By Hannes Neupert
President of ExtraEnergy, Tanna, Germany
ExtraEnergy Lithium Battery Seminar
Karlstein, Germany, Nov 15, 2005
 

 
Mr. Neupert’s key topics included an overview of LEV product groups and markets. He compared the pros and cons of the current battery technologies used in LEVs – Pb, NiMH, NiCd and Li-Ion – and named eight key factors to find out which battery technology is most suited for LEVs. But he admitted that there is not just one answer to this question.

As project manager for LEV battery selection at Deutsche Post AG/DHL Express, Mr. Neupert explained the postal delivery market in the EU and what the battery needs of Deutsche Post AG are. At the moment, the biggest German mail delivery company is moving from 24V to 36V systems and is thinking about rental option. Talking about battery rental, Mr. Neupert pointed out that the EnergyBus communication protocol for electrical LEV components is a powerful tool for market growth.

Another topic was the safety test concept for LEV battery packs. In the mobile safety test laboratory built into a shipping container, ExtraEnergy does safety testing close to real world conditions on pack level for fast results at low cost. As a result of his experience with safety testing, Mr. Neupert concludes that the UN regulations are not fair for some very safe Lithium batteries. Some proved to be even safer than some NiCd batteries.

The presentation paper includes an excellent overview of the various ExtraEnergy projects related to batteries. It also contains battery and riding test graphs, and a lot of images.