This is the information I have found so
far about the
"Silicone Batteries" featured in the e-max
scooters.
These
appear to be similar
to SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) batteries,
but with a newer silica-based chemical composition.
None of the bad qualities of SLA, and plenty of good
qualities
of these relatively new Silicone Power Batteries (SPB)
also refered to as Silicone Gel Batteries (SGB).
Information
on this page will be updated as I find out more.
Silicone Battery
Stats (based on the e-max):
- high
capacity
- high
current output
- rapid
recharge time (full charge in ~3.5
hours)
- low
temperature performance (-50 °C to +70
°C)
- long
life span (>400 charge cycles)
- environment-friendliness
(silica salt chemistry)
| September 20, 2005 DO
NOT
DISCHARGE BATTERY COMPLETELY
Jason: E-max never claimed that it was o.k. to
completely discharge a battery. Every battery
manufacturer in the world will not support
completely discharging a battery as that is
reduces the life expectancy of any battery, no
matter the brand or technology. In a gas
vehicle....you do not want to make a practice of
running out of gas, just fill up (or charge up)
when you feel it necessary pending the distance
of the next trip. I make a habit of charging
before I hit the lower reserve line on the charge
meter unless I plan a longer trip the next time
around. If you travel 30 miles, you still have a
reserve and will not harm your e-max battery. I
do not charge every 5, 10, 15, but typically
between 20- 25 miles, as most of my trips are 10
miles or less. One of the employees at
www.texaserider.com (Sean) rides his e-max to
work about 15 miles each way and charges at
night.
Larry Maltz
www.e-maxusa.com
September 15, 2005
LIFE EXPECTANCY
AND REPLACEMENT COSTS OF BATTERIES
Jason, charge cycles typically >400.
Battery costs as of today for a complete
replacement of all batteries in an e-max scoot is
under $500. Single batteries out of warranty
$62.49. By the time you need them, volume may
reduce the cost. Batteries sent only to
purchasers of e-max scoots with return of old
battery/s. After market Silicone batteries may be
purchased from www.subcpower.com.
Larry Maltz
www.e-maxusa.com
September 13, 2005
CHARGE
ONLY WHEN NEEDED
Jason: Your Silicones do not
need charging every night like other batteries
require. They have no memory and do not sulfate
like others do. Remember each charge is counted
as a cycle so if you charge only when you need
to, your batteries will out last most others.
Larry Maltz
www.e-maxusa.com
September 11, 2005
ENVIRONMENTAL
FACTOR OF BATTERIES
The Silicone battery comparisons are on our
website www.e-maxusa.com.
If you dropped a lead acid and it broke open, you
would have hazardous waste in the form of acid
liquid or gel. In the case of a Silicone, it
would be a solid-like piece that looks and feels
like fiberglass and is non hazardous. Also the
low and high temps as well as shelf life surpass
SLA's by a tremendous margin. [...]
The beauty of the e-max Silicones, is that you
do not need to keep the batteries "topped
off" like SLA's or other types of batteries
because of memory degradation or sulfating. Just
like a car, fill it up whenever the time is right
for the distance traveled.
Larry Maltz
www.e-maxusa.com
|
Lead-Acid
Batteries for Hybrid and Electric Applications
Source: Green Car Congress
Although most of the market’s development
focus is on advanced battery technologies such as
NiMH or Lithium-ion, some companies are still
working to improve on the venerable lead-acid
platform. Accordingly, there are hybrid and
electric vehicle manufacturers who are opting to
use or at least to test some of these lead-acid
variants in their vehicle applications.
Two of the more recent examples are e-max’s
use of a lead-acid battery with a low-sodium
silicate electrolyte (“silicon power battery”)
in its electric scooter, and the
recently announced testing of Power
Technology’s advanced glass matt lead-acid
battery prototype by an unnamed “major
hybrid automobile manufacturer.”
Invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté,
lead-acid batteries are more than 145 years old.
The lead-acid battery has evolved significantly
into different types over the years, although the
basic electrochemistry of them all is the same.
In a lead-acid battery, the negative electrode is
lead (Pb), the positive electrode is lead dioxide
(PbO2) and the electrolyte is a dilute solution
of sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
As the battery discharges, the active materials
in the electrodes (lead dioxide in the positive
electrode and lead in the negative electrode)
react with sulfuric acid in the electrolyte to
form lead sulfate and water. On recharge, the
lead sulfate on both electrodes converts back to
lead dioxide (positive) and sponge lead
(negative), and the sulfate ions (SO42- ) are
driven back into the electrolyte solution to form
sulfuric acid.
Lead-acid batteries have one of the worst
energy-to-weight ratios (lead is heavy), although
the energy-to-volume ratio is good. They are
inexpensive and can supply the high surge
currents needed in starter motors—one of
their most pervasive applications.
There are three basic types of lead-acid
batteries on the market today: flooded (or wet),
gel cell and absorbed glass mat (AGM).
Flooded (or wet) lead-acid batteries have their
electrodes immersed in liquid electrolyte. Gases
created during charging are vented to the
atmosphere and distilled water must be added
occasionally to bring the electrolyte back to its
required level. The most familiar example of this
type is the conventional 12V automobile battery.
Gel cell batteries use fumed silica in the
electrolyte, causing it to harden into a gel. On
subsequent charges some water is lost, drying the
gel until a network of cracks and fissures
develops between the positive and negative
electrodes, decreasing performance.
Absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries immobilize the
electrolyte with a highly porous and absorbent
microfiber glass mat.
The “silicon power battery”
used in the e-Max electric scooter is a variant
of the lead-acid gel cell. Developed and
manufactured by Guangdong
Jiangmen Yuyang Special Batteries
in China, the silcon power battery uses a
low-sodium silicate compound and a new method for
forming the gel that, according to the company,
decreases hazardous emissions during
manufacturing, reduces cracking in the battery
gel under operation, reduces the self-discharge
rate and increases specific energy and cycle
life.
E-max had been using Nickel Zinc batteries in
other scooter models.
| Battery type | Energy density
(Wh/kg) | Cycle life | Charge time
(hrs) | Efficiency
(%) | Cost
($/Wh) |
|---|
| Lead-acid |
30–40 |
100-300 |
6–8 |
65 |
0.12–0.36 |
| Nickel Zinc |
60 |
>500 |
5 |
65 |
0.60–0.73 |
| NiMH |
80 |
>500 |
14–16 |
65 |
1.20–3.60 |
| “Silicon Power Battery” |
45-52 |
>500 |
2–3 |
85 |
0.36–0.42 |
|
The advanced glass mat battery
developed by Power Technology that is undergoing
testing by the unnamed hybrid manufacturer
replaces the lead plates or grids of conventional
lead-acid batteries with lead-tin alloys
deposited on lightweight, open pore substrates
such as carbon or aluminum to enhance the
cyclability of the resulting high-surface area
electrode for use as an anode and/or cathode in
lead-acid batteries.
Power Technology claims that the resulting
battery provides four times greater surface area,
is 30–50% smaller and lighter, and is 60 to
68% efficient than conventional lead-acid
batteries.
Other companies such as Firefly Energy, a spin-off
from Caterpillar, are also looking at the
application of a lightweight, porous composite to
replace the lead plates in conventional lead-acid
batteries.
Firefly claims that its Advanced Battery
technology can eventually remove approximately
70% percent of the lead from a traditional
lead-acid battery design but still execute
lead-acid chemistry for energy storage.
If that proves out, Firefly anticipates that it
can deliver a jump in specific power, energy and
cycle life approaching, but at about one-fifth
the cost, of the present state of advanced
material batteries such as NiMH and Lithium-ion.
(A hat-tip to Aaron Harvey!)
Resources:
|
Silicone
battery comparison
versus
other types of batteries
From
the Guineng website:
(my own emphasis added):
http://www.guineng.com/HTM/Jwork_01.htm
GUINENG batteries are high power secondary
batteries developed and manufactured by Guangdong
Jiangmen Yuyang Special Batteries CO.,LTD.The
development process took several years of time. Based
on the brand new electrolyte of liquid low sodium
silicate compound, renovations have been made for
cell electrode structure, material composition
and battery manufacture processes. GUINENG silicone
batteries have successfully broken
away from the shortcomings of lead-acid
batteries, such as acid corrosion, acid mist
pollution, low energy density & power
density, and short life span.
GUINENG
has a universally recognized edge over commonly
used lead-acid batteries nowadays in the world,
due to its high capacity, high
current output, rapid recharge time, low
temperature performance, long life span, and
environment-friendliness.
On
top of that, the brand new
neutral electrolyte does not corrode the
electrodes, which makes it possible to recycle
the electrodes after the battery is properly
disposed of. The disposed
electrolyte, in the state of semi-solid grains,
is a high quality
fertilizer rather than soil pollutant. The factory is rated as
Factory of Environment Friendliness by the
relevant environment protection authority for its
contribution to the commitment of green
environment protection.
The
silicone power battery technology has been
accredited with the relevant Chinese
accreditation authorities. The technology is
recognized by experts as a high and new
technology with our own intellectual property.
International intellectual property inspection
shows that the successful development of the
neutral silicone battery is a
state-of-the-art technology the world has never
seen before.
With
international and domestic patents, GUINENG
batteries are manufactured
in strict accordance with the ISO-9002 quality
management system. There are seven series
and over 80 types of GUINENG products including
Fix Type, Boost-up type, Power Type, Deep Sea
Type and Motorcycle Type, all of which are
accredited with national or industry
specifications.
GUINENG
batteries provide complete customer satisfaction
in terms of advanced technology, excellent
performance, consistent quality and reasonable
prices.
*Qualification
Certificates & Network Access Certificates*
-Issued
by China National rechargeable Batteries Qulity
Control Center
Certificate for tightly sealed silicone power
batteries used in electric cars
Certificate for silicone power batteries used in
motorcycles
-Issued
by the Information Industry Ministry of the PRC:
Certificates for network access and license for
telecommunications device network access in
respect of the GM-1000(below
2v/28.57Ah,200Ah)telecommunication release valve
silicone power batteries
Certificates for net work access and license for
telecommunications devic net work access in
respect of the 6-GYH-200(below
12v/28.57Ah,200Ah)silicone power batteries
-Issued
by the electric facilities & instrument
quality inspection & testing Center of the
Electric Ministry of China:
Certificate for silicone power batteries used in
electric locomotives
-Issued
by the Railway Ministry of China:
Certificate for silicone power batteries used in
electric locomotives
-Issued
by the PlA General Intelligence of China:
Network access License for national defense
telecommunication facilities in respect of the
GYH series fixed & tightly sealed silicone
power batteries
-Issued
by the Factory 570 of the PLA of China:
Certificate for 6000-meter deep-sea battery
performance testing in respect of the 12V 38Ah
silicone power batteries
|
See
also: Greensaver Corp
subCELSIUSpower
(after
market supplier of Silicone batteries)
Our
Mission -- We are investigating a new industrial
lift truck battery based on an
environmentally-benign silica salt chemistry
developed in China. This battery, which is
currently being used in the German-engineered,
Chinese-built eMax electric scooter, has an extraordinary
operating temperature range from -50 °C to +70
°C. The battery also
has demonstrated in a prototype eMax scooter impressive
cycle life of better than 400 recharging cycles.
If
our present investigations demonstrate and verify
the practicality and affordability of this new
chemistry, we will work with the manufacturer to
make these batteries available to operators in
North America for use in cold storage operations.
At that time, we will add substantially more
information to this web site.
If
you're interested in being kept informed of the
progress of our investigation, send an email to: info@subCpower.com
|
Also read my e-max
diary!
A
chronical of my e-max adventures including commentary.
|