Batteries
GS Yuasa have launched a social media search for the longest-lasting Yuasa motorcycle batteries still in service and are giving a free replacement to anyone who has one over 15 years old. Entrants simply need to share a picture of their battery and bike on social media. Yuasa will then get in contact asking for the battery’s date code. The offer is open to UK and Ireland residents.
RAC analysis of the latest official Government data shows that the number of battery electric vehicles (‘BEVs’) in private hands in the UK rose by nearly 30,000 in the 12 months to September 2020, an increase of 53 per cent on the year before, with more than a third of these (36 per cent) in London and the South East of England.
The battery experts at Varta are issuing advice to vehicle drivers around the risks and complexity of attempting a DIY battery replacement in this age of increasingly complex cars. Varta say that its new awareness campaign seeks to dispel the myth that changing a battery continues to be the easy DIY task it was through previous decades. The advice from Varta is to do their research and if possible, to proactively seek battery fitting options, and if in any doubt, to check in with their local independent garage before attempting a battery change themselves.
Test specialist Horiba Mira expects the new ‘rules of origin’ clause will drive a surge in demand for development and testing of EV battery packs.
It comes as last month Aston Martin boss and Nissan planning chief Dr Andy Palmer issued a warning to the UK government that the Brexit trade deal, alongside ambitious plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, presents a risk of “crippling tariffs” for the UK automotive industry unless the sector invests heavily in domestic battery production for electric vehicles.
Batteries lose a great deal of their cranking power in cold weather, which is the reason why battery failure most frequently occurs in winter. Poorly performing batteries often continue to loyally start the engine for months, only to fail the first time they’re exposed to a cold night on the roadside. Unexpected battery failures are expensive and inconvenient, but can be avoided with the right approach to battery maintenance. Exide Technologies offers tips on how to keep your battery in top condition throughout the winter months.
VARTA brand ambassador Andy Savva explains the importance of replacing a car battery with the same type of technology (or upgrading) and advises never to downgrade technologies. When it comes to vehicles with a start/stop system, it’s essential that an Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) or Enhanced Flooded Battery (EFB) is fitted, as a traditional, conventional flooded battery would not cope with the vastly increased number of engine starts – and not last very long.
Advanced battery technology investor Britishvolt has announced its plans to make the Mira Technology Park Campus near Coventry the home of its 5000sqm global headquarters. The company wants its new HQ to be fully operational by 2022. The news follows the UK government’s decision to bring forward its ban on the production of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Britishvolt said the facility, in the traditional heartland of the country’s automotive industry, will spearhead the development of battery technologies for future electrified vehicles. Britishvolt adds that it wants to expand the site further to “bring highly skilled and specialist jobs to the West Midlands.” The company wants to build the UK’s first battery gigaplant, supporting the vehicle parc’s transition to electric engines. It is targeting the fourth quarter of 2023 to begin production, having signed an MoU with the Welsh government in 2020.
With electric vehicles soon to be a large part of the overall vehicle parc Ateq – a company best known in the tyre business for its TPMS products – has launched an industrial scale battery management tool. Designed for both electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV), the battery module balancer is called the EVB 5100. The unit is designed for rework stations in battery manufacturing or electric vehicle production plants. According to the company, it uses “the most efficient and precise technologies to equalize voltage differences between modules to maximize battery performance”.
Following the news that India’s state-owned Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has announced to invest in Thailand-based e-mobility player SWAG EV, Bakar Sadik Agwan, senior automotive consulting analyst at GlobalData, says: “EESL’s investment in SWAG EV is expected to pave way for electric two-wheelers with swappable batteries in India and is a major positive development for the Indian e-mobility market. The cost of ownership, along with the availability of adequate charging infrastructure, is a key factor for the large-scale uptake of electric vehicles. EESL’s pilot project with SWAG to implement battery-swapping concept is expected to make electric two-wheelers a more feasible product in India.
Portsmouth International Port now has the capability to power electric vehicles at a green and cost-effective rate thanks to battery manufacturer, GS Yuasa. Expert engineers have successfully installed their industry-leading lead acid and lithium-ion batteries into a cutting-edge dual chemical battery system.
The UK is at risk of losing out to the rest of Europe when it comes to the automotive lithium ion battery recycling market, according to a new research report published this week by WMG at the University of Warwick and backed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Faraday Battery Challenge at Innovate UK.
Following its purchase of Easystart Ireland last month, Ecobat Battery Technologies (Ecobat) is opening a new branch in Northern Ireland. The branch is located in Crumlin, Co Antrim and will be headed by Colin Watterson, managing director of Easystart since its founding in 2016 and a 20-year battery industry veteran. He will be joined by two Easystart colleagues, Jim Brennan and David McNeill.
Horiba Mira
InoBat
Varta
Britishvolt
Ateq
Horiba Mira
GS Yuasa
University of Warwick
Ecobat
Ecobat