Producing a high-performance and safe battery pack solution has usually been expensive and time-consuming for many automotive companies with fully customised designs often unaffordable and existing off-the-shelf battery pack solutions suffering from low energy density and poor optimisation.
IONETIC claims to have overcome these problems by offering what it describes as ‘an efficient blend of cost and customisation’ to help accelerate battery pack development with a software-based platform that can boost energy density by 30 per cent.
In a statement, James Eaton, CEO and co-founder of IONETIC, said: "There are many stages needed to get a battery pack into production. Automotive companies need to consider requirements, system design, homologation, embedded control, manufacturing options, and vehicle integration, to name a few. These stages are often done by different companies, which can lead to a costly, fragmented process. At IONETIC we facilitate all these stages, simplifying the process and reducing the cost for EV OEMs."
IONETIC said its modules are customised automatically by its design platform, so they can be optimised for the volume available to the customer for their battery pack. The company added that off the shelf modules are a fixed length so the vehicle must be designed around them; a 110cm space can fit two VDA390 modules but leaves a 32cm space that is not enough to fit a third. In a design exercise with an electric conversion company, IONETIC said it achieved an energy of 88kWh in the same space previously occupied by a 40kWh off the shelf system.
The start-up added that getting a 70kWh battery pack into production requires the services of a design consultancy to develop a prototype, put it into production in a new factory, and homologating at a test house. This process can cost between £40-80m but can be reduced to £4-10m for a 70kWh battery pack using the company’s technology, capabilities, and production strategy.
IONETIC is planning to open its first UK-based battery manufacturing facility next year, which will enable it to begin pilot production of its own battery pack designs.
Eaton said: “We’re currently focusing on niche automotive companies in the UK and Europe. They typically make less than 10,000 vehicles per year, so probably don’t meet the minimum order quantities of large global battery pack suppliers, or can’t meet their high design fees. These niche vehicle-makers are the unsung heroes that keep society functioning. Trucks, buses, construction vehicles, service vehicles and emergency vehicles all need to electrify in the next decade. We’re also in talks with iconic car brands and sports car manufacturers.”
Eaton continued: “Gigafactories are mainly catering for mass-produced, cars. There’s a risk that some of these niche, historic car brands might not survive electrification unless companies such as IONETIC address their specific needs.”
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