If you have ever worked in a distribution warehouse or manufacturing facility, you have likely had more than one run-in with a lead acid battery. Long the go-to choice for material handling equipment, lead acid batteries have dominated the battery market. These range from pallet jacks to forklifts and reach trucks. However, lithium-ion battery technologies are finally starting to make significant inroads.

In late 2020, The Raymond Corporation announced the launch of its energy essentials lithium-ion battery line. This supports the company’s family of material handling equipment, including its forklifts, pallet jacks and swing-reach trucks.

“Energy essentials distributed by Raymond enables complete and unique integration between the truck and battery, giving full visibility to operational data elements that include state-of-charge and fault codes,” said Jennifer de Souza, Senior Director of Energy Solutions, Procurement and Leasing, The Raymond Corporation.

“Engineered to excel in the toughest material handling applications, these lithium-ion solutions provide our customers with significant productivity enhancements, including increased uptime and reduced electricity costs.”

The Raymond Corp. signed a strategic supply agreement with Mississauga, Ontario-based Electrovaya. The firm will supply battery systems for Raymond’s energy essentials battery line. Electrovaya will supply Raymond exclusively distributed Raymond branded lithium-ion batteries that are UL 2580 listed and compatible with most Class I, II and III Raymond lift trucks.

These battery systems use Electrovaya’s NMC ceramic lithium-ion battery technologies. This will provide a full integration with the Raymond vehicles, according to a recent statement by The Raymond Corp.

This deal could mark the beginning of a significant shift in the battery marketplace.
“Right now, lithium-ion batteries take up less than five per cent of the market, but that can change overnight,” said Raj DasGupta, VP of Technology and Business Development, Electrovaya. “I’m surprised it’s taken this long for lithium-ion batteries to displace lead acid batteries.”

Energy essentials distributed by Raymond enables complete and unique integration between the truck and battery. This gives full visibility to operational data elements that include state-of-charge and fault codes.

Electrovaya recently signed agreements with several major corporations to supply lithium-ion batteries for their material handling fleets. This includes Fortune 100 majors like Walmart Canada. DasGupta said that interest in the company’s battery technologies has increased substantially since the company first decided to target the material handling market in 2017.

Electrovaya supplies its batteries across a wide variety of industries. A significant portion of its customer base is currently active in the food distribution and retail market segment.

“Those operators typically operate those vehicles 24/7, 365 days a year. So, they have the highest priority customers, especially in the pandemic, where food distribution is so key to keep moving,” said DasGupta.

“This market is starting to move now. With our customer base, after these guys have operated our batteries for a couple of months, most of them have come back with a statement that they would never buy a lead acid battery again.”

He also added that companies that run their material handling equipment for two to three shifts a day receive clear operational efficiency benefits from using his company’s lithium-ion batteries.

Ensuring the lithium-ion batteries are safe to operate has been a key focus for Electrovaya.

“Safety is a concern for warehouse operators. If you have a car fire, it’s outside. However, if you have a fire in a forklift, you can burn down an entire building,” said DasGupta.

“We completed a UL-2580 electric vehicle certification for all of our batteries going into these forklifts and have a UL-2580 listing now. That’s quite significant.”

These batteries are not just designed for new material handling equipment. They have been designed for retrofitting existing fleets.

“We’ve designed them to match the weight and size of lead acid batteries. You need some software updates on the trucks and some communication updates. But the batteries, for the most part, are compatible with any forklift,” said DasGupta.

The up-front purchasing costs are typically three to four times higher than a lead battery. But the return on investment makes them worth the additional cost, DasGupta argues.

“One lithium-ion battery is equivalent to three lead acid batteries. With the energy savings, maintenance savings and longer life span, you’re looking at an ROI in three to four months for heavy users. If you’re a lighter user, then within a year or two,” he said.

Electrovaya announces the launch of its electric bus lithium-ion battery systems with the delivery of a 700V, 300kWh battery.

Electrovaya’s battery technology possesses several characteristics:

• Safety: Provides industry-leading safety, as demonstrated in the e-car and e-materials handling sectors, including UL2580 listing for the latter;
• Long Cycle-Life and High Energy Density: Superior long-term performance standards;
• Cost of Ownership: The lowest overall cost of ownership to bus operators and OEMs due to superior cycle life;
• Proprietary Technology: Substantial intellectual property in cells, BMS and systems;
• Modular Design: 100-700 kWh battery systems for e-buses;
• Fossil-Free Future: Significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

This development was supported by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). In 2017, SDTC had signed a C$3.8 million R&D contract with Electrovaya to develop safe and long-lasting lithium-ion ceramic batteries for electric buses.

Canadian entrepreneurs

“Electrovaya is a great example of how Canadian entrepreneurs are leading the way in developing solutions that Canada and the world needs,” said SDTC President & CEO, Leah Lawrence.

“By expanding their offering of lithium-ion battery solutions to the electric bus supply chain, the team at Electrovaya is helping to make our transportation systems more sustainable and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” adds Lawrence.

“Electrovaya has spent considerable time and effort to develop a solution that meets the demanding application requirements of electric buses. Our technology has a unique blend of cycle life, safety, energy, and power performance that are ideal for this application,” said Dr. Raj Das Gupta, COO Electrovaya.

Electrovaya Inc. (TSX: EFL) (OTCQB: EFLVF) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce the launch of its electric bus lithium ion battery systems with the delivery of a 700V, 300kWh battery. This product launch marks Electrovaya’s entry into the rapidly growing electric bus market.

Electrovaya’s solution leverages the fundamental advantages of its key battery technology:

• Safety: Provides industry-leading safety, as demonstrated in the e-car and e-materials handling sectors, including UL2580 listing for the latter;
• Long Cycle-Life and High Energy Density: Superior long-term performance standards;
• Cost of Ownership: Lowest overall cost of ownership to bus operators and OEMs due to superior cycle life;
• Proprietary Technology: Substantial intellectual property in cells, BMS and systems;
• Modular Design: 100-700 kWh battery systems for e-buses; and
• Fossil-Free Future: Significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

This development was supported by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). In 2017, SDTC had signed a C$3.8 million R&D contract with Electrovaya to develop safe and long-lasting lithium ion ceramic batteries for electric buses.

Leah Lawrence, SDTC President and CEO:

Electrovaya is a great example of how Canadian entrepreneurs are leading the way in developing solutions that Canada and the world needs

“By expanding their offering of lithium ion battery solutions to the electric bus supply chain, the team at Electrovaya is helping to make our transportation systems more sustainable and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Dr. Raj Das Gupta, Chief Operating Officer of Electrovaya.

We are delighted to enter this market with our strong and unique product offering

“Electrovaya has spent considerable time and effort to develop a solution that meets the demanding application requirements of electric buses. Our technology has a unique blend of cycle life, safety, energy, and power performance that are ideal for this application.”

“We expect to replicate the success Electrovaya has achieved in the materials handling industry, in this emerging electric bus sector.”

While the initial capital investment of Electrovaya’s forklift lithium ion batteries (LIBs) appears to be high in comparison to lead acid batteries (LABs), a positive return on investment could be observed as early as the second year. Factoring in an equipment lifetime of up to 10 years, the total cost savings behind adopting LIBs could be immense especially for a large fleet.

For heavy duty users, typically characterized by a 24/7 work structure such as a Walmart distribution center, forklift vehicles undergo multiple LAB changes a day in an effort to meet productivity requirements. Using an example of a 100-forklift fleet, up to 200-300 LABs could be swapped on a daily basis, requiring significant resources and labor time as well as a suitable battery changing room to manage these exchanges. In the case of Electrovaya’s LIBs, there is and has been no need for battery swapping or a battery changing room as (fast) charging is done during opportunity breaks such as lunch/coffee breaks, washroom breaks, and shift change-overs. This battery changing operation bears a heavy cost and for this reason, is arguably the most important factor in driving the migration of LABs to LIBs. Furthermore, Electrovaya’s LIBs are capable of achieving full charge in under one hour and on a single charge will move more pallets than LABs.

Given LIBs inherently higher efficiency over LABs, there is less electricity consumed when charging to a full state due to less energy loss. Additionally, LIBs do not require any equalizing charges, a maintenance practice performed on LABs to overcharge and rejuvenate its capacity. Both of these factors, combined with the long runtime of Electrovaya’s LIBs, result in major utility cost savings.

While economical on day one of implementation, LABs require regular and frequent servicing including battery washing, watering, and changing equipment maintenance. These routine tasks are not present for Electrovaya’s LIBs, which only require minimal maintenance consisting of an annual inspection of the equipment. 

Overall, the savings in productivity, energy, and maintenance cost all contribute to a substantially lower cost of ownership of Electrovaya’s LIBs over LABs. 

Lithium-ion batteries are providing the world with energy storage that is required for the electrification of transportation and material handling and is an enabling technology for everything from smart phones and consumer electronics to renewable energy. There is no doubt that this is the most important technology for the fight against climate change and reduction in Greenhouse gas emissions around the world. However, storing energy always comes with risks, and lithium-ion batteries are no exception. Due to the high energy density, safety incidents can become critical very quickly. This becomes more of a challenge for larger systems, such as those used in passenger electric vehicles and material handling equipment.

For instance, while a fire in a vehicle outdoors is concerning and should be taken very seriously, a fire within a warehouse, where equipment and fire hazards are closely packed, it can be extremely deadly. A fire at a distribution center operated for Amazon in Redlands California in June 2020, quickly escalated and resulted in the entire 100,000 square foot facility being destroyed https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/us/amazon-redlands-fire-trnd/index.html. This not only resulted in millions of dollars in lost property, but also endangers the safety of staff. As distribution centers can often have up to hundreds of electric forklift trucks in operation, there is a significant number of batteries operating at any given time.

To ensure safety of batteries, several key areas are fundamental, namely the lithium-ion cell, the battery management system (BMS) and the overall system design of the battery.

Most important is the lithium-ion cell itself. Here is where Electrovaya’s batteries are sharply differentiated as Electrovaya utilizes proprietary technologies like ceramic composite separator materials and unique cell design methods which ensures the cells can surpass the most difficult safety testing. The Electrovaya EV-44 cell is certified under numerous UL designations and is relatively difficult to fail due to its high temperature stability.

Another key piece of technology that is key to ensure the safety of the battery system is the BMS, which is a combination of hardware and software that ensures the battery is operating under safe conditions by monitoring all the lithium-ion cell temperatures, voltage, charging current, discharging current and other parameters. The Electrovaya battery management system is able to shut down the battery if it detects unsafe conditions and is also able to communicate to the vehicle and charger and regulate behaviour on those devices as well. Finally, the Electrovaya BMS logs all data and is able to transmit battery usage, performance and troubleshooting data to a proprietary data analytics site.

Finally, the overall system design is also critical to the safety of the battery design. Here, Electrovaya provides a holistic approach to the system design following a rigorous Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (DFEMA) process. Electrovaya utilizes several key approaches to ensure that the battery can withstand significant failures and remain safe. This is why Electrovaya was successful with its UL 2580 certification which is UL certification for batteries for electric vehicles.

In conclusion, energy storage is always something to be taken with caution and care. Whether this is a fuel tank, a hot cup of coffee or a lithium-ion battery, these devices can always cause harm if mishandled. Electrovaya through some key technologies and system engineering provides a solution which mitages safety challenges for lithium-ion batteries and provides warehouse operators with peace of mind.

For businesses with a forklift fleet requiring daily and multiple lead acid battery (LAB) changes or other power sources (e.g. fuel cell) that are failing to keep up with operational demands, converting to lithium ion batteries (LIBs) could be the perfect move. Electrovaya has been a leader in the LIB space, especially for material handling applications. Electrovaya’s core technology is modular in design, enabling battery capacity offerings to be diverse to better match applications with differing energy requirements. As an example, Electrovaya’s 36V LIB family comes in a 528, 792, and 1056 Ah format. Similarly, Electrovaya’s charger offerings come in various current output sizes such as a 250A, 320A, and 500A format to complement the battery sizing and user application. 

With multiple offerings available for both batteries and chargers, selecting the right battery and charger combination could be a challenging decision. Moreover, Electrovaya’s LIBs could be quickly charged in a short period of time, a factor that supports having less charger equipment than batteries. As an example, one of Electrovaya’s food distribution customers pair one charger with every three batteries. 

As there are numerous possible combinations of battery types, charger types, and battery:charger quantity ratios, the following three most common scenarios will shed some light into their pros and cons. 

The first scenario consists of a large battery (i.e. high capacity) paired with a large charger (i.e. high current output) in a 1:1 ratio. The advantages of the large battery ensures that there is ample “juice” to power a forklift for a long time before requiring a charge and furthermore, permits the battery to perform extended stressful workloads including carrying and lifting heavy pallets to high heights over 400”. The advantage of the large charger is that it will fast charge the battery and replenish the battery charge level quickly, while the 1:1 ratio ensures that each battery will see a charger at every opportunity break. This would ensure that the battery charge level stays sufficiently high. The disadvantages are that this is the most capital intensive package that requires a large footprint for the charging area. Secondly, an electrical infrastructure upgrade is likely required to handle the high power output from the large chargers. This setup is best suited for heavy-duty operations involving frequently heavy loads and high lifts especially above 400″.

The second scenario consists of a large battery paired with a large charger in a 2:1 ratio. The advantages are that the charger area footprint is halved and the cost is lower than the first scenario. This combination is also future-proof and that if workload was to increase indefinitely, additional chargers could be procured to support the operation. In other words, a conversion to a Scenario 1 setup is feasible. The disadvantages are that half of the battery fleet could only be charged during an opportunity break and an electrical infrastructure upgrade is likely required. The opportunity charging matter could be mitigated by staggering breaks. This setup is best suited for operations dealing with moderately heavy loads and high lifts. 

The third scenario consists of a small battery (i.e. lower capacity) paired with a small charger (i.e. lower current output) in a 1:1 ratio. The advantages are that it is the lowest cost package of the three cases, charger area footprint is slightly smaller relative to Scenario 1 due to a smaller form factor of the charger, there is no sharing of chargers during opportunity breaks, and an electrical infrastructure upgrade is very likely not required. The disadvantages are shorter battery runtime requiring more frequent charging and a limitation in duration of performing extended stressful workloads. This setup is also not future-proof to accommodate indefinite increased workload and could require additional new batteries (and chargers) to be procured to support operation needs. The recommended application is for low-to-moderate loads and lifts. 

Please consult with a sales representative (sales@electrovaya.com) for further details about what’s the best package for you.