Cost-Effective Low Voltage Vehicle Hybridisation using Advanced Lead Carbon Batteries. (Electric Vehicles: Everything is Changing)

The Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium has been working on optimising and demonstrating advanced Lead Carbon batteries in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. This work has resulted in the building of two LC SuperHybrids - one at 12V and another dual voltage 12V/48V. As a result of the success of these demonstration vehicles, work is now in progress with two major OEMs on separate diesel-based projects targeting CO2 emissions below 80 g/km utilising this low cost technology at 48V.

Allan Cooper is European Project Coordinator for the ALABC. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1961. He retired from the lead industry in 1991 and became an independent consultant. In this capacity he has worked closely with the ALABC and with the International Lead Association in the UK.

In 2008 he received the International Lead Award in recognition of his exceptional service to the lead industry, lead metallurgy, production technology and battery development, notably in the field of electric and hybrid electric vehicles and in 2014 celebrated his 50 years in the industry.

The ALABC was formed in 1992 as a result of the USABC deciding not to invest in lead-acid technology. Its members are lead producers, other suppliers to the lead battery industry and battery companies themselves.

 

After some initial work on improving valve-regulated battery designs in deep discharge applications, work has concentrated on batteries operating in partial state-of-charge as typically experienced in stop/start and hybrid applications. As a result of the discovery that addition of certain types of carbon to the negative plate inhibited sulphation during operation, battery life in vehicles in excess of 150,000 miles has been demonstrated.