Interview with Dean Bogues, VP of Sales and Marketing and Marc Kohler, manager of electric vehicle market development at Valence Technologies.
Open Access Article Originally Published: March 18, 2005
It seems that lately I can't conduct an interview without bumping into Valence; if not their people, their product.
Case in point. I just did an interview with Klee Kleber and Doug Fields from Segway about their new I-series Transporter models and almost immediately Valence's Saphion(tm) lithium-ion battery technology came into the conversation. It seems Segway was so impressed with the safety and energy density of the Saphion battery that they are offering it as an option in two of their new models.
What's that do for the self-balancing, two-wheeled people mover? Only doubles its range and probably doubles its life cycle. (Watch for that interview in the near future).
A couple weeks before this, I was in Los Angeles, Monrovia to be precise, visiting Energy CS about their exciting new plug-in Prius, which is now equipped with Saphion(tm) batteries. While I am admiring the set-up, in walks Marc Kohler, who is one of the two people you'll hear from during this interview, along with Dean Bogues, Valence's vice president of Sales and Marketing.
Clearly these folks have something exciting in a transportation-tailored electric/hybrid-electric vehicle battery.
Founded in Austin, Texas in 1989, the company manufactures a wide range of rechargeable lithium chemistry batteries. Though it has the capability of producing lithium polymer cells, it currently focuses much of its attention on lithium ion cells in either cylindrical, prismatic or vacuum-packed configurations, including both small format (mobile phone) up to large format cells, which are targeted for the needs of series hybrids (buses, typically), plug-in hybrids (a newly emerging technology) and pure battery electric vehicles like the sexy Venturi Fetish.
Besides the company's headquarters in Austin, it has a small test facility in Henderson, Nevada, outside Las Vegas, plus three facilities in China; one of which is devoted to research and two manufacturing plants.
No Lava Flow Batteries Here
One of the first issues I wanted Valence to address is that of safety. Two recent developments would seem, on the surface, to have a negative impact on their business, but in fact, turn out to be more a plus than a minus.
Many lithium chemistry batteries use a cobalt oxide, which gives a very high energy density, but can be prone to a potentially dangerous phenomenon called "thermal runaway". Either because of a manufacturing defect or mishap with the battery, the oxide can heat up and begin to burn at 700 degree Centigrade or 1,200 degree F, which Bogues pointed out is the same temperature of volcanic lava. Because of this, the US federal government now restricts shipment of lithium batteries in the cargo hold of commercial jetliners, though they can still be shipped by dedicated air freight carriers.
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10 comments so far...
25-Jun-2007
56851
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I own a Segway i2, which uses Valence Lithium-ion battery, and as of 6/20/07 you still can't fly with them because the FAA does not recognize their safety!
Posted by: David Koch
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18-Mar-2005
6638
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Valence should offer the grid-chargeable Li-Ion Prius replacement battery as a kit. If I had a Prius, I'd consider going for one. Gasoline is now $2.25 where I live. 150MPG would be pretty sweet. "
Posted by: Sledge _
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29-Mar-2005
6864
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Valence & Phoenix Motorcars was awarded Type II certification by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and now offers the only vehicle on the market with this rating.
CARB certification, viewed as a "must have" by California consumers, clears the way for Phoenix Motorcars, an early leader in mass production of full-function electric automobiles, to deploy 20 electric taxicabs in Sacramento, California. The cabs will be powered by Valence's U-Charge Power Systems.
Marty from Maui
alohatoystore.com 808-661-1212"
Posted by: Marty Wynn
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23-Feb-2006
13174
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Is anyone working on a pure plug-in with the newest technology/batteries for city dwellers who have second vehicle for long trips and want the efficiency of a EV plug-in for in town driving. Isn't it true that 50% of U.S. drivers drive an average of 20 miles a day? I think such a vehicle would save many of us a pile of money. I know I'd buy one. It would be attractive even for those who drive further and have an electrical receptacle available at work. Is anyone offering such a vehicle, or working on one?
Posted by: David Crane
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19-Mar-2005
6650
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Actually, that's what Energy CS is considering doing, which is why Valence is working with them. You might go back and listen to what Greg Hanssen says in our "From-the-Field" interview. See article number 818."
Posted by: Bill Moore
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20-Mar-2005
6674
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Hi Bill,
The next time you talk to Valence Technologies, you should ask them if they've had any contact with Altair. In would be interesting to know if Altair's recent advancements in Lithium Ion battery electrode materials help improve Valence's batteries?
"
Posted by: Peter W
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20-Mar-2005
6686
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Re: Altair -- actually, you can read what Valence had to say in response to that question at:
http://www.evuk.co.uk/news/ [December 2004 section]
I'm much more interested in hearing what they may
have up their sleeves for "Gen II". I'm not sure
why their systems don't have a higher gravimetric
energy density than Co, as their product spec
(http://www.valence.com/nasicon.pdf) shows
both a higher voltage and higher mAh/g rating than
Co cathodes (~145mAh/g or so). At 100wh/kg and with
a 4V system, they aren't even getting close. [I'm
assuming their lithium anode is a standard
graphite one with ~350 mAh/g. You ought to be able
to achieve roughly 100mAh/g module electrolyte,
separators, etc. They're getting 25. Hmm....]
Anyway, any hints regarding Saphion II
appreciated. Also, anyone that knows anything
about either the UEV status, or the UK hybrid
(which I assume to be the same as the one that
ACProp mentions on its pages), are also appreciated :>
-Dave dnavas....yahoo.com
"
Posted by: David Navas
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21-Mar-2005
6692
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On second read, that link appears to be charting
the LiVPO4, not LiFePO4 cell characteristics.
That probably explains the difference. Voltage
is more like 3, rather than 4. In order to
really blow out the Pb-acid market, they've got
to get their cranking amps up, and costs down
(well, it would be nice to actually state prices,
but I'd be surprised if they were volume-comparative
to PbA).
-Dave
"
Posted by: David Navas
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21-Mar-2005
6708
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Yes, we (CalCars and EnergyCS) hope to offer installed kit versions of 'gas-optional or plug-in hybrids,' as Bill said.
One way to be sure to hear about our progress (and issues along the way) is to sign up for CalCars low-traffic newsletter at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/ -- or just check in to http://www.calcars.org periodically.
"
Posted by: Felix Kramer
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22-Mar-2005
6725
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Great to see someone taking advantage of Lithium Ion for EV's. A couple of other important points. The mass of Lithium Ion is about 1/3 that of lead acid, and 1/2 that of the best Nickle batteries. What wasn't mentioned is that the volume is also about 1/3 and 1/2 of the competing batteries, and this helps packaging in the vehicle a lot. Also not mentioned was self-discharge. Nickel batteries all self discharge at a great rate, maybe 10% of capacity or more per 24 hours. They are actually worse than lead acid batteries. Lithium Ion might discharge 5% in one month. So if you go to the airport and park your EV to fly to Europe you could lose a lot of charge when you come back. Not a problem for Lithium Ion.
Too bad Detroit and the California EV bureacracy wouldn't look into Lithium Ion when they were deciding our EV Future. They insisted on "produceable" batteries like lead acid and NiMH. Good thing we don't depend on government to power our laptops and cell phones.
Bill"
Posted by: Bill Yerkes
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