Battery Power - March/April 2012 - (Page 6)

editor’s choice Nichicon Corp. has released a small and light quick charger for EVs (electric vehicles). This 50 kW capacity model is certified for the CHAdeMO system and expands the company’s lineup of quick chargers for EVs. By utilizing its technology for OBCs (on board chargers) for EVs and standardizing the main components, Nichicon has developed a 50 kW quick charger that is approximately 60 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter than its current model. With issues such as global warming raising the environmental awareness of people around the world, countries are working in earnest to reduce their carbon emissions. Nichicon has been supplying OBCs (with a DC/DC converter) for the Mitsubishi iMiEV and the Nissan EV LEAF since the release of these two electric vehicles. Besides OBCs, Nichicon has also been helping spread the use of EVs by developing and mass-producing quick charging systems for vehicles. This 50-kW model expands Nichicon’s lineup of highcapacity quick chargers. Like the world’s smallest and lightest 20-kW and 30-kW quick chargers for EVs, which Nichicon released on August 24, 2011, this model was made to be an ultracompact quick charger. Nichicon has achieved a thin 50-kW EV quick charger: this latest model measures the same width and height (350 mm by 1,565 mm) as the 20-kW and 30-kW models. The most remarkable point of this newly developed quick charger is that it occupies approximately 60 percent less space and weighs about 50 percent less than the current model. This saves the customer cost and effort in installing this system. And the quick charger’s thin profile makes possible a greater range of installation locations. Nichicon has also made the most of its technological expertise in OBCs to develop a modularized charger that boasts high reliability and high efficiency, features that will help hasten the spread of the charging infrastructure for EVs. Nichicon Develops 50 kW Quick Charger for EVs This increase in manufacturing capacity is driven by an expected dramatic increase in global demand, especially with respect to batteries for plug-in electric vehicles and for stationary storage. IDC Energy Insights forecasts global manufacturers of plug-in electric vehicles will require more than seven times their current level of production in 2011, rising to 17,331 MWh by 2015. North America will lead the demand in the coming year; however, Asia will quickly eclipse North America in demand. IDC Energy Insights forecasts that if Li-Ion costs fall as expected, global stationary storage Li-Ion demand on the electric grid will increase from 2011 by more than 17 times to 640 MWh in 2015. In total, IDC Energy Insights forecasts global growth in demand of Li-Ion batteries of 447 percent from 5,411 MWh in 2011 to 24,191 MWh in 2015. To meet this expected demand, manufacturers throughout the world are engaging in one of the largest factory build-outs in world history. It is led by a combination of existing battery giants, such as Panasonic in Japan, Samsung SDI in South Korea, and Johnson Controls in the US, as well as emerging players, such as A123 Systems in the US, Electrovaya in Canada and BYD in China. In the US, there is a thriving Li-Ion manufacturing industry reignited by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided 50 percent matching grants to Li-Ion manufacturing facilities. However, the vast majority of Li-Ion production will occur in Japan, South Korea and China, whose governments have identified the Li-Ion industry as a vital national interest and have initiated significant subsidies to help build new factories. Li-Ion batteries are the preferred battery type in a number of applications ranging from plug-in electric vehicles to computers to power tools, based on their flexibility, durability, energy density and power capabilities. Historically, the one challenge that has delayed adoption has been price: they are significantly more expensive today than other battery types. However, the enormous increase in production capacity will generate economies of scale, causing Li-Ion battery prices to decrease significantly. “As prices for Li-Ion cells come down, more applications will become eligible for their use, creating a self-feeding cycle that will lead to lower prices and more widespread adoption,” said Sam Jaffe, research manager for IDC Energy Insights and one of the authors of the report. “Demand and supply will be in rough equilibrium for at least the next three years, allowing manufacturers to reach high levels of production capacity and leading to even lower price points.” IDC Energy Insights Forecasts Lithium-Ion Battery Production to Grow Nearly 400 Percent Worldwide IDC Energy Insights has released the availability of a new report, Business Strategy: Lithium Ion Manufacturing Global Buildout - Supply and Demand Forecasts, that quantifies expected explosive global growth in manufacturing capacity of lithium ion (Li-Ion) batteries of approximately 390 percent from 6,689 MWh in 2011 to 26,149 MWh in 2015. 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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery Power - March/April 2012

Battery Power - March/April 2012
Nissan and ABB Link to Evaluate Second-Life Storage Applications for Nissan LEAF Battery Packs
Nichicon Develops 50 kW Quick Charger for Evs
Lithium-Ion Battery-Emulation Circuit Using a Microcontroller
High-Efficiency Switching-Mode Charger System Design Considerations with Dynamic Power Path Management
Making Lithium-Ion Abuse Tests Meaningful
Batteries
Charging & Testing
ICs and Semiconductors
Power Supplies
Components
Industry News
Marketplace
Calendar of Events
Research and Development

Battery Power - March/April 2012