Lithium batteries
Available in August 2022
12V 100AH
- Distinctive yellow top case
- Isolated XLR communication port for accessories
- Battery discharge up to -25 ºC
- Isolated and accessible BMS chamber
12V 200AH
- Distinctive yellow top case
- RJ45 communication port for accessories
- Battery discharge up to -25 ºC
- Isolated and accessible BMS chamber
- ON/OFF switch UL stainless steel 304
- Optional double self-heating system
12V 300AH
- Distinctive yellow top case
- RJ45 communication port for accessories
- Battery discharge up to -25 ºC
- Isolated and accessible BMS chamber
- ON/OFF switch UL stainless steel 304
- Optional double self-heating system
12V 400AH
- Distinctive yellow top case
- RJ45 communication port for accessories
- Battery discharge up to -30 ºC
- Isolated and accessible BMS chamber
- ON/OFF switch UL stainless steel 304
- Optional double self-heating system
- Cooling system
- CSA UL1973 Certification
24V 200AH
- Distinctive yellow top case
- RJ45 communication port for accessories
- Battery discharge up to -25 ºC
- Isolated and accessible BMS chamber
- ON/OFF switch UL stainless steel 304
48V 100AH
- Distinctive yellow top case
- RJ45 communication port for accessories
- Battery discharge up to -25 ºC
- Isolated and accessible BMS chamber
- ON/OFF switch UL stainless steel 304
The 2022 batteries offer Victron (VE.CAN) or Bluetooth connectivity with the various accessories available for purchase (May 2022).
Main quality criteria
- Lithium cells
- Electronic components
- Canadian engineering
Life cycles at 25 ºC 1C/1C 2.5V-3.65V
LFP cells: Lithium iron phosphate
A new lithium battery will provide the power levels stated on the package. Volthium continually differentiates itself by offering batteries that can exceed the stated power by up to 10%.
How do you know if the cells of a lithium battery are of good quality?
By looking for the following characteristics:
Type or model, suitable for use (PouchCell vs Cylindic vs Prismatic)
Prismatic
Designed specifically to meet all facets of our Canadian environment.
- High conductivity and large welding surface.
- Excellent performance against charging and discharging intensity.
- Vibration resistance.
- Resistance to temperature variations.
- Substantially higher cycle count and wear life..
Prismatic, high-end category
The manufacturer of the cell must have an unquestionable reputation. This is mainly what will ensure safety and long life for the consumer. Volthium deals exclusively with cell manufacturers who are specialized in the automotive industry. The manufacturers, whose cells are intended for the automotive industry are considered to be the safest and most durable.
Purchasing channel
Brand name cells can be found on the alternative market (Gray Market). These cells should be avoided, as they are the rejects, coming from suppliers who could not sell them to their customers directly. So these cells are resold in batches, on alibaba or sold to other sellers who can sell them to their customers, often hobbyists.
Certified cells
UL1973, UL1642, UL9540A, IEC62619, AND IEC62660. Internationally recognized quality standards.
Perfect match and homogeneity
It is crucial that the battery cells are matched and homogeneous.
- Equal and constant performance over the years
- After 300 complete cycles, unmatched cells will show capacity loss problems during charging and discharging.
- A parallel connection balanced over the cycles
- Equal aging of battery cells
Quality of electronic components
The internal BMS plays a major role in the safety and efficiency of the battery. Several criteria will define the quality of the BMS:
- Quality of the MOSFET : These are strongly solicited at the time of the load and the discharge, they will accumulate much heat and thus must be of great quality to be able to support temperatures beyond 100 degrees for periods of peaks (30sec to 15 min).
- Coating layer on printed circuit components : At Volthium, 5 layers of polymer cover the printed circuit boards to protect the components from temperature variations and corrosion in case of air leakage.
- Microcontrollers: Texas Instrument provides the processors and microcontrollers on the BMS. If NASA and the U.S. Army trust Texas Instrument, we think we can trust them too.
- Temperature sensor: 2 temperature sensors are located inside the battery for equal temperature control.
- Programming and rules: The quality of the programming and algorithms has a lot to do with the reliability of the battery. Indeed, the management of temperature, protections against overload/undervoltage, protection against short circuits, and the automation of the balancing of the cells contribute to the reliability of the battery.
- Product control: The batteries are conceptualized, designed, tested and programmed here, this ensures that Volthium has absolute control over the battery’s behavior..
Internal engineering
Assembly is a direct result of the quality of engineering and will be profitable in the medium and long term.
At Volthium, we find:
- Cells are welded and fused to the pure aluminum busbars. The busbars are also chemically treated to avoid oxidation.
- The competition commonly uses recycled aluminum busbars. These will eventually oxidize, and they will no longer conduct electricity.
- 100% optimized dimensions. Volthium offers the 100AH in group 24, and the 300AH in 8D. The competition offers larger battery sizes for less amperage.
- Bolts that are not welded have a locTite additive.
- The internal wire size is always larger than the required standard.
- Custom molds enclose the cells to allow air to circulate between them (improves temperature control during discharge).
- Anti-shock dampers to counteract vibration.
- Heating device for cold temperatures. Some batteries have a double self-heating system (manual + automatic).
- Creation of a custom-made housing with free access to the electronics.
- Exclusivity so that in the event of a breakage on a battery, it will not be necessary to change the whole bank of batteries (in parallel, or in series). Only the defective part will be changed in case of misfortune.
- Higher operating temperature range: By isolating the BMS in a chamber, heat contamination from the BMS to the cells is limited, thus extending the battery’s allowable operating range (Think of a boat slipway with a diesel engine in the middle of summer).
- Some batteries, notably the 400AH, with CSA certification for the complete battery.