Svolt Energy, a subsidy of China’s Great Wall Motors which is soon to release its Ora Cat EV in Australia, has announced its new innovative Dragon Armor battery product with a claimed range for electric vehicle of up to 1,000km.
The announcement of the new battery technology, according to cnevpost, was made on its latest “battery day” which highlighted that the biggest innovation came in the way battery is constructed rather than any significant changes to the battery chemistry.
The Dragon Armor battery packs have a volumetric efficiency of 76% which can lead to 800km of range in certain EV applications. Packs with Manganese cells can achieve a 900 km range, while ternary cell-equipped packs can get up to 1,000 km of range.
These are more likely to be NEDC range, which was not clarified by Svolt Energy at the event. What was mentioned though was that the new construction of packs offers a new level of safety in EV applications.
With battery packs, thermal runaway is a problem and poses a safety risk. The Dragon Armor battery packs have a cell blast valve which Svolt Energy says will relieve the pressure in the cell quickly preventing the cell to get out of control and reducing the impact on surrounding cells.
The new pack construction also allows EV manufacturers to ensure that vehicles with limited space can now also offer longer range.
The new battery pack construction methods also mean that fewer structural components are required in the Dragon Armor battery packs. This reduces the pack weight between 10-20 kg, according to the data shared by the company.
The latest batteries are expected to be found in various new EVs that will be launched in its home market of China first before hitting the global stage.
Preorders for the Dragon Armor batteries are open for EV makers looking at sourcing next-generation battery packs in their upcoming models.
Great Wall Motors (GWM) is expected to launch the new Ora Funky Cat in the Australian market in 2023. It is not likely to have these new Dragon Armor batteries, but future models by GWM in our market may.
The Driven’s take: It’s good to see EV battery pack innovation happening so quickly. This would help with reducing range anxiety and provide a longer range even in smaller city cars in the coming years.
source : https://thedriven.io
