Nickel Metal-Hydride

Cobasys innovative approach for HEV strategies incorporates its Series 1000 module as the building block for these applications. This battery pack is scalable through a number of different voltage ranges, energy ratings, and power ratings, to meet specific applications. The NiMHax solution gives the owner the most cost effective solution for hybrid and EV applications. NiMHax solutions have excellent power, energy, weight, and volume characteristics. The NiMHax systems are designed to be "plug & play" solutions and therefore, maintenance-free.

The Series 1000 batteries have a specific power rating of 1,100 watts per kilogram, which is about five times greater than typical ratings for lead-acid batteries. As a result, Cobasys's 300 kg. NiMHax Model 576-240 battery pack, designed specifically for heavy-duty vehicles, can capture regenerative braking energy and provide surge power for acceleration more effectively than lead-acid battery packs weighing more than 1,500 kg.

All Cobasys products are designed, developed, and manufactured in the USA. Cobasys new manufacturing plant is located in Springboro, OH and is ISO-14001 & QS-9000 quality certified.

Nickel Sodium Chloride

Depending on specific vehicle requirements, anywhere from one to three Zebra packs can be used. Each Zebra battery pack stores 17.8 to 20 kWhr of energy, can supply or absorb up to 33 kW of power, and weighs about 450 lb. For 30-foot and smaller transit buses, and for 40-foot buses operating on low-speed urban routes, one Zebra pack is usually adequate. For heavier buses and trucks, or vehicles with unusually high power requirements such as refuse trucks with large accessories, use of two or three packs may be required for optimal vehicle performance. Adding a second or third battery pack can also improve fuel efficiency by maximizing regenerative braking recapture, and provides greater all-electric operating range (operation of the bus with the engine completely turned off). Use of multiple packs also can reduce the depth of discharging of the packs, prolonging their life. ISE can assist vehicle fleet operators in conducting the economic and performance analyses required to determine the ideal number of battery packs.

The battery packs are designed to function in ambient temperatures ranging from -40 to +50 degrees Celsius, so battery performance is not adversely affected by the outside temperature. Another attractive feature of the Zebra battery is that it can provide high power down to an 80% depth of discharge level, which means that the ISE three-pack configuration can supply 50-90 kW of power until the batteries are depleted to their minimum safe level of 20% state of voltage.

Yet another attractive feature of the Zebra battery product is the fact that the cell monitoring and equalization systems are fully integrated into an enclosed pack, which greatly simplifies battery subsystem integration and maintenance. Achieving maximum battery life currently requires periodic external charging of the battery packs to maintain optimal cell equalization and balance between the three packs, but ISE and MES-DEA are working together to develop new charging algorithms that will enable the onboard APU to equalize the packs, without the need to ever recharge the batteries via external grid power.

The Zebra battery packs are fully warranted by MES-DEA for one year. Warranty extensions of up to five years are also available at an additional cost. By avoiding deep discharging of the batteries and equalizing the packs on a regular basis, ISE estimates the battery packs will last two to five years in most applications. These are preliminary estimates and are now in the early stages of being validated through testing of ISE demonstration buses using Zebra batteries.