Lithium Technology Corp. (LTC, Plymouth Meeting, PA) announced that in collaboration with lithium-polymer battery company GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke GmbH (GAIA, Germany), it is in the process of completing a prototype 42V battery for BMW AG (Frankfurt, Germany) under a firm purchase order to GAIA from BMW. Delivery is scheduled for July through August of 2002.
The prototype lithium battery, which will undergo testing in the US and Europe, delivers 7kW to 8kW of power, with a capacity of 27Ah; a pulse-power capability of 200A for starting; a low operating temperature of -30 degrees C; and an estimated life of eight years. It consists of unique stacked flat cells housed in a standard European automotive battery casing with dimensions of 7in x 7.5in x 12in (175mm x 190mm x 300mm), complete with power management and control circuitry. The battery is designed to meet the 42V battery specifications of the Astor project, a program sponsored by a consortium of European automakers, to test advanced energy-storage systems.
LTC and GAIA plan to deliver up to eight more 42V prototypes and a 288V hybrid-electric vehicle prototype battery within the next four months to various customers, including BMW. The two companies also plan to introduce several other beta-stage prototypes for various large battery applications using a synergistic combination of their technologies.
