The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), a certified US Department of Energy (DOE, Washington, DC) national lab, has adopted Saphion lithium-ion batteries from Valence Technology Inc. (Austin, TX) to power a small fleet of Remotec® Andros military vehicles. SRNL is using standard and customized K-Charge® Power Systems from Valence, which have enabled a five-fold increase in the run time and range of the Andros Mark V-A1 robot, which normally uses lead-acid batteries. In addition, the built-in communications capabilities of the K-Charge Power Systems enable Andros operators to monitor the temperature, voltage, and state-of-charge of the batteries.
"Savannah River National Laboratory is a leading lab with the ability to turn advanced science into practical technology solutions. With their Andros project, they are proving the benefits of using phosphate lithium-ion batteries in rugged environments, such as those encountered by military vehicles," said Valence Technology President and Chief Executive Officer James Akridge. "SRNL selected our Saphion batteries for a number of reasons, including exceptional energy density, built-in communications capabilities, and form-factor. These features were key in helping SRNL to achieve their design goals efficiently and cost-effectively."
