —
first in operations, managing a battery I’m not going to say it’s exceeded my wildest
pack plant then under development,
and from 1995 to 1998 as director of
dreams. But lithium-ion has not travelled the path I
lithium-ion cell development. “This expected it to travel
was before so much of the industry
moved to Asia,” he says. Both Dura-
cell and Energizer were then investing
heavily in lithum-ion, expecting that
they could diversify their businesses
into rechargeable battery packs for
computers and cell phones.”
So was anyone even dreaming of
automotive applications for lithium-
ion batteries back then?

First metal hybrid cars

According to industry research, the
answer is yes. Duracell joined Toshiba
and Varta in a partnership in 1992 to
produce metal hydride rechargeable
batteries for hybrid cars.
By 1996, the three companies
had won research grants from the
PHOTO: MICHAEL LESTER

US Advanced Battery Consortium

(USABC), toward development of
lithium-ion batteries in electric vehi-
cle applications. In 1997, they were
granted $14.5 million contract exten-
sion from the USABC.
“It was clear even then that lithium-
ion was going to be a significant bat-
tery chemistry of the future,” he says
of the chemistry’s dramatic rise during
the past 15 years. “It is only fulfilling a
long expected plan, but I’m not going
to say it’s exceeded my wildest dreams.
But lithium-ion has not travelled the
path I expected it to travel.
“If anything, I’d say that lithium-
ion is a little bit behind where I
thought it might be.”
He thinks the chemistry’s sudden
ascendency into the realms of auto-
motive application — and thereby
labs and shops of some major indus-
try players — is due only in part to
a proliferation of public and pri-
vate investment, as well as innovative
partnerships across both industries.
What’s really pivoted the whole
discussion, to his mind, is the marked
sea change in public recognition of
the most salient issue at stake: an
urgent need for efficient, renewable
and sustainable sources of energy.
“During the last year, the climate
has changed,” he says. “For battery
makers and car makers, yes, but it’s
also that suddenly all the interested
groups – the stakeholders – are at the
table. It’s the first time in my memory
that everybody is saying that finally
we have an opportunity for electric
vehicles.”
But Cheeseman is doubtful that
the world is ready for all-electric
vehicles.
www.batteriesinternational.com
The new Exide hybrid vehicle, a Honda HEV retrofitted with Exide batteries.
“From a hybrid electric vehicle
standpoint, implementing a battery to
help their drive train is much simpler
than doing a complete electric vehi-
cle,” he says. “A good HEV — mild,
medium or full hybrid — emits less
CO2 than a full electric vehicle that
is being charged with electricity being
generated, in most countries, from a
grid highly dependent on coal fired
power. So an HEV actually produces
less CO2 when you look at the total
CO2 supply chain.”
He says Exide likes HEV technol-
ogy and production because it can
be implemented relatively cheaply,
without the costly construction of the
recharging infrastructure a plug-in
fleet will need.
“They need power, but not that
much energy,” Cheeseman points out.
“They typically need a one- kilowatt-
hour battery. So, in that case, lead-
acid is not a bad solution. The price
is not going to be prohibitive. A one-
kilowatt-hour car battery is substan-
The best technologies
are the ones that are
usable or reusable
across different product
lines.
tially less costly.”
For all the immense changes the bat-
tery industry has endured over the last
few years — globalization of markets,
trade, finances, and of course a deep,
crippling recession — Cheeseman is
sanguine about the future.
Managing resources better
“We’ve reached some tipping points
about the way we see the world and
how we manage our economies, and
that’s changed how we think about
our economic security,” he says. “I
sense a mainstream realization that
energy and fuel are finite resources
that need to be managed better. The
other thing about an economic reces-
sion is that, you know, when people
have a heart attack, they have to
change their lifestyles.
“Similarly, we’ve got to change how
we do things. And, the outcome of
that is a lot of companies have failed
— but some companies are a lot
stronger.”
Above all, he says, the interest in
batteries and energy storage is here
to stay. “From a personal standpoint,
there has never been a better time to
be in the battery industry.”
Does he get the urge to just go in a
lab and fool around? “Oh yes, all the
time. Trouble is my staff gets scared
when I even get near the door. ■
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 43
WEIBULL ANALYSIS
Knowing the approximate life characteristics of a number of battery
technologies based on Weibull statistics can be a useful predictive tool,
writes Erik Spek from Innovative Testing Solutions and Neil Johnson from
Ricardo.
Test, repair, bin or re-use
As new battery technologies evolve
to meet the needs of PHEVs (plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles) and EVs (elec-
tric vehicles), the pressure to reduce
costs has led to concepts that take
advantage of the remaining life in
automotive traction batteries for sub-
sequent use in less demanding applica-
tions.
The most common of these ideas is
to use automotive high power batter-
ies in lower power applications when
the minimum power deliverable can-
not meet the automotive requirement.
Another idea is to rebuild these
packs with new cells or modules of
cells to regain the power or energy
specification.
The replacement of a few cells may
seem a straightforward operation and
the use of an automotive sub-specifi-
cation pack in stationary service may
be financially attractive, however, the
expected new service life in these sce-
narios needs to be verified.
One of the ways to do this is to run
life tests on an intensified basis — 24
hours a day, seven days a week, 52
weeks of a year — on enough samples
to be able to develop meaningful sta-
tistics for prediction purposes.
While this is an exact and rigorous
method, it is also demanding in terms
of time and money.
Even with an intensive testing plan
costing upwards of $1 million for suf-
Distinguishing between cell and non-cell causes of pack end of life
Repair to pack Involving cells
Cell fails to perform to
specification (W or Wh)
Ground fault Cell caused
Non-cell caused
Repair to pack not Involving cells
Structural failure
Sensor Failure
Current carrying path
Software & controls
44 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
ficient samples, it will Decreasing Constant failure Increasing
still take over two failure rate rate failure rate
years to accumulate
the data required.
Many business man- observe
agement decisions Wear Out
cannot be deferred Random
for such a long time
and less exact but Infant mortality
still relevant methods
are required when
confronted with the Product ‘Bathtub’ failure curve
repair and subsequent
use question. to the pack but does not impede the
This is where knowing the approxi- remaining cells in their function. This
mate life characteristics of a number of is typically called a ‘benign’ failure.
battery technologies based on Weibull Some technologies such as NaS and
statistics can be useful. If there is no NaNiCl2 were designed to be able
data, then Weibull statistics (as infer- to perform in this manner with the
ence versus exact data) is a better help of electronic bypass elements
alternative for decision-making than or electrochemical reactions in deep
having no information. discharge that resulted in ‘to specifica-
Weibull factors (slope and life) have tion’ resistance.
their limitations but within reason (ie If a cell fails in such as way as to
beta greater than 1) represent typical impede the function of the remaining
bathtub curves and are a model based cells, it can compromise the function
on log-log values of the supporting of the pack.
data. Interpretation of the Weibull sta- This is sometimes referred to as a
tistics requires an understanding of the ‘catastrophic’ failure. Examples are:
fundamental physical phenomenon in physical destruction from I2R over-
the battery cells. heating; damage from external forces
(abuse, charging, immersion, etc) lead-
Cell failure characteristics ing to thermal runaway; expulsion of
The ideal failed cell is one which no molten, conductive materials creating
longer is able to supply the minimum internal short circuits, and the like.
specification of power and/or energy Some benign failures if provoked by
catastrophically failed cells can them-
selves become catastrophic.
NiMH HEV Lithium Ion challenge
No significant Establish cell performance &
known warranty claims degradation over life statistics
Caused by cell abuse
– establish tolerance levels
Avoided by best design practice
NiMH HEV Lithium ion challenge
No significant
known warranty claims Adopt best practices from NiMH
www.batteriesinternational.com
WEIBULL ANALYSIS
Thus both cell design for failure and
pack design are critical for a reliable
and durable pack.
Using Weibull diagrams
for repair decisions
The number of cumulative percent-
age failed cells in a battery pack is
strongly dependent on the cell failure
modes and this in turn is influenced by
the application’s tolerance for reduced
power and energy. If, for example,
failure of 5% the total cell population
result in below specification power
or energy, a simple decision could be
made to revive that battery pack by
replacing the failed cells, assuming
they can be definitively identified.
With the long service lives of NiMH
packs and their complementary power
role making repair largely unneces-
sary, lithium ion packs are then the
most likely candidates for cell replace-
ment.
There are other ‘check or correct
before repair’ factors that must be
addressed in a rebuild to make it safe
and effective such as:
• the state of charge of the remaining
cells to synchronize to;
• sufficient reconnection materials
remaining for an effective current-
carrying node;
• cell integrity with no loss of fluids;
and,
• cell resistance.
An out of specification condition for
any of these factors can make repair
difficult and possibly unsafe. How-
ever, if the cells fail benignly, repair
may be feasible and then the extent
and frequency of the repair must be
evaluated for feasibility.
Knowing the Weibull statistics for the
particular technology or even a similar
technology can be of help when making
the repair/rebuild decision.
The case of mature products
In the charts on the next page, a
number of mature technology packs
for an HEV application when tested
to failure had a ß of about seven as
shown in the two lines in the upper
half of the diagram.
These lines are derived from the
fault tolerance limits of cumulative
percentage failed cells in the lower
half of the diagram where the life
of the cells can be expected to be
between seven and eight years.
Translating this into pack life, it can be
said that 62.3% of the packs will have
failed between five and seven years.
Thus if the 2.5% of failed cells that
did so in the seven to eight years
were replaced, it is unlikely that
www.batteriesinternational.com
the renewed pack would have lived
beyond eight years.
The conclusion may be that if the
ß is high and the cell population has
a long life, the prize for repairing a
pack is marginal with only a short
additional life to be gained.
This is typically the case for a mature
product with high ß and long life. This
conclusion may not be relevant if the
product, while mature, is also high
cost. In this case, a repair may be
financially advantageous if even for
only a short reprieve to end of life.
By contrast, products which are
relatively new using immature tech-
nology will have lower value ß slopes
exhibiting the Weibull characteristics
as shown in the last figure. The ß
example slope for the immature cells
in the lower half of the diagram has
WEIBULL DIAGRAMS: THE MEANING OF BETA
Weibull diagrams are a method of
graphically depicting the failures of
a product over its lifetime. ‘Failure’
is defined by the owner of the data
and can cover many different sce-
narios and their consequences. It
is important to clearly define what
a ‘failed’ cell is in order to be able
to determine what to do with those
failed cells — a fundamentally ‘good’
cell could appear to be failed if
Examples of different shape factors (ß)
a value of from 1.5 to <2 while com-
paratively, the dotted line for best,
mature, flooded lead acid traction
battery cells have a ß slope of >3.
In this case, repair could extend the
life of the immature product beyond
warranty terms or for other special
reasons. The remaining cells will con-
tinue to fail but the new cells will
improve the ß.
In the first diagram entitled ‘examples
of different shape factors’ the topmost
line is in the shape of a ‘hockey stick’
to show that after a certain life, a
dominant failure mode is reached and
changes the ß significantly.
The early ß of one is characteristic
until just after the two-year point. At
that point the dominant failure mode
results in about one more year of life.
If this dominant failure mode is an
externalities cause the symptom
(degraded connection, out of sync,
etc). A truly ‘bad’ cell may be the
result of permanent failure modes
such as irreversible internal corrosion.
A typical Weibull diagram, as seen
here, has a line or lines each char-
acterized by a slope and intercept.
The x axis fundamentally represents
a time based value such as years
or cycles to failure. The y axis is the
cumulative percent-
age of failed data. As
the data for failure is
gathered, it can be
directly plotted on the
Weibull diagram as
scatter data and then
fitted to a straight line.
The two line charac-
teristics are graphically
determined by Weibull
methods based on the
estimation point (top
left corner) and the
acceptable number of
accumulated failures.
The slope, known as
‘ß’, typically has a
value from about one
to three or more.
A value of one rep-
resents an immature
product with failures
occurring at a some-
what regular rate over
the lifetime. As the
value of ß increases,
the product is matur-
ing with few early fail-
ures and most failures
grouped late in life.
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 45
WEIBULL ANALYSIS
uncontrollable factor such as cell inter-
nal corrosion, there is little argument for
repairing such packs in the hope of real-
izing longer than three years of life.
Putting it all together
The Weibull lines presented in these
plots are derived from experience
with several different battery tech-
nologies since the mid-1980s.
Assuming that cell failures are
benign, there may be scenarios that
are worthwhile for repair and pos-
sibly reuse. For example, repair pro-
grammes for second life make eco-
nomic sense when the second life
criteria for power and energy are less
than first life. This implies that the
second application and its risks are
understood well enough to avoid new
or unintended failure modes.
A measure of caution should be
exercised if a decision to repair or
reuse is taken. There are many more
factors than simply the Weibull lines
to be taken into account.
The background leading to a repair
scenario would be either one of
gradual reduction in pack perform-
ance through multiple benign cell
failures or immediate loss of pack
performance through one or more
catastrophic cell failures.
Repair in the first case does not
makes sense in most circumstances
when the ß is a high value since only
So what does Weibull say about repair? It is likely
not effective with mature and low cost product;
but might be effective for immature or high cost
product.
a small improvement in remaining life
can be expected.
If the ß was a low value, as in the
case of a new product, repair may be
worthwhile to delay warranty costs
or maintain a fleet in service while the
product life is improved. In the case
of catastrophic cell failures, the collat-
eral damage inflicted on the remaining
cells and pack infrastructure usually
presents a barrier to an effective, safe
repair due to physical damage.
So what does Weibull say about
repair? It is likely not effective with
mature and low cost product; but
might be effective for immature or
high cost product.
For example, the track record of
NiMH has been very good with esti-
mated ß of well over three and a
minimum warranty of eight years.
With no firm data available concern-
ing end of life, repair of these packs
will likely not be worthwhile unless
a highly organized process similar to
lead-acid is developed at the tier one
or two level.
Beyond the simple Weibull informa-
tion, it should be noted that to effect
a safe and effective repair, it is impor-
tant to establish the state of health
of the cells which will be used as
replacements for the defective units.
This can typically only be done by
testing each and every cell and bring-
ing all into balance.
Accordingly, it would appear that the
most feasible path would be to strip
every pack as received with healthy
parts set aside as WIP for subsequent
use in the rebuilding process.
The logistics of corralling old packs
is also a significant factor and should
not be underestimated. For example,
the reverse distribution of lead acid
packs is a highly organized and low
cost drill orchestrated to supply the
highly efficient lead acid recycling
industry.
Establishing the same system for
high voltage NiMH and lithium ion
packs will be a challenge.
For further information contact Erik
J Spek, ITS at erik@intestsolutions.
com ■

Early technology pack and cell life Mature power technology pack and cell life — postulation

46 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 www.batteriesinternational.com

CONFERENCE
IN PRINT

A letter from the publisher

Welcome to a new section of our magazine,

called Conference in Print.

Our aim is a simple one. We want to offer you the

readers a section where you can highlight your
products, technology and skills to our broader
audience — rather like going to a conference or
an exhibition without the inconvenience of all
the travel!

We’re putting no restrictions on what you’d like

to showcase — this is your section not ours
— but hope that this will prove an invaluable
and cost-effective way to reach our audience of
subscribers and readers.

Let me know what you think!

With warmest regards

Don Cleary
Publisher
CONFERENCE IN PRINT: ABERTAX PROFILE
Better engineering and better engineering management offer a way ahead
for battery industry suppliers. Batteries International visited Abertax’s
headquarters in Malta.

Finding the perfect

design mix
Developers tend to think in one direction
only — tweaking the basic chemistry
—when trying to create a better battery.
But perhaps another viewpoint should be
considered: how can better engineering
design be brought to bear to make batter-
ies more efficient? And then add another
layer. How can the management of engi-
neering design be made more efficient?
And that’s been the approach from
Abertax, an advanced supplier for battery
accessories, since the firm was revamped
with the appointment of a chief executive,
Dr Ing Joseph Cilia and general manager
Ing George Schembri, in October 2003.
Together with their new vice president
Mr Klaus Dieter Merz, a chemical engi-
neer who needs no introduction to the
battery industry, they form the perfect
team to steer their R&D department for
providing the battery industry with the
ideal accessories.
“Engineering design in and around
the battery has not had the attention
it deserves,” says Merz. “Creating a
better battery shouldn’t just be stuck
at looking at alternative chemistries in
seeking to build an advanced product.
Rather it should also be dissecting ways
of enabling that chemistry to be more
efficient.”
A good example of his thinking in
terms of ‘enabling’ can be seen in one
of the firm’s earliest patents for a valve
referred to as gas release system (GRS)
for all types of valve regulated batteries.
In essence it’s a plug, but a clever
one. It’s clever design allows accurate
and consistent opening and closing pres-
sure values that can be calibrated. This
increases the working life of batteries as
it reduces the loss of humidity within the
battery.
Since battery venting is the prime rea-
son for moisture loss in VRLA batteries,
the performance of a better valve can dra-
matically keep the water content higher
within the gel or acid and so extend the
battery life. (Additionally, the diaphragm
48 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
"Engineering design in and around the battery has not had the attention it deserves"
system in the GRS also prevents air enter-
ing the cells which potentially damages
the plates.)
“But our approach to this was more
than just an engineering one,” says
Schembri. “We put the valves through
their paces in some of the most demand-
ing environments a battery might have
to withstand. And then we dissected the
whole manufacturing approach — from
a business point of view as well as an
engineering one — to find the optimal
production path, in view of Quality
and the aggressive competition especially
from the far eastern countries.”
Abertax presently keeps up with the
existing demand of GRS, but has enough
spare capacity to increase its production.
“Through further machinery, and exist-
ing experience we are planning to satisfy
growing demand by short term adding
of capacity- doubling or tripling present
output” says Schembri.
At the end of March Abertax released
a new version of its gas release system
(GRS) valve suitable to work with M27
sized VRLA batteries. Until now the
patented valve has only been available
in the smaller M18 size. Abertax says
other sizes will be later made available
and a 27mm valve with a bayonet fitting
should appear shortly.
As part of this dissection of the manu-
facturing approach, the firm says it has
had to look at ways of ensuring the
timeliness of its delivery of products.
This is more than just a key issue for any
supplier but, in management jargon, also
a “core competency” — an issue that is
critical to the success of both Abertax
and its customers.
Secure inventory
One of Abertax’s strengths has been the
variety of ways it has looked at in trying
to ensure continuity of supplies to its
customers.
“In order to provide for any eventually
that could possibly turn out with deliv-
ery,” says Schembri, “we make sure that
we carry at least three months’ inventory
in our base factory at Corradino. That
covers any delays that we might possibly
encounter and on top of that we added a
further buffer in case of other eventuali-
ties. Guaranteed delivery to our clients is
one thing that we strive for.”
As an indication of how seriously the
company takes its ability to deliver its
products to its customers, to specifica-
www.batteriesinternational.com
CONFERENCE IN PRINT: ABERTAX PROFILE
tion and on time, Abertax has a back-up
subcontracting factory located some 50
km away on the island of Gozo that can
be used as a back-up in any kind of emer-
gency disaster recovery situation.
But rather than expose itself to poten-
tial disruptions, the company took the
step to invest in taking fuller control over
external inputs. “We decided to bring the
design, building and maintenance of all
the equipment used — such as moulds
and automation — in-house,” says Dr
Cilia. The result is that Abertax has a
state of the art computerised design and
machine tool department capable of pro-
ducing everything from simple templates
for injection moulding to designing and
building the machines that will automate
their GRS and other monitoring lines.
“We’re finding an immense autonomy
and a sense of security in having this
high-tech, computerized design facility
in-house,” says Schembri. “It’s more than
just relieving us from problems with sup-
pliers and sub-contractors but it gives
us a production advantage in being able
to develop the most effective designs for
what we do.”
Virtuous feedback
The firm believes one of its key strengths
lies here in that its R&D department
works closely with the various produc-
tion and design. “It’s a kind of virtuous
feedback between all aspects of our
company,” says Schembri.
Equally important is the fact that Aber-
tax believes it can use first-world skills to
deal with third-world competition.
“Competitive advantages for large
swathes of the manufacturing side of the
battery business is now mostly found in
price,” says Cilia. “And countries such
as China are able to use their cheaper
workforce to drive the price of their
products down.
“Our answer lies in greater and more
efficient automation and perhaps equally
important, the ability to drive the way
automation works ourselves. Being able
to make much of our manufacturing
equipment is liberating in this respect.
This way we can provide our products at
a price that can compete globally.”
Global sales require a sales force almost
permanently on the road.
For Abertax the key figure in support-
ing their esteemed customers with profes-
sional support is Mr Merz, who worked
in both the R&D and Applications Engi-
neering departments at the German bat-
tery firm Sonnenschein before making a
name for himself as marketing director
for motive power products at Exide
Industries.
Dr Cilia believes that — frequently at
least — the way products come to mar-
ket are the wrong way round. “Quite
www.batteriesinternational.com
often research departments will come up
with a product and then the marketing
department will go out and try to sell
it. We think we have a better system in
that our people, with a vast experience in
the battery industry, work hand in hand
with the customers on their needs and
our research will go all the way to, design
it, improve on it, perfect it, and finally
provide it.”
Battery monitoring
At the moment — at least in terms of
R&D — the firm’s two main product
lines are its GRS valve system and its
battery sensors and battery management
lines, though it has various other subsidi-
ary products such as magnetic water inlet
valves for use in any water storage tank,
cleaning machines and the like.
“The GRS is a relatively easy product
to market,” says Merz, “in that it imme-
diately provides you with a better, more
reliable battery. The Battery Monitoring
Units, which also have a huge impact
on the battery life and performance are
becoming more popular , he says.
As the next generation of lithium (and
other) battery chemistries emerge, the
range of uses and conditions where they
will be exposed will necessitate a greater
awareness, and ease of awareness, of the
state of the batteries.
The corresponding next generation of
electrical vehicles, he believes is a case in
point in that battery monitoring should
deliver more than just information about
the health of the battery but also its
charge and discharge rates and, in par-
ticular, a long history of data that can
be mined.
One immediate need for car, and other
electrical vehicle manufacturers looking
at leasing — as may become a trend — is
that such a monitoring system immedi-
ately allows the lessor to calculate the
power used for billing purposes.
But there are spin-off benefits too.
Remote monitoring should provide an
invaluable tool for standby power testing
or even fleet management of say airport
ground vehicles. Since Abertax’s system
can also be delivered with GPS — and
information transmitted over the internet
— its ability to pinpoint where the trou-
ble may be originating can add another
dimension to the product.
But this is not just moving into the
world of fantasy. Already field tests have
validated many of the uses of remote,
wireless based monitoring.
“One good example,” says Dr Cilia,
“is when we were looking at the optimal
use of a Gel battery that was being used
to power a boat. We found that on a
single charge the boat initially allowed
us three trips of a standard length before
going flat out.
“However, when we looked at improv-
ing the performance by installing Aber-
tax battery management and control
unit, we found that by using the absolute
maximum power of the motor rather
then the ideal one we added only 1% to
its speed while taking 25% more current
from the battery for this. Through proper
management and control we ended up
getting nine trips on just one charge.”
From monitoring to the grid
Better battery monitoring is also bringing
spin-off benefits to Abertax and could
even cause a rethink of the way that the
small island of Malta runs its electrical
grid. Abertax R&D has looked at the
way that photo-voltaics can be used as
part of a smarter grid. The roof of the
main Abertax factory is full of solar
panels that are being tested in a variety of
ways — which also cannily enough pay
for themselves in their contribution to the
Maltese national grid.
The results of their research could well
create a template that could be used inter-
nationally. “We find each year there is a
three month period in the summer when
electrical demand peaks due to the load
caused by the use of air conditioners,”
says Dr Cilia. “That necessitates an extra
gas turbine, with a capital investment of
approx 80 million euros, that has to kick
in to cope with the peak — and that’s
not including the fuel needed to run.
“By comparison my calculations show
that if people on the island were to gen-
erate this electrical shortfall by installing
photovoltaic panels on ideal roofs, they
can save 10 million euros of fuel every
summer — and create massive savings
on everyone’s electricity bills. In such a
scenario payback periods of five years
and less are possible – keeping in mind
that such PV panels have a lifetime of
over 30 years, a proper feed in tariff
will lead us to a clean way to our future
energy needs.”
“On top of that there are the benefits,
outside of that period, when home-own-
ers would be saving money by generating
power that they could either use them-
selves for free or sell back to the power
company.”
Dr Cilia, himself, is a pioneer figure in
electric vehicles as well. For the past six
years he has driven a Reva to work —
“on a small island such as Malta, EVs
come into their own” he says. “It’s only
7km from my house to work, where I
can plug it in. And this is an excellent
example where a simple lead acid bat-
tery is more than enough to satisfy my
needs.”
Dr Cilia also has several solar panels on
the roof of his house which in effect give
him both free fuel in his ride into work
and an emission free journey. ■
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 49
NOTES FROM A CONFERENCE
The great and the good (and some of the others) of the battery and electric
vehicle world descended on the 10th International Advanced Automotive
Battery and EC Capacitor Conference in Orlando, Florida in mid-May. The
conference was packed. The mood upbeat.The conclusions debatable.

Optimism unbounded

“This isn’t just big. But it’s big, big.”
That was the view of one delegate at
the annual AABC conference held this
May in Florida.
The point was well made. It wasn’t
just that the Omni Hotel is a vast
sprawling conference-style resort situ-
ated in the middle of a championship-
level golf course (and where some
of the less conscientious delegates
sneaked off to).
Nor was it the fact that there was
a big pile of letters to be digested —
there were three conferences going
on, the LLIBTA (Large Lithium Ion
Battery Technology and Application),
ECCCAP (Large EC Capacitor Tech-
nology and Application) and not for-
getting the AABC (Advanced Automo-
tive Battery Conference) itself.
Nor was it the size of the number
of attendees — 900 is not just a good
number for a conference but a blow-
out one — or the two large halls full
of exhibitors’ stands.
Rather it was the sense that this was
a big event that seemed to be marking
a sense of arrival for the whole of the
50 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
lithium ion battery community. “I’m
openly sceptic about whether lithium
ion will turn out to be the power solu-
tion for electric cars any time in my
lifetime,” said one delegate.
“But the mood at the conference was
astounding. There was a real sense that
enormous progress had been made
and that the promised land of lithium
powered EVs was in sight.”
Indeed the mood of the conference
— perhaps this is a reflection of the
whole of the lithium battery industry
— oscillated between the visionary and
the prosaic. With one breath, speakers
discussed a Brave New America where
Smart Grid would speak unto EV and
unto Smart Grid again. With the next,
issues such as dealing with the noxious
issues of lithium battery formation
came to the fore.
However, one undercurrent — the
truth that couldn’t quite speak its
name — was there despite the protes-
tations of the most passionate enthu-
siasts of all-things lithium. And that
was that a hard core that maintained
a scepticism (healthy or otherwise)
about whether lithium would neces-
sarily be the chemistry of choice in the
next generation of cars.
Perhaps more worryingly — and again
a truth that also couldn’t quite speak its
name — was a vague undercurrent of
fear. Where would the whole confer-
ence be if the magical world of lithium
powered EVs didn’t materialize in the
next couple of years? “Only half of us
— maybe only a third — will be here, if
that’s the case,” said one delegate.
“A lot of us are being bankrolled by
government money either directly or
dripping down from companies that
have received state funding. That kind
of money can’t last forever and, here
in the US, the Obama stimulus pack-
age was clearly a one-off.”
A question of timetabling
“Yes we’re all largely playing with
government money,” said another del-
egate.” “When that dries up, how can
we keep going? It’s not that I believe
that we won’t ever reach a kind of
tipping point when lithium becomes
the new norm — it’s just that I can see
www.batteriesinternational.com
NOTES FROM A CONFERENCE
“If you start to look away from, say, the
Californians and New Yorkers who are eager to
embrace change and are environmentally aware,
you won’t find Middle America willing to pay even
a couple of thousand dollars extra for a car that
could conceivably be looked at as green”
hybrids and nickel metal hydride as
being a more dominant alternative in
the interim.”
This question of when was clearly on
many people’s minds. “At the moment
we’re in a situation where the regular
economic triggers for a business don’t
apply,” said one exhibitor. “Normally
companies work on the basis of supply
and demand — but as yet we’ve not
the faintest idea of what demand will
be, so it’s difficult for us to make any
kind of sensible planning on providing
the supply side of the equation.”
Battery price the key
Given that demand for the new cars
is going to be crucially linked to price
— and that could well be a function
of the race to produce a lithium car
battery at around a fifth of the present
cost — the more pessimistic again
reckoned that the present timetable
was too optimistic.
“If you start to look away from,
say, the Californians and New York-
ers who are eager to embrace change
and are environmentally aware, you
won’t find Middle America willing to
pay even a couple of thousand dollars
extra for a car that could conceivably
be looked at as green,” said another
exhibitor. “I mean three-quarters of us
in the States choose not to believe in
global warming!”
And this remark was echoed, in vari-
ous forms, by the many international
delegates. “Till we get a price point to
know what we’re selling the batter-
ies for, we haven’t any real indication
of what our sales can be,” said one
speaker.
A similar point was made by oth-
ers when talking about performance.
“One of the really encouraging points
about this conference,” said one del-
egate, “is how we’re seeing — both
from the ultracapacitor viewpoint as
well as the lithium ion battery view —
steady advances in performance. And
these of course are also being matched
by general improvements elsewhere,
for example, in the BMS.”
But if the timing for the arrival of the
next generation of cars proves elusive,
there were many that saw the political
www.batteriesinternational.com
will to move to all things electric as
now being solid. “One thing seems to
be certain,” said one conference del-
egate, “the US federal government has
taken the issue of energy storage to its
heart and I don’t personally believe
that this is an Obama Democrat thing
but one that is going to be broadly
cross-party. The Department of Energy
understands the issues at stake.
“A lot of senior people — and now
that includes the politicians — in the
US haven’t forgotten the spectacular
rise of the price of oil two years ago.
Creating a secure energy storage sys-
tem has become a question of national
security.”
The issue of US national security
was also another undercurrent in the
show. What one delegate called “the
elephant in the room that nobody
would admit to seeing” was the role of
China in infringing intellectual prop-
erty rights.
Conference snapshots
Away from the activities in the main
conference halls, there were two halls
full of exhibitors and a third hall that
offered a kind of poster display. Cer-
tainly the poster exhibition proved
an unusual take on a whole variety
of battery market issues. Some two
dozen poster exhibitors were given
the equivalent of just 2m3 of space to
make their relevant points.
Next door to the poster display hall
were two further rooms manned by a
small army of exhibitors.
Although the focus of the main con-
ference was, by definition, on automo-
tive batteries, that wasn’t to say that
other uses of lithium batteries weren’t
talked about or discussed in the coffee
rooms between breaks.
The creation of smart grids was
a hot topic from a slightly different
point of view from the conventional
ones where electric cars are being
plugged into these grids.
Although there’s been much talk
recently about using the batteries
within electric vehicles as a kind of
energy pool (the “vehicle to grid”,
or “V2G” concept) where plugged-in
vehicles sit on the grid and that can
supply power when necessary, one
delegate, David McShane, EVP busi-
ness development and engineering, at
International Battery says his firm is
looking at using large format lithium
batteries for stationary, energy storage
at the electric-utility power distribu-
tion level.
“We have a programme through
S&C Electric with AEP (the Ohio-
based energy utility) targeted at com-
Community energy storage chest
munity energy storage (CES)” says
McShane. “Energy storage of around
27kWh to 150kWh in size is con-
nected between the local transformer
and the residential service (typically
four to 10 homes).
“The CES can support local com-
munities in the event of disruptions to
supply and provide a range of other
utility support benefits such as power
quality improvements and even offer
utility infrastructure investment defer-
ral options — all of which provide
economic benefit to the utility and
improved service to end customers."
AEP contracted S&C Electric as
the system integrator which in turn
selected International Battery as the
energy storage system supplier of
choice.
AEP expects to include 2MWh of
CES for the pilot project as part of
the Ohio gridSMART programme.
Opportunities, challenges
McShane says that V2G is a great
opportunity, but there are also chal-
lenges faced in setting up a larger grid
for electric vehicles as an energy pool
to provide the same benefits — there
will be simple practical details of
whether, for example, people want
their vehicles to be connected into
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 51
NOTES FROM A CONFERENCE
such a grid and charged and dis-
charged by others. There are other
practical problems associated with a
connected vehicular energy pool —
what happens, for example, when
you plug in your car at a neighbour’s
house? What kind of identification
system needs to be put into place when
that happens?
Under the CES scheme”, the energy
storage asset belongs to the utility and
so there is no question as to whether
or not it can be deployed.
Another, interesting application for
International Battery’s large-format
prismatic Li-Ion batteries is working
with the US military on its Silent-
Watch programme. In this application,
the battery storage system, or NPS
(Non-primary power source) supplies
the energy needs for radio and sur-
veillance equipment. This allows the
military to gather intelligence without
the need for engine generator power
(which produces detectable heat and
noise signatures).
The military is interested in investi-
gating further uses of energy storage
such as in combination with renew-
able sources (photovoltaics or wind)
to provide a stable electrical supply in
remote areas.
One of the more challenging num-
bers of keeping the coalition of armies
in the field in Afghanistan is that it
takes seven million gallons of fuel to
provide the military with one million
for operational use.
Any forms of energy saving are
important for the military. “They find
the combination interesting in two
ways,” says McShane. “The immedi-
ate one is that the renewable energy
sources with light-weight, energy-
dense storage cuts supply-chain costs.
But the second one is that it gives
greater operational efficiencies such as
enhanced mobility.”
“We’ve managed to reduce our MCV production
formation system to around half the size but
offer increased performance and we’ve radically
expanded our FTF product which supports
complex pack test development to give both the
capability of using one or two circuit systems and
testing up to 1.2MW”
has been the increased collaboration
between firms that previously would
have regarded each other as rivals or
near rivals. The overall impression,
talking to delegates at the conference,
was that business barriers were being
brushed aside in the rush to get the
new battery technology in place.
And, most particularly on the road.
Bitrode has been collaborating with
A&D in one such joint venture in pro-
ducing a fully automated battery test
system for General Motors’ Global
Battery Lab in Michigan. “It consists
of A&D’s iTest, iCentral and Lab-
Minder and our own test equipment,”
says Canova. “It’s a major advance-
ment in world class battery laboratory
Canova: raising the technology bar management. We think we’re well
positioned for it to become the indus-
around half the size but offer increased try standard.”
performance and we’ve radically John Leppek, senior account man-
expanded our FTF product which sup- ager, at A&D also spoke about the
ports complex pack test development partnership in glowing terms. “By
to give both the capability of using one working together we’ve created an
or two circuit systems and testing up unparalleled system for testing today’s
to 1.2MW.” advances in battery chemistry and
The price tags for the new MCV and operations.”
FTF testers are unchanged in terms of
price per kilowatt hour. Anode, cathode binders
One of the striking features of the Zeon was another such firm provid-
growing lithium battery industry ing upgrades to its existing product
Conference organizer Menahem Anderman at the opening sessions

Pushing testing technology out

Looking around the exhibitors one
was struck by the sense that lithium
battery technology was continuing to
innovate and advance at breakneck
speed.
For example, Bitrode Corporation, a
designer and manufacturer of testing
equipment for formation in all types
of battery chemistry, revealed two new
products at the conference.
“Basically, these are next generation
products rather than merely upgrades
as we continue to add greater func-
tionality and power, Paolo Canova,
the firm’s chief executive told Batteries
International.
“We’ve managed to reduce our
MCV production formation system to
54 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 www.batteriesinternational.com
NOTES FROM A CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE CONCLUSIONS, TAKE 1 — HOW
ELECTRIC WILL ELECTRIC VEHICLES GO?
The popular media as ever is over
hyping the marketing of HEVs,
PHEVs and EVs. The Li-ion batteries
are not ready for prime time EVs and
all the main players admit it; their
visible strategy supports this view.
Nissan appear to be out in front
but they are unlikely to step too
far out of line. All the majors have
test fleets of the various types of
electric drive (eg HEV, PHEV, ReEV,
and EV); Nissan are just conduct-
ing their EV test fleets more in
the public eye than the others.
In the early 1990s Ford clearly
identified the ECOSTAR NaS fleet
as a test fleet as did Toyota with
the NiMH RAV4. “GM appeared to
go further with the EV1 but pulled
back when the realities became
clear,” said one delegate to Batteries
International. “The EV1 was really a
technology demonstrator and in that
role it was very successful. Many
people liked the EV1 and resisted
its withdrawal from the field even
when GM insisted that it was only
ever intended as a learning vehicle
for future ventures. They blamed
the lead acid battery (although
they also had a NiMH version) and
they did gain useful experience.
“GM got even more PR expo-
sure by cooperating with the
book The Car that Could: The
Inside Story of GM's Revolution-
ary Electric Vehicle and of course
they played a passive role in the
film, Who killed the Electric Car?
GM thus played a clever game
without taking big risks. Nissan may
be doing something similar now.”
Indeed it’s worth remembering
the lessons of history. In the early
1990s the majors all ended up
blaming the battery of the day for
not continuing with EVs and they
were of course correct, the bat-
teries did not have sufficient Wh/
kg but they knew that at the outset
as they do now. The arithmetic is
simple and inescapable. The situa-
tion has not changed very much.
Today’s best batteries strug-
gle to match ECOSTAR’s 110 Wh/
kg battery system which is a pity
after 20 more years of R&D: 110
Wh/kg is not good enough for a
really good EV and the Leaf and
Mitsubishi do not even have that.
Toyota has launched a limited fleet
of PHEVs but the range is so small
www.batteriesinternational.com
(20 km at best and probably 12 km
in many practical circumstances) that
their risk is minuscule. The Toyota
vehicle is really an HEV with a slightly
bigger battery (≈5 kWh) but at 32
Wh/kg it is not a serious traction bat-
tery. However its emissions are quite
good at around 90g of CO2/km.
Ford like Toyota is focusing on
fewer emissions/km. Ford has
HEVs, with plans for EVs later and
excellent small diesels are about to
be launched. The end results are
similar in the short term to Toyota.
Ford is relatively quiet on its EV
plans but has stated that it does not
intend to launch a ReEV. It has plans
for an EV version of the Connect van
(with Johnson Controls and Saft) and
also the new focus where Magna
appears to have responsibility (bat-
tery details not yet clear). GM (and
the media) however is making a lot
of noise about a little zero emission
driving (e.g. “up to 40 miles range”
which in many practical circum-
stances will be nearer to 25 miles).
“Almost all of the majors will be
relying on their ICE drives for some
time to come,” says a delegate.
“Nissan appear to be leading the
risk game by not having an ICE on
the “Leaf” but I suspect their risk
management will be to keep the
EV fleet quite small and spread
over wide geography, eg CA etc,
UK, France and Japan. This is an
expensive strategy but controls
risk visible to the public while yield-
ing valuable wide experience.
Exhibitors awaiting the onslaught of
delegates ahead of the coffee break
lines — in this case its anode and
cathode binders for Li-ion batteries.
“They offer higher capacity, longer life
and have several other improvements
over conventional polyvinylidene fluo-
ride binders,” says Brian Cail, general
manager for new battery development
who was exhibiting at the stand.
“The binders provide a higher capac-
ity retention increase of about 10%
using the new cathode binder as well
as a discharge capacity improvement
of about the same percentage, at 10C
and 20C discharge rates.
Zeon says that its in-house testing
at -20°C shows that the new anode
binders improve capacity at cold tem-
peratures by two times over BM-400B.
Safety is improved over PVDF due to
the higher decomposition temperature
of Zeon’s binders than PVDF. Cath-
ode and anode binders from Zeon are
available in aqueous and NMP-based
solvent forms.
Decontamination
One of the companies exhibiting for the
first time was Entegris —a well known
company in dealing with chemical
contaminants in the semi-conductor
industry — but which only recently
realised that its existing products can
also prove highly useful to lithium ion
battery manufacturers.
“As we all know at this event some
highly volatile and very dangerous
chemicals are used in lithium ion bat-
tery formation and we have to find
ways to deal with these in a cost-effec-
tive way,” says Kevin Golden, business
development manager for the firm.
“Because of our experience in other
industries where the same issues at
stake we have a broad range of con-
tamination control solutions that are
already proven in the field.”
Purification and filtration systems
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 55
NOTES FROM A CONFERENCE

“As we all know at this event some highly volatile and very dangerous
chemicals are used in lithium ion battery formation and we have to find ways
to deal with these in a cost-effective way”
Entegris can offer neutralize these
dangerous chemicals.
Perhaps showing how much of the
industry was represented at the show
were some more unusual players.
Barton Malow would be one such
firm with its ability to produce cus-
tomized construction-ready designs to
build a lithium battery factory and the
project management expertise, so the
firm says, to ensure that what might
otherwise be a two or three year proc-
ess — from talking to the customer
until the turn-key completion of the
factory — can be reduced to around
nine months.

Turn-key lithium battery factories

“We’re unusual says Lee Sellenraad,
director of project development at
Barton Malow, in that we’ll even offer
a performance guarantee for the proc-

CONFERENCE ANALYSIS , TAKE 2 — HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO HAVING LI-ION

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT MAJOR GLOBAL ELECTRIC VEHICLE PROGRAMMES?
An industry veteran comments: The
fact that Li-ion is the best technology
out there at present does not pro-
vide an automatic ‘yes’ to the ques-
tion of whether it is good enough
for major global EV programmes.
Good EVs need a high Wh/kg,
probably >300Wh/kg although some
acceptable niche products are pos-
sible at figures <100Wh/kg which is
where Li-ion seems destined to remain
at the system level for some time. The
Leaf is such a vehicle and its success
is likely to depend on early adopters.
The National US labs and Nissan
are more than aware of this issue.
Safety remains a serious concern
to which there are no easy answers.
There are similarities to the NaS
automotive batteries of the early
1990s. Both had thermal runaway
mechanisms that could lead to hot
fires (≈1,000C). Furthermore the onset
of thermal runaway in both cases is in
the region of 50C to 100C above nor-
mally possible operating temperatures.
Short circuits possibly caused
by defects or penetration with
conducting metals, or other heat
generating circumstances such as
overcharge can add sufficient ther-
mal energy to raise the temperature
to the critical point of no return.
The thermal runaway is a posi-
tive feedback situation and events
progress quickly possibly with explo-
sive rates depending on the cell,
the conditions and the constraints.
As Li-ion progresses to larger
pack levels (eg 30kWh-50kWh)
where it is used for all vehicle func-
tions including traction, active
safety systems can be expected
to evolve whereby problem areas
are isolated from operation and
early warning systems flashed into
place to allow plenty of time for
people to safely leave the vehicle.
As the final session on Friday
morning showed, battery-related
fires may be accompanied by
hot toxic emissions or projectiles.
To improve the safety of Li-ion
packs it may be necessary to add
thermal inertia to reduce thermal
propagation from cell to cell.
The obvious way to do this is
with metal barriers but this will
further reduce Wh/kg and pos-
sibly also increase the incidence
of pack short circuits. It may be
that there will be an increased use
of ceramic materials to improve
this situation. Extensive DV test-
ing will be needed to verify the
effectiveness of such measures.
The OEMs are progressing pru-
dently and HEVs have not created
any safety problems. The amount
of stored energy is low (eg 2kWh
compared to 40kWh for a good EV)
and the actual energy exchange
is very low compared to an EV.
Addressing the safety issues
for pure EVs is thus not easy, it
adds cost and complexity and
reduces Wh/kg but the issues
can not be ignored if there is to
be a serious move to EVs.
At present the Li-ion chemistries
with the fewest safety concerns
have the lowest Wh/kg. Phos-
phate chemistry has the fewest
safety issues and China seems
happy to standardize on this. Also
the IP situation for this chemistry
is difficult to enforce in China.
It is difficult to imagine small cylin-
drical cells satisfying a global shift
to use EVs., whatever the chemistry
and there is strong interest to try
to use larger pouch cells or similar.
However moving up from “a few
Ah” to >50 Ah (or even higher) bring
greater safety concerns and greater
reliance will have to be placed on
active system safety strategies.
Adding safety packaging (eg Inter-
national Batteries) or active systems
even for phosphate chemistry is
likely to further reduce the Wh/
kg achievable at the pack level.

56 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 www.batteriesinternational.com

NOTES FROM A CONFERENCE
The poster display: 2m3 to make a point
ess. Because we understand both the
basic and the special requirements of
such a plant — everything from the
clean and dry rooms to the kind of
factory layout a company might want
— we can offer an integrated product.
So-called ‘lean innovation’ in fact.”
The firm has already been involved
in construction work for A122Sys-
tems, Johnson Controls-Saft, Nissan
and Chrysler’s new electric vehicle lab
on its Arizona proving grounds.
But it was not just the nitty-gritty of
battery manufacturing that was repre-
sented at the show. There were plenty
www.batteriesinternational.com
of unusual firms with non-technology
offerings on display.
European temptations
One such stand in the exhibitor’s
hall gave details of an initiative to set
up manufacturing operations in the
German state of Sachsen-Anhalt. The
region, which used to be in the Com-
munist former East Germany has been
designated by the European Union
as a target one priority zone and is
therefore eligible for funds from three
sources — the German government,
the state of Sachsen-Anhalt itself and
the EU (which effectively match funds
the German contribution).
In practice a small firm, defined as
having a turn-over of less than Eu10
million ($12 million) and employing
up to 50 staff, could receive 50% of
the cost of the set up. At the top end of
the scale a large firm with a turnover
of Eu50m and with more than 250
employees could receive 30%.
“The only precondition is that the
applicant firm provides at least 25% of
the set-up fee from its own resources,”
says Oliver Köhn, a senior manager
for the regional development agency.
“Some of that other 25% funding, for
example, for the smallest firm could
come from either of our two state-
administered venture capital firms,
Goodvent or MBG.” The grant money
is non-refundable.
The aim of the state is to incubate
technological .hot areas which tend
“The only precondition
is that the applicant firm
provides at least 25% of
the set-up fee from its
own resources”
to be self-sustaining and which, part-
nered with the local university of
Magdeburg draw yet further compa-
nies in.
The German state of North Rhine
Westphalia was also exhibiting at
the AABC. Although there was some
financial assistance possible for any
relocation, part of the appeal of the
region was the existing proximity to
well established car firms and R&D
and testing centres. For manufactur-
ers some of its appeal would come
from the fact that it is just one day’s
truck ride away from two-thirds of the
European Union.
Sweden was also at AABC promot-
ing its Invest Sweden programme. ■
The 11th International Advanced
Automotive Battery Conference
& Symposium will be held in
Pasadena, California from January
24-28. The next European AABC
event will be held in Mainz, Ger-
many between June 6-10.
Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 57
LITHIUM BATTERY PRODUCTION
Spray drying is an increasingly important part of successful lithium ion
battery manufacture. Anders Bo Jensen from GEA Group runs through the
operational framework and the latest advances.
Spray drying by rotary
atomization of lithium
ion battery materials
Spray drying has been applied for
many years for production of fine
powders of high quality for various
types of batteries. And this will con-
tinue to be the case for the new gen-
erations of Lithium ion batteries being
developed with ever-more superior
performance characteristics.
This includes development and
proper manufacture of cathode mate-
rials, such as lithium iron phosphate
(LiFePO4), and spray drying will play
a leading role in realizing the full
industrial potential of these materials.
Powder engineering
There is a large variation between
different manufacturers with respect
to types and characteristics of lithium
material powders applied or being
developed for proprietary Li-ion bat-
teries. Consequently, the design of the
spray dryer must be tailored to the spe-
cific application and material in order
to provide the customized and very
precise powder specifications required.
A standard off-the-shelf spray dryer
design is simply insufficient if the tar-
get is to maximize the powder quality
and battery performance.
The tailor-making of the spray dryer
design takes place in close collabora-
tion with an experienced and compe-
tent spray drying technology supplier
and involves pilot plant testing both
for early stage feasibility studies of
different nano feed formulations for
spray drying and larger scale pilot
plant tests for optimization of the
process design.
This allows for an optimum spray
dryer performance with production
of powders in a consistent superior
quality in the most energy- and cost-
efficient way. Large know-how and
experience in spray drying will also be
required for continuously supporting
manufacturers in optimizing existing
58 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
spray dryers to the rapidly changing
market demands.
Rotary atomization
Several types of atomization are
employed in spray drying systems,
including rotary atomization with
wheels utilizing centrifugal forces,
pressure nozzle and pneumatic atomi-
zation. For industrial size spray dry-
ers for lithium materials for Li-ion
batteries, rotary atomization (figure
1) is preferred due to its greater flex-
ibility and ease of operation. Two-
fluid pneumatic atomization is nor-
mally considered feasible only for
small capacity plants due to the higher
energy consumption. Two-fluid noz-
zles are also giving a wider particle
size distribution and potentially more
oversize material. In comparison, the
rotary atomizer has a number of dis-
tinct advantages, as:
• it handles high feed rates without
need for atomizer duplication
• it handles abrasive feed stocks with-
out wear problems
• it has negligible blockage or clog-
ging tendencies due to the large flow
ports in the atomizer wheel
• droplet size control is through sim-
ple adjustment to wheel speed
• particle size is not affected by feed
rate fluctuations
Figure 1: Atomization by rotary atomizer.
For the subject type of materials,
a spray dryer with high-speed rotary
atomization can produce a powder
with nice spherical particles with low
residual moisture content, a narrow
particle size distribution with no over-
size material and a typical mean par-
ticle size of 5-20µm (figure 2). These
are some of the critical characteristics
to be engineered into the powders in
order to make them ideal for further
processing.
Figure 2: SEM photo of lithium iron
phosphate particles spray dried by rotary
atomization.
Solutions for abrasive materials
Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) and
its precursors, for example LiH2PO4/
Fe2O3, lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2),
lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4)
and other cathode materials applied in
Li-ion batteries are generally abrasive,
which calls for specialized solutions to
avoid rapid wear of surfaces exposed
to very high feed stream velocities.
For handling of such materials, spe-
cial abrasive resistant rotary atomizer
wheels have been developed (figures
3 and 4). They are of the bushing
wheel type and when equipped with
exchangeable bushings made of very
hard materials, like silicon carbide
or alumina, the wheels are resisting
the hard wear they are exposed to
when atomizing abrasive feed materi-
als down to the very small particle
www.batteriesinternational.com
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LITHIUM BATTERY PRODUCTION
One can avoid frequent maintenance interruptions
caused by rapid wear of atomizer nozzles or a
rotary atomizer wheel and the associated and
undesirable, but inevitable, gradual decrease in
powder quality.
sizes needed. In this way, one can
avoid frequent maintenance interrup-
tions caused by rapid wear of atomizer
nozzles or a rotary atomizer wheel and
the associated and undesirable, but
inevitable, gradual decrease in powder
quality.
Instead, the manufacturer can obtain
prolonged periods of operation of the
spray dryer with production of pow-
der of a consistent high quality despite
the abrasive nature of the materials
being processed.
Another prerequisite for such long
service intervals is that the rotary atom-
izer technology has long proven itself
as a stable and reliable technology.
This is also true for advanced rotary
atomization technology which involves
very high peripheral velocities of the
rotary atomizer wheel as required for
making very fine powders
Figure 3: GEA Niro abrasive resistant
rotary atomizer wheel, type AX (patented).
Figure 4: High capacity GEA Niro rotary
atomizer with atomizer wheel, type AX
(patented) being mounted in workshop.
60 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
Aqueous feed materials
Spray drying plants with rotary atomi-
zation and co-current spray-air flow
configuration are applied for the sub-
ject materials in either open- or closed-
cycle process layouts. An open-cycle
configuration is applied for aqueous
feed materials.
The open-cycle layout (figure 5)
involves intake of drying air from
the atmosphere and discharge of the
exhaust air to the atmosphere. The
drying air is heated by means of a
direct-fired air heater and flows co-
currently with the atomized feed mate-
rial in the drying chamber where the
fine droplets are quickly dried to indi-
vidual powder particles. Separation
of the dried product from the drying
air and exhaust air cleaning typically
takes place in a bag filter.
The design of the gas disperser in the
top of the spray drying chamber is cru-
cial for ensuring a proper functioning
of the spray dryer.
Non-aqueous feed materials
A closed-cycle layout is used for non-
aqueous (organic solvent) feeds. Nitro-
gen is used as inert drying medium to
eliminate any risk of fire or explosion
due to the presence of solvent vapour
in the dryer. The solvent evaporated
from the spray during the drying proc-
ess is fully recovered.
The process is carried out as a nor-
mal spray drying operation (figure 6).
The outlet drying gas from the dry-
A CONSTANTLY DEVELOPING FIELD
Spray dryers based on rotary
atomization offer a number of
advantages to manufactur-
ers of lithium material powders
for Li-ion battery applications.
Tailor-made spray dryer lay-
outs must be developed for each
specific application in close col-
laboration with knowledgeable
spray drying technology suppliers
having the experience to real-
ize the full industrial potential of
the lithium material powders.
This involves pilot plant testing also
for optimization of customized feed
Figure 5: Open-cycle spray dryer
process configuration with single-point
powder discharge for aqueous feed
materials
ing chamber is conveyed to a highly
efficient bag filter for collection of
the produced powder. The exhaust
gas containing the evaporated solvent
is recycled to a scrubber/condenser
system where the solvent is condensed
out of the gas flow and recovered as a
continuous purge from the system.
The recycled gas is then reheated via
an indirect heating system prior to recy-
cling to the drying chamber. Closed-cycle
plants operate at a slight overpressure to
prevent possible inward leakage of air.
The control of the process also involves
a continuous monitoring and control of
the oxygen level in the system. ■
Anders Bo Jensen is area sales man-
ager for GEA Process Engineering,
GEA Niro: www.geagroup.com
Figure 6: Closed-cycle spray dryer
process layout with single-point
powder discharge for non-aqueous feed
materials.
formulations as well as selecting the
optimal dryer concept and design.
The field of spray drying is con-
stantly developing, and only those
continuously increasing their level
and accuracy of knowledge about
the spray drying process and its
dynamics will be able to provide
proper support, design and tech-
nology for cost-efficient produc-
tion of superior lithium material
powders for Li-ion battery applica-
tions — a field which in itself is in
continuous development and with
constantly changing demands.
www.batteriesinternational.com
UNSUNG HEROES: WALDMAR JUNGNER

It was not a long life but it burned brightly. By the time the inventor of the
nickel cadmium battery, Waldmar Jungner, died aged 55 he had provoked
a complete rethink of many of the ways we look at battery chemistry.

Jungner and the

unchangeable
electrolyte
Uppsala, Sweden: 1880, and a young
college student, Waldmar Jungner,
thinks he may have created one of the
first fire alarms.
When a series of thermocouples
was connected with every second sol-
dered joint thermally insulated, a relay
device and an alarm became activated
when heated. A worthy invention for
a country where the main source of
heating was paraffin and fires were
common and frequently fatal.
But there was one snag. And that
was the batteries to keep the sig-
nal working. The dry batteries were
unsatisfactory as was the standard
lead accumulator of the time.
Surely, thought the young Jungner,
it must be possible to devise a bet-
ter, more reliable battery? So, after
graduating from Uppsala University
and completing further studies at
the Stockholm College of Technol-
ogy, Jungner started systematically to
investigate the possibilities of con-
structing a storage battery with better
properties than the lead acid system.
Some time during the 1880s inspi-
ration struck — though it was not
till almost the new century that his
researches bore practical fruit — in
what he called “the unchangeable
electrolyte”.
He became convinced that an elec-
trolyte which did not change its com-
position during charge and discharge
would offer greater advantage than an
electrolyte that took part in the elec-
trochemical reactions (with a change
As a man, Waldmar Jungner was modest and very unobtrusive. He avoided public
of its concentration) as does the sul-
appearances, parties and banquets and preferred to be surrounded only by his
phuric acid in lead acid cells.
closest friends. His working habits were strange: he preferred to work at night,
especially when his inventions were in critical phases. Despite this, with a fine Among other things, the amount
baritone voice, he was also a member of the famous O.D. choir and travelled with of electrolyte could in this way be
them for concerts in various European towns. kept to a minimum — this was an
www.batteriesinternational.com Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 61
UNSUNG HEROES: WALDMAR JUNGNER
The label says it all ...
Part of Jungner's research team in the early 1900s
advantage from the point of view of
weight.
As early as 1893 he was aware that
an alkaline electrolyte would make it
possible to introduce inactive support-
ing materials with considerably better
mechanical properties than the lead
used up to that time.
In his preliminary experiments
Jungner mixed different metal oxides
with graphite, added dilute potassium
hydroxide, and pressed the mass in
cloth bags. The cloth bags shrank in
the alkali and exerted a certain pres-
sure on the active material. As conduc-
tors, Jungner used rods of copper or
graphite Subsequently the bags were
replaced by narrow folded pockets of
thin perforated copper sheet, and in a
modification of this design the mass
62 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
was pressed between two perforated
metal sheets of wire mesh, which were
sewn together. He patented this, aged
just 28, in 1897.
While investigating the metals or
metal compounds that might be used
in the alkaline accumulator-to-be,
Jungner made extensive experiments.
He tested every conceivable combina-
tion and established, as the experi-
ments wore on, an increasing rise in
electromotive power.
First commercial ventures
As a sideline to this, Jungner devised a
modification of the Lalande-Chaperon
cell in which the positive plate was
made of copper oxide in the usual
manner and the negative plate of zinc.
Jungner used a gelatinized electrolyte,
and he intended that the zinc electrode,
after discharge, should be replaced by
a new one in a simple way. To turn this
idea to profitable account the Aktie-
bolaget Torrackumulator (Dry Accu-
mulator Company) was formed. A
battery of this construction, propelling
a boat, was shown at the Stockholm
Exhibition in 1897. However, owing
to difficulties with the zinc electrode,
the activity of the company was soon
discontinued.
An important element still needed by
Jungner was the inactive metal sup-
port for the positive electrode.
Jungner had already noticed that
none of the metals tested was resist-
ant to anodic oxidation in an alkaline
electrolyte. This detail nearly put a
definite stop to the progress of his
work on the alkaline storage battery.
Jungner decided, however, to make a
comprehensive investigation including
every available material, and during
the winter of 1897-1898 he started
tests involving the influence of anodic
oxidation of metals in alkaline solu-
tion.
He found that three months of
anodic polarization caused a more or
less severe attack on platinum as well
as silver, bismuth, cadmium, and iron.
Nickel alone retrained its smooth sur-
face and its weight. Jungner extended
his experiments also to nickel-plated
metals and found that even a very thin
layer of nickel was sufficient to protect
every metal with a smooth surface
from electrolytic attack.
In nickel, Jungner thus found his
supporting metal. It was the spring-
board to what we now know as the
nickel cadmium battery.
During his search for the ideal alka-
line storage battery, Jungner also made
experiments with couples of silver
oxide-iron and silver oxide-copper.
A silver oxide-copper prototype
was tested in the summer of 1899
with Svante Arrhenius, an academic,
which produced energy of not less
than 40 Wh/kg from this system; the
potential, however, was low, only
0.6V-0.8V. Even before these experi-
ments, Jungner had worked with cad-
mium as an active material in nega-
tive electrodes, but that work had not
been encouraging.
In these preliminary experiments he
had used a mixture of cadmium and
graphite but such electrodes were inef-
ficient. After unremitting experimental
work, he succeeded, however, in pro-
ducing a porous cadmium metal with
acceptable mechanical and electrical
properties by a chemical electrolytic
method.
Success! This material, in combina-
www.batteriesinternational.com
UNSUNG HEROES: WALDMAR JUNGNER
tion with silver oxide, gave a cell with
an energy content of about 40Wh/kg
and a voltage of about 1.1V. The silver
systems were thus capable of storing
large amounts of energy per unit of
weight.

Electric vehicles, 1900 style

Jungner built batteries of the silver-
cadmium type to supply the motive
power for motor cars, and these bat-
teries were tested in Stockholm in
1900 with satisfactory results. After
each charge it was possible to drive
140km-150km. But there was one
drawback — a familiar one to those
pioneering lithium ion batteries for
EVs nowadays.
Yes, the price. Silver was too expen-
sive and cadmium too rare.
In 1899 Jungner, presented his fun-
damental ideas concerning alkaline
accumulators in a patent of March
11. Later that year he also patented a
method for producing silver electrodes
and a way to make the previously Jungner's batteries gave electric
mentioned porous cadmium electrodes
for use in alkaline cells. (In January
He became convinced vehicles a 150km range in 1900. The
problem for their adoption — a familiar
1907 Jungner took out a Swedish pat- that an electrolyte story a century later — was their price.
ent in which the reactions of the sys-
tems nickel-iron and nickel-cadmium
which did not change
were given.) its composition
The next step was commercializa-
tion. In the spring of 1900 the Ack-
during charge and
umulator Aktiebolaget Jungner was discharge would offer
formed to exploit Jungner’s storage
battery ideas. This company manu- greater advantage
factured and tested silver-copper and than an electrolyte
silver-cadmium batteries and the first
nickel-iron batteries. that took part in the
At his side Jungner had the innova- electrochemical
tive engineer KL Berg, formerly of
the Swedish General Electric Co, who reactions
worked on the mechanical design of
the cells and converted them into
hardware. German patent valid from February
This was a daunting prospect — they 6, 1901.
had very little money, oxyacetylene Undoubtedly there was a period
welding had not been invented, there of independent overlapping research.
was no reliable separator, nor was Jungner Accumulator and Edison
there reliable steel plating. Because of competed on the world market and
the inability to nickel-plate on to steel also engaged in patent suits for the
ribbon, a pure nickel ribbon had to be next few years. The patent suits took
used to enclose the positive material. a great deal of Jungner’s time and
Their first attempts to perforate this money.
ribbon were made on Mrs Berg’s sew- When his laboratory and factory
ing machine in the family kitchen! at Kneippbaden outside Norrköping
But as if the technical challenges were were destroyed by fire in the fall of
not enough, the newly founded com- 1905 — an ironic twist given where
pany was soon involved in a lengthy his researches had started from — the
patent suit against Thomas A Edison, financial difficulties were too great
who was also actively working in for him; the company had to transfer
this field. It is difficult to reconstruct its resources and debts to a new com-
the actual timetables of work leading pany, Nya Ackumulator AB Jungner,
to the alkaline battery inventions of with new shareholders.
Jungner and Edison, but briefly, Jung- At this point Jungner left the direct Jungner and Edison fought a long
ner had a Swedish patent valid from management of the company, but con- legal battle over the patent rights for
January 22, 1901 while Edison had a tinued his association as a consultant the first alkaline batteries

www.batteriesinternational.com Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010 63

UNSUNG HEROES: WALDMAR JUNGNER
It was not till almost the new century that his
researches bore practical fruit — in what he
called “the unchangeable electrolyte”
Some of the workforce at the Svenksa Ackumulator AB Jungner factory
The Svenksa Ackumulator AB Jungner factory was founded in 1910
on a retainer. Axel Estelle became
managing director and chief chemist,
with Berg continuing to look after
production.
The company was at first entirely
directed towards the manufacture of
nickel-iron batteries sold primarily for
traction use. Flat, vertically mounted
pockets of nickel-plated iron sheet
were used for both the positive and
the negative plates and, as separation
between the electrodes, perforated
hard rubber sheets were used.
Estelle, who had been working with
Jungner earlier, patented in 1909 a
method for electrolytic co-precipitation
of iron and cadmium sponge from a sul-
phate solution. Jungner’s name has been
associated with the nickel-cadmium
cells although the Jungner cells from
the very beginning bore the trademark
NIFE — based on the chemical symbols
for nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe).
In spite of the technical progress Nya
64 Batteries International Spring/Summer 2010
Ackumulator AB Jungner soon found
itself in financial difficulties. In 1910
the company was put into compulsory
liquidation.
Profits at last
That year the Svenska Ackumulator
AB Jungner was formed and under
the management of Robert Ameln and
Jungner’s ideas were made profitable
by the introduction of several modifi-
cations of methods and constructions.
Cells manufactured after 1910 had
flat, horizontally placed perforated
pockets for both the positive and
negative electrodes.
In 1918, Svenska Ackumulator AB
Jungner started a subsidiary in the UK
under the name Batteries Ltd using the
brand name NIFE, and operating at
Hunt End, Redditch on a site that had
been previously occupied by the Royal
Enfield Cycle Company.
After he had left the management of
the storage battery company, Jungner
devoted himself to other inventions.
The great problem of converting fuel
energy directly into electric energy was
of special interest to him. As early as
1907 he took out patents on fuel cells
of different types in which, among
other substances, carbon, hydrogen
and sulphur dioxide were mentioned
as fuels.
In 1917 he patented a cell, for which
he had great hopes, especially for
solving the problem of lighting in
the countryside.The positive electrode
consisted of a porous body of carbon
containing a small amount of copper
oxide; the electrolyte was alkaline,
and the negative consisted of zinc. The
cell attracted considerable attention
at that time; however, the production
and distribution of electrical energy
went on along quite different lines.
Among Jungner’s other work was
his method for simultaneous produc-
tion of alkali and cement, presented
in 1912, is notable. An amusing coin-
cidence is that during a period of their
lives both Jungner and Edison, the
great names in the alkaline accumula-
tor field, were occupied with the pro-
duction of cement.
Jungner’s last research work, involv-
ing the extraction of radium from
Swedish rocks, was interrupted by ill-
ness and was never concluded.
Not until near the end of his life did
Jungner’s merits obtain public recog-
nition. He was elected a member of
the Swedish Academy of Science of
Engineering in 1922 and in 1924 he
was presented with the Oscar Carlson
Award by the Swedish Chemical Soci-
ety. He died on August 30, 1924 at the
age of 55.
It was said of Jungner that, like so
many geniuses, he often lost interest
when the practical development stage
was reached.
In the years that followed, the mate-
rials for such a chemical-couple bat-
tery were expensive compared to other
battery types available and its use
was limited to special applications. In
1932, the active materials were depos-
ited inside a porous nickel-plated elec-
trode and in 1947 research began on a
sealed nickel-cadmium battery.
These days, Ni-Cd battery produc-
tion at Oskarshamn is in the control of
the French company SAFT which has
retained the name NIFE as an impor-
tant brand name. ■
The author is grateful to the fol-
lowing for their invaluable help
with this tribute: particularly Leif
Olsson (Oskarshamn) and Kjell
Åkerström (Norrköping Museum
www.batteriesinternational.com
SUNLIGHT ADV 21x29.7 eng.qxd:SUNLIGHT ADV 14,8x21 eng.qxd 10/30/09 11:49 AM Page 1

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