EV Batteries Continue Growing In Size
Posted August 18, 2009 at 9:03 am 
Filed in: Yesterday FEV, a developer of advanced powertrain and vehicle technology, announced that it was teaming up with Energy Innovation Group (EIG Ltd) to develop a 21-kWh lithium-ion (Li-on) battery pack. The technology will be demonstrated in the Dodge Caliber concept car, a Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (ReEV) that was displayed at the SAE 2009 World Congress (see picture below).
While some claim that ReEV is a misnomer since it is not a true all-electric vehicle, GM and Chrysler have been using this term to refer to what others call a plug-in series hybrid. Unlike the Toyota Prius, a parallel hybrid, ReEVs utilize a small internal combustion engine (ICE) connected to a generator, that recharges the battery after depletion.
In case you forgot, the 2010 Chevy Volt will contain a 16-kWh Li-ion battery, and is also being labeled a ReEV by GM. A recent technical report, presented at the same SAE 2009 World Congress and written by GM technicians, concluded that when analyzing fuel use per day, the 8-kWh battery would get you the most bang for your buck. They found that for batteries of a size equal to or larger than 16-kWh, any marginal increase in battery size will display marginal improvements in fuel consumption that are close to zero.
Putting fuel use aside, you still have to worry about the price. According to recent SAFE correspondence with leading EV battery manufacturers, the current cost of producing an EV battery pack is about $600/kWh (or $9,600 for 16-kWh and $12,600 for 21-kWh) – and that’s without the rest of the vehicle or a warranty. Tack on a 10-year warranty, and a 2012 estimate goes up to $11,200 for 16-kWh and $13,125 for 21-kWh.
So why are GM and Dodge developing such a large battery when they know it’s not cost effective?
Maybe they’re still trying to overcome range anxiety, but isn’t that why the Volt and Caliber concept car are hybrids and not all-electric? It could be that even for hybrids, GM and Chrysler believe consumers’ anxiety is based on the battery’s all-electric range (AER), not the total range using the gasoline powered generator.
What seems the most likely answer is that automakers are worried about achieving the State of California’s 10-year, 100,000 mile certification. If a battery goes through deep discharges, as smaller batteries do, it shortens the battery’s useful life. Larger batteries experience shallower charge cycles, and after a 10-year period will be closer to their stated capacity, giving them a better chance of meeting the CA requirements.
On a side note….
EIG is a South Korean based developer of medium and large-format lithium polymer batteries, who, like most battery cell manufacturers, has located its production plants abroad. Traditionally, battery cells were made in Asia in order to be in close proximity to assembly plants where the end applications, typically portable consumer electronics, were manufactured and assembled.
In the past, U.S. firms did not find the battery industry’s low return on massive investments attractive, but it was an opportunity that China and other Asian countries were willing to seize. More recently, $2.4 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding was awarded to companies that will take the lead in producing battery cells domestically. This just makes logistical sense now that the end application, electric vehicles, will be assembled here. Even firms like Toyota and the French Saft are eyeing the option for producing in the U.S, in order to avoid shipping bulky battery cells.
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