We’re delighted to share that IONETIC has been awarded CR&D grant funding in collaboration with Alexander Dennis and ESE, Imperial College London.
IONETIC is offering a scalable battery pack architecture in response to the demands of the UK niche and low-volume vehicle industry, for OEMs that manufacture <20,000/year.
The BESTBUS project will design and built a high-performance battery pack solution that meets the targets of bus manufacturers (decreasing battery cost, increasing life, and increasing passenger number and comfort). Leveraging our battery platform, Arc, we can create highly optimised and cost-effective battery-pack solutions, using a common design architecture, a standardised bill of materials, and a standardised manufacturing solution for assembly, testing and delivery.
Full Public Description:
IONETIC offers a scalable solution in response to the demands of the UK niche and low-volume vehicle industry, for OEMs that manufacture <20,000 vehicles p.a.
As a dynamic UK start-up specialising in EV battery-pack technology, IONETIC is leveraging its state-of-the-art “Arc” design and production platform to establish the manufacture of highly optimised and cost-effective battery-pack solutions.
For bus operators in the UK, following the purchase of a new bus, a vehicle service-life of 15-20 years is required as part of total cost of ownership return-on-investment. As such, the elimination of need for battery replacement during this service-life would be a game-changer in the current market.
To drive down costs, bus manufacturing is traditionally a low-margin industry which relies on a steady flow of orders to maintain industrial capacity and jobs. The transition to electrification for bus manufacturers is driving growing demand for low-cost battery-packs with a suitable lifetime and installation flexibility that enables acceptable weight and does not limit carriage capacity.
Electrification presents many challenges for a bus manufacturer:
- The cost of an e-bus, compared to a conventional internal combustion bus, is doubled due to the cost of the electrified powertrain.
- Bus powertrain lifetime reduces from 40-years to as little as 7.
- Battery-pack weight must be <2,500kg for double-decker while achieving at least 150-200 miles of range in all weather conditions.
- Ingress to vehicle cabin usable volume presents height and packaging challenges. This is because, in achieving energy targets, the battery-pack must be installed beneath the floor. This reduces disability access, increases step up into bus, and reduces occupant comfort.
IONETIC’s objective is to establish a high-performance battery-pack solution that overcomes the challenges faced by bus manufacturers, from concept to manufacture. With the modular and flexible design of the developed battery design software combined with innovative production techniques, the Arc Platform has the capability to generate a bespoke battery solution for individual customers. This will exploit a common design architecture, a standardised bill of materials, and a standardised manufacturing solution for assembly, testing and delivery.
The Arc platform presents an opportunity for the UK to cement its position as an advanced automotive engineering leader during the transition to Net-Zero by addressing a market failure in the availability of cost-effective battery-packs using UK-developed IP.
Responding to e-bus market needs, Imperial College London joins the project to complete degradation mode analysis work that will extend the battery-pack lifetime.
