Toshiba Corporation has expanded its SCiB product offering with the launch of an innovative 20 Ah-HP rechargeable lithium-ion battery cell that delivers high energy and high power at the same time.
The market wants batteries that deliver both high-energy and high-power characteristics, but until now this has required a trade-off for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. In an EV, for example, a high-energy battery allows the vehicle to drive further on a single charge - but it lowers power input and output and extends charge times. Toshiba drew on its know-how in current high energy and high power products to develop a new cell that successfully combines the advantages of both.
The cell is ideal for heavy-load applications where high power input and output are essential, and for situations where battery cells must suppress heat and operate continuously, such as rapid charging of commercial vehicles, regenerative power systems for rolling stock, and industrial equipment. The cell is the same size as Toshiba’s current 20 Ah product, allowing current customers to easily upgrade to the improved input and output power with the same module pack. The cell is now available to order worldwide.
Features of the 20 Ah-HP SCiB Battery Cell
- Excellent heat suppression
Compared to Toshiba’s current 20 Ah cell, the new 20 Ah-HP cell delivers 1.7x higher input and 1.6x higher output, realized by an approximately 40 % reduction of resistance in the cell. This improvement efficiently suppresses heat generation when a large current is applied, allowing design of a simpler cooling system. For example, depending on the customer's system, water cooling can be simplified to forced air cooling, and forced air cooling simplified to natural cooling. The lowered resistance also reduces over-voltage, allowing the cell to function in a wider range of state-of-charge (SOC).
- Long life
The new 20 Ah-HP cell achieves a longer life than the current 20 Ah cell by suppressing heat during continuous charging and discharging, due to its lower internal resistance. Under the test conditions shown in figure 1, the cell maintained almost 100 % capacity after 8,000 charge/discharge cycles, while the capacity of the current 20 Ah cell decreased by approximately 10 %. - Compatibility
The new 20 Ah-HP cell delivers improved input and output power but maintains the same size as the current 20 Ah cell, allowing current customers to easily upgrade to the improved performance with the same module pack.
Specifications of the 20 Ah-HP Rechargeable Battery Cell
Product name | 20 Ah-HP Cell |
Rated capacity | 20 Ah |
Nominal voltage | 2.3 V
|
Input power | 1900 W
(SOC 50 %, 10 sec, 25 ºC) |
Output power | 1900 W
(SOC 50 %, 10 sec, 25 ºC) |
Energy density (volume) | 176 Wh/L |
Energy density (mass) | 84 Wh/kg |
Dimensions | 116 × 22 × 106 mm |
| Weight | ~ 545g |
Applications of the 20 Ah-HP SCiB Battery Cell
Toshiba expects to see the new cell deployed in automobiles, industrial equipment, and storage battery systems. Some examples include drive power supply and emergency power supply for railways, regenerative power supply for harbor cranes, electric ferries, hybrid buses, trucks, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in HEVs (PHEVs), alternatives to lead-acid batteries and storage battery systems.
