Lithium Batteries Replace Lead Acids with Better Performance
Navitas Systems LLC has unveiled a new product family of Lithium lead-acid replacement batteries called Ultanium™. Ultanium highlights Navitas' newest advancements, a lithium battery which is in the same size as popular military and commercial/industrial lead-acid batteries, and is designed to work with existing lead-acid chargers; offering a seamless drop-in replacement. The first batteries of this new product line are targeted at high-volume lead-acid batteries in the military and commercial/industrial market segments.
"Commercial and military vehicles contain 21st Century electronics, but they still are saddled with using 19th century lead-acid batteries," stated Navitas Systems' President Mil Ovan. "It's time to match 21st century systems with 21st century Navitas lithium batteries which are stronger, lighter, and longer lasting."
The standard battery for the Unites States and many NATO ground combat vehicles is the "6T" lead-acid battery. For example, a HUMVEE vehicle has two 6T batteries under the passenger's seat; an Abrams tank can have from six to twelve 6T batteries. The installed base of 6T batteries in United States military vehicles alone is over one million batteries.
The "Group 31" is a broadly-deployed commercial lead-acid battery type used in both motive and stationary deep cycle applications, including trucks, boats, RVs, golf cars, light-duty material-handling equipment, solar energy storage and power backup systems. As examples, four Group 31 batteries are located under the driver's step of a typical highway semi-truck, three of them in the back of a bass boat for powering the trolling motor, two of them in certain floor scrubber models, or one of them powering the hydraulic ramp on the back of a delivery truck. In total, about nine million Group 31 lead-acid batteries are sold annually in the United States.
The Navitas Ultanium family of lithium battery replacements for lead-acid batteries will start with three versions. The first is a 24-Volt lithium 6T battery, targeted to the 24-Volt electrical systems of military vehicles. The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle ("JLTV") is targeted to replace a portion of the Army and Marine Corps' Humvee fleets, and Lockheed Martin, AM General, and Oshkosh Defense are vying for the production contract. The JLTV is the first United States military vehicle to include in its specifications the use of lithium 6T batteries. "The lead-acid 6T batteries in use today are only 12-Volts, and if a battery fails, the 24-Volt system in that military vehicle also fails" said Les Alexander, General Manager of Navitas Advanced Solutions Group. "If one of our Ultanium 24-Volt 6T batteries were to fail, the vehicle would still maintain a 24-Volt system, which in and of itself is a huge advantage in reliability on the field of battle" Alexander added.
The second product in the Ultanium line is a 12-Volt lithium 6T battery. This battery can be used in either military or in commercial starting/deep cycle applications. Earlier this year, prototypes of the Ultanium 6T 12-Volt battery underwent successful hot and cold weather testing on commercial Class 8 highway delivery trucks in a project funded by the US Army TARDEC and CALSTART. "We're excited about the prospects for the Ultanium 6T 12-Volt battery, as it has 'dual use' potential in both commercial and military applications, which will enable us to drive volume and ultimately lower procurement costs for government and commercial customers alike" concluded Alexander.
The third product in the Ultanium line is a 12-Volt Group 31 battery. This battery is optimized exclusively towards deep cycle (in contrast to starting) applications. Taking advantage of what was learned in the development of the military 6T battery, the Ultanium Group 31 battery is quite possibly the world's most powerful, rugged and longest lasting Group 31 deep cycle battery. "The Navitas Research and Development team has designed an integrated battery management system for high safety along with recharge compatibility with any lead-acid application, to create what will become the industry benchmark." stated Dr. Michael Wixom, Navitas Senior Director of Research and Development. "The only things similar to our batteries compared to lead-acid are the physical size and the terminals--everything else about our battery is stronger, longer lasting, and considerably lighter," Wixom explained.
New innovations have enabled Navitas' Ultanium batteries to provide fuel savings not previously achievable via lead-acid design. Ultanium batteries are vastly improved in cycle life, runtime, capacity recovery and require less charging time to reach a given Amp-hour performance level. In fact, Ultanium is nearly 50% faster in Amp-hours to full state-of-charge than traditional lead-acid batteries. These innovations would for example enable a truck engine to remain shut off longer while operating the vehicle's various electronics, saving fuel and enabling relatively briefer recharge periods.
Ultanium batteries are also easier on a vehicle's electronics systems, because voltage throughout the discharge doesn't fade unlike lead acid batteries. Ultanium provides a battery which is suited for heavy commercial and military use, enabling extra room for vital equipment since an Ultanium string of batteries is 50% more compact when needing to add batteries for meeting a particular run time objective. Due to weighing in at 50% less than the competition, Ultanium also offers better driving dynamics and fuel consumption under rigorous conditions.
The Ultanium 6T battery will be undergoing testing by the United States Army by the fourth quarter this year, with production scheduled for mid-2015 conditioned on a successful test outcome. Expected availability of the Ultanium Group 31 battery will be in the first quarter of 2015, with full production scheduled for the second quarter of 2015.
