|
home ▶ applications
Examples of actual applications in which Elithion products are in use today;
Elithion has helped various EV production companies leapfrog their competition by offering them an off-the-shelf BMS that is immediately available in small production quantities. The Lithiumate BMS is well suited for production EVs, due to its configurability and versatility. Elithion is prepared to ramp up production to match the ramp up of the EV manufacturer. Elithion's Lithiumate BMS is widely used in passenger electric vehicles. Hundreds of individuals have converted ICE cars to electric using Li-Ion battery packs and Lithiumate BMSs. They have chosen the Lithiumate BMS because of its powerful capabilities, in field configurability, and a versatility which allows it compatibility with the great variety of permutations of EV components that may be used in an EV conversion. Managing a traction pack in a PHEV presents a unique set of challenges:
Over the years, Elithion has developed a significant experience in the PHEV (Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) field, and has developed elegant PHEV algorithms and solutions. PHEV conversionsSeveral companies convert the Toyota Prius to PHEV by adding a PHEV pack and a charger. A significant number of these companies use the Lithiumate BMS to manage their PHEV packs. Custom PHEVsElithion's BMS technology was used by a pioneer in PHEV conversion, Hybrids Plus. That company converted a number of Prius and Ford Escape HEVs to Plug-in hybrids. Elithion has continued that process, having converted an HEV to PHEV for the Global-E X-Prize team and a Ford Escape HEV to PHEV for a large cell manufacturer. Elithion's Lithiumate BMS is used in racing motorcycles and cars around the world. Formula hybridThe Lithiumate is the preferred BMS in Formula Hybrid race vehicles:
Teams select the Lithiumate BMS because of its ease of installation, configurability, and because of how well it handles a variety of cell form factors. More details are in LiIonBMS's Formula Hybrid page Lightning Motors' race motorcycle was the first race vehicle to use a Lithiumate BMS. It performed well in the Zero Carbon TTX Grand Prix.
More details are in LiIonBMS's TTXGP page Elithion's Lithiumate BMS is used in a variety of heavy vehicles. Terminal tractorsIn 2007, the Port of Los Angeles and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) partnered to fund the advance and deployment of electric Terminal Tractors in the port, to reduce pollution and energy costs. Out of four companies that provided those electric Terminal Tractors, three were been fitted with Elithion's Lithiumate Pro BMS. In particular, the Lithiumate BMS has been selected for hydrogen/electric HEVs due to its ability to properly handle their SOC calculation, and because of how easily such an off-the-shelf BMS can be configured for a particular vehicle. Step vansDelivery companies (local service providers as well as international shipping companies) are eager to reduce service costs and emissions, by replacing their step vans with hybrid or electric vehicles. One of the first companies to offer an all-electric step van is Boulder EV, whose batteries are protected by a Lithiumate BMS. Mining equipmentBecause safety is a paramount concern underground, battery powered hevay vehicles are preferred. Elithion BMSs manage the battery packs of such vehicle from multiple manufacturers in the US and Canada. While the focus of electric vehicles is on cars, in reality electric traction has been applied to numerous other vehicles, such as airplanes, trains, boats, submarines,... and even lawn mowers. AirplanesThe availability of large Li-Ion traction packs has finally allowed the development of electric airplanes. In an EV airplane battery reliability is paramount; only the most trustworthy BMS may be used, and the Lithiumate BMS has a proven record. In aviation applications, the size and weight of a BMS are a concern: by virtue of being distributed, the Lithiumate BMS adds a negligible volume to a pack, and little weight. Today, EV airplane companies are evaluating the Lithiumate BMS to manage their traction packs. TrainsDiesel trains use electric motors to achieve tremendous torque, both in traction and in regenerative braking. Typically, the energy from regenerative braking is wasted in heat. Adding a power pack on a diesel train allows it to recuperate a significant portion of that energy, which can then be used for subsequent acceleration. Light rail trains do not normally need batteries: they get their electricity from their grid. However, overhead lines are unsightly and dangerous in a city park. In that case, an on board pack allows the train to cross a city park without overhead power lines. Elithion prepared a study for a light rail company on implementing such a traction pack. BoatsBoats may use electric power for trolling motors, for short travle distances. Li-ion cells are preferred because of their longevity compared to lead acid. Elithion's Lithiumate Lite BMS is ideal for such applications thanks to its simplicity. In marine applications, battery storage is used to power on board electrical demand so that the engine may be turned off. More and more, lead acid batteries are being replaced with Li-ion batteries, because of their lower maintainance requirements. The distributed topology of the Lithiumate BMS is especially well matched to the typical 24 V house power battery, using large Li-ion cells placed in tight spaces. Auxiliary Power Units result in significant fuel savings by proving power (other than traction power) while stationary, allowing the engine to be turned off. Additionally, energy storage APUs allow extended operation without a generator. Use of Li-ion cells in a energy storage APU results in greater reliability and longevity, and lower weight, compared to Lead Acid batteries. Elithion offers custom, Li-ion APUs for jobsite power and long range transportation. Jobsite APUsSignificant energy savings can be achieved by outfitting utility trucks with Auxiliary Power Units (APUs). Once on the jobsite, the truck's engine is turned off, and the workers use the APU to power their tools and booms. Transportation APUsAPUs power the long-distance truck's electric loads during a rest stops, so the diesel engine can be turned off. The driver may rest quietly, thanks to the battery operated APU. AMSTAF is a multi-robot autonomous perimeter security solution for protecting high value infrastructure such as nuclear plants, airports, etc. , keeping the humans out of harm's way. The robot uses LiFePO4 cells and a Lithiumate BMS. Despite their initial low cost, Lead Acid batteries are being phased out of telecommunication installations, due to their short lifetime and therefore high long-term cost. Replacing lead acid batteries with Li-ion batteries in a telecommunication installations results in greater reliability and lower maintenance costs. Li-ion batteries provide uninterrupted power to remote telecommunication sites during a black-out, until a generator can be brought up on line. Use of large Li-ion batteries allows the generator to be cycled off and on at a slow rate, ensuring that the generator operates at its maximum efficiency, resulting in up to 50 % fuel savings. Up to 127 of Elithion's 48 V Lithiumod battery modules can be paralleled for back-up pwer for telecommunication sites. Despite their initial low cost, Lead Acid batteries are being phased out of solar installations, due to their short lifetime and therefore high long-term cost. Replacing lead acid batteries with Li-ion batteries in a solar installation results in greater reliability and lower maintenance costs. However, today's charge controllers and bidirectional inverters for solar installation are designed for Lead Acid batteries, and are not directly compatible with a Li-ion BMS. Therefore, normally, Li-ion batteries are not a drop-in replacement for Lead Acid batteries in solar installations. Thanks to its expertise in Li-ion batteries and to its inside understanding of equipment for grid-tie inverters and charge controllers, Elithion is able to offer effective solutions to Li-ion replacements of Lead Acid batteries in solar installations. The versatility of the Elithion Lithiumate BMS allows it to be the heart of a Li-ion battery that is compatible with Lead-acid-ready solar equipment. Land based (and sometime mobile) batteries are used to assist the power grid at times of high demand, and to supplement energy in off-grid systems when alternative energy sources are not available. While these applications have typically used lead acid batteries, today they more and more use Li-Ion batteries. Elithion BMSs have the long term reliability required by such systems, and the ability to handle long operating times without drift in the estimated SOC. At times of high demand on the electrical grid, the utilities are forced to put into service older, more expensive, and dirtier power plants to handle the peak load. Today, utilities are starting to rely on Distributed Resources (DR) to meet that demand, cleanly and at a lower operating cost. Such resources include very large battery packs, including Li-Ion packs. The Elithion Lithiumotive BMS is designed to handle as many as 65000 cells, and as much as 65 MW, making it ideal for such applications. V2GV2G (Vehicle To grid) systems are unique in that the "charger" may not only transfer energy from the grid to a vehicle's traction pack (to charge it) but also from the pack to the grid (to enhance the supply at times of need). Therefore, at any given time, the current may flow in either direction. The Elithion Lithiumate and Lithiumotive BMSs are unique in that they can use bidirectional "source" current sensors, in order to accommodate both charging current from a charger and discharging current to an inverter. Elithion staff was developing V2G products in 2007, in the early days of that technology. Elithion products draw from that experience, by including V2G compatibility into its BMS products.
|
Examples of actual applications in which Elithion products are in use today;
|
