Samenvatting
A high energy lead-acid battery was developed to provide, at no extra cost, a 1800 kg (4000 lb) payload electric delivery van with a driving range of 80-90 km (50-55 miles). In addition to the new high performance electrodes, an integrated approach to the total power source concept evolved new lightweight designs for battery packaging and a system engineered battery charger and an automatic topping-up facility. Despite the 40% improvement in range compared with 55-65 km (35-40 miles) for conventional traction batteries, a 4 year battery life is expected due to the reinforcing features of the tubular design adopted for the positive electrode. (A)