Continental starts production of lithium ion batteries
A week after Mercedes-Benz announced details of its first hybrid, battery supplier Continental Automotive has launched production of the battery packs. Mercedes will be the first manufacturer to mass produce a hybrid vehicles with lithium ion batteries. Continental spent €3 million to build the battery manufacturing facility in Nuremberg. The first batteries that being produced weigh 55 lbs and have a volume of just under 0.5 cu. ft. When the Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid launches in mid-2009 with this 120V battery pack it will be installed in the engine compartment in place of the standard 12V lead acid battery.
Since this is the first mass market automotive application of a lithium battery, Mercedes and Continental are being extra careful. The battery is designed to last a minimum of 10 years and 100,000-150,000 miles so Continental has developed a sophisticated monitoring system to make sure that it operates within normal operating parameters. Each individual cell is monitored to keeps loads balanced and ensure even charging and discharging. Continental had to develop special processes to weld the copper bus bars that act as cell interconnects. The whole battery is enclosed inside of a laser-welded stainless steel case. The initial production capacity of the factory is 15,000 units a year and that can easily be doubled.
[Source: Continental]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bill 1:28PM (9/25/2008)
I wonder how it will last as long as "designed" in the location of the usual Pb-acid battery with typical high under-hood temperatures on ICE cars. Perhaps they're isolating it somewhat and routing in cool outside air more? Or, are Li-ion batts OK with these temps over time?
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Norris Shelton 4:47PM (9/25/2008)
I believe the original article said that it was partially isolated in the engine compartment and also employed liquid cooling. Very sophisticated and VERY expensive.
Cary 4:40AM (9/27/2008)
The location of the battery is isolated in it's own compartment under the hood of all Mercedes this model year. I believe it has been that way for some time. I've got an '81, '01, and '08 all of them have a separate place for the battery. This plus extra cooling wont be a problem whatsoever. See the compartment on the top left of this picture...
http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2006/01/08-mercedes-benz-s-65-amg/Mercedes-Benz%20S%2065%20AMG%20Engine-lg.jpg
jzj 2:15PM (9/25/2008)
While energy storage capacity is not the be-all and end-all of battery statistics, it is the most interesting: what is the KWH rating of this battery pack?
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John Lee 5:56PM (9/25/2008)
Looks like a great size and power for an electric motorcycle. How many Ah?
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John Rowell 5:27PM (9/25/2008)
Seems like a very small battery for a hybrid. But then, it is lithium ion so it must have a high power density.
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