Delta-Q Technologies announced the debut of its lithium integration kit to battery companies, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and battery management system (BMS) manufacturers at The Battery Show in Novi, Michigan. With the goal of supporting lithium powertrain system development, Delta-Q's lithium charger development kit is free to qualified OEMs and BMS manufacturers and includes:
Hardware and Software: Delta-Q IC1200 battery charger in 24-or 48V, equipped with CAN communication; Pre-loaded lithium charge profiles supporting various lithium-ion (Li-ion), lithium polymer (Li-Poly), or lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cell and pack capacities; And a set of appropriate power and communication cables.
Custom Training and Technical Support: Customized training and consulting sessions by Delta-Q‘s application engineering team; Development of custom and optimized charging profiles. And quick start guides, detailed programming, and design documentation.
“The price difference between lithium-ion and lead-acid is getting smaller. Applications such as electric scooters, motorcycles and lift trucks have favorable economics for lithium integration when the total cost of ownership is considered. Given the performance and cycle life advantages of lithium-ion, this is the right time for a customer-friendly kit to help design engineers integrate lithium batteries into the next generation of products,†said Trent Punnett, vice president of sales, product management and marketing at Delta-Q Technologies.
The IC1200 charger is capable of accepting commands from the BMS through two methods – Closed/Open contact or CANopen communications. These methods enhance the battery system safety and efficiency with the lithium system’s communications protocols. In addition to extensive built-in safety functions, the charger also uses CAN authentication protocols to provide an extra layer of reliability, ensuring only authorized chargers are working with the lithium system.
The BMS can program the charger to deliver the requested voltage and current enabling efficient charging for optimal battery performance. Battery system behavior and safety can be evaluated by analyzing the data stored in the charger, downloadable through the built-in USB host port, or transmitted through the CAN network.
The IC1200 is part of Delta-Q’s IC Series battery charger line, a series of compact, sealed and lightweight chargers ideal for on-board or off-board applications and frequently used for electric motorcycles and scooters, utility vehicles, lift trucks and floor care machines. Up to 25 pre-loaded charge profiles are selectable by pressing a button on the charger.
