Here's a battery data point:
I had the opportunity to test a Valence Li-Ion Group 24-sized Li-Ion
battery and compare it against a group 24 SLA. Both batteries were new
and had been cycled a couple of times before I took data. End result is
the Valence has over twice the A-Hrs of the SLA and 2.4 times the W-hrs.
Very impressive. This was with a constant 1 ohm load (11-13 Amps). The
Valence is rated at 100A-Hrs and I got 107. It has built in charge and
discharge control so it can't be run into the ground. Weight is 35 vs 50
pounds, so it has a power density 0.3 times the SLA.
Oh yeah, on the down side they are $1500 a pop.
I offered the boss to do some long term tests on a motorcycle platform ;-)
Anyway, I can't wait for the costs to come down! BTW, anyone know what
it is about Li-Ions that make them so expensive (other than lower
volumes at the moment)?
- SteveS
