Ev Batteries & LifeBatt.com

In my opinion batteries at reasonable prices that can last in an EV are the holy grail. Everything else about an EV is fairly rock solid when you look at the failure rate the weak link is the batteries.

 

So many times new batteries are announced but are either just a concept or sound as if they are just what we have been waiting for. It is when these batteries become available that the real world testing starts to happen. I had high hope for Valence batteries and kept in touch with one of the first users to install them in an EV. One driver spent over 30,000 dollars for a 170 volt pack in a 2000 pound EV. It was great at first but range dropped fast and after a couple of years his range has gone from well over a hundred to almost half of what it was. This is from a battery that was to have thousands of cycles when not deep discharged. This pack was treated very kind and still did not perform.

 

This above event was a good thing for me as I was looking for a pack that would have twice the voltage. 60,000 plus dollars was way beyond my budget so that was not going to happen but it is sad that a fellow EV driver had to lose money like this. It also took a couple of years before the real world testing became known.

 

I know there are a few Thunder Sky buyers on this list that found out real world information several years back in a group buy. As an EV drivers we are all testing out batteries and finding out how good they will be. Some times we far exceed what they were designed for and an early failure should have not been surprising.

 

I would agree we are expecting a lot from batteries but that is what it is going to take to power an EV. Right now one of the few batteries I know of that we can buy and holding up is the A123. They are expensive up front but if they last as long as the manufacturer claims then in the long run they would be the most cost effective. These batteries have been tested to the extremes in the RC hobby. At far higher demanding rates then for normal EV use. They also are used in drag racing EVs and have shown they can take a lot of punishment.

 

I would be very leery of EV batteries sellers now on the market as the number is really increasing from manufacturers overseas.

 

I inquired on LifeBatt with a well connected long time EV friend it was not a good review. I decided to do a Google search on LifeBatt and Don Harmon and found this.

 

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/future-fuels-and-vehicles/message/12529

 

There was a lot of posts by Don Harmon promoting these cells just about every where. I did not come across anyone saying how great they are but read several that would stop me from buying their product until I get reports from known EV drivers.

 

This is just my point of view. I have no connection with any battery manufacturer or investments in their stocks.

 

Don

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[Myles Twete]

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Great points Don.

Add to the disappointment list: The once promising Evercel Nickel Zinc battery.

Add to the performance list: Kokam batteries and company

-Myles

 

From: oeva-list-bounces@... [mailto:oeva-list-bounces@...] On Behalf Of Theoldcars@...
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 11:56 AM
To: oeva-list@...
Subject: [Oeva-list] Ev Batteries & LifeBatt.com

 

In my opinion batteries at reasonable prices that can last in an EV are the holy grail. Everything else about an EV is fairly rock solid when you look at the failure rate the weak link is the batteries.

 

So many times new batteries are announced but are either just a concept or sound as if they are just what we have been waiting for. It is when these batteries become available that the real world testing starts to happen. I had high hope for Valence batteries and kept in touch with one of the first users to install them in an EV. One driver spent over 30,000 dollars for a 170 volt pack in a 2000 pound EV. It was great at first but range dropped fast and after a couple of years his range has gone from well over a hundred to almost half of what it was. This is from a battery that was to have thousands of cycles when not deep discharged. This pack was treated very kind and still did not perform.

 

This above event was a good thing for me as I was looking for a pack that would have twice the voltage. 60,000 plus dollars was way beyond my budget so that was not going to happen but it is sad that a fellow EV driver had to lose money like this. It also took a couple of years before the real world testing became known.

 

I know there are a few Thunder Sky buyers on this list that found out real world information several years back in a group buy. As an EV drivers we are all testing out batteries and finding out how good they will be. Some times we far exceed what they were designed for and an early failure should have not been surprising.

 

I would agree we are expecting a lot from batteries but that is what it is going to take to power an EV. Right now one of the few batteries I know of that we can buy and holding up is the A123. They are expensive up front but if they last as long as the manufacturer claims then in the long run they would be the most cost effective. These batteries have been tested to the extremes in the RC hobby. At far higher demanding rates then for normal EV use. They also are used in drag racing EVs and have shown they can take a lot of punishment.

 

I would be very leery of EV batteries sellers now on the market as the number is really increasing from manufacturers overseas.

 

I inquired on LifeBatt with a well connected long time EV friend it was not a good review. I decided to do a Google search on LifeBatt and Don Harmon and found this.

 

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/future-fuels-and-vehicles/message/12529

 

There was a lot of posts by Don Harmon promoting these cells just about every where. I did not come across anyone saying how great they are but read several that would stop me from buying their product until I get reports from known EV drivers.

 

This is just my point of view. I have no connection with any battery manufacturer or investments in their stocks.

 

Don

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