Thundersky Lithium Phosphate 160Ah Batteries are Here!
A crate load of batteries (a few crates actually) has finally arrived. But…
Batteries by the crate-load!
Battery ready for installation.
…where are my BMS (Battery Management System) modules??? Gah!!! These I need so we can get accurate dimensions before building engine bay racks. On the phone again….
Keep you posted!
Battery terminals close-up.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
We wish to inquire about the Thundersky batteries. We are considering converting our car to electric. How do you calculate how many thundersky batteries you will need based on your desired driving range. In our case we desire 644km / 400 miles. Any additional information you can share with us is certainly appreciated. By the way your videos are Brilliant!! Can’t wait for Part III….
Thank you
Best regards,
Sarah & Thomas
Does thundersky provide you BMS, or you have to buy it yourself?
Hi, thought a bit more about this and you know something, it could be possible to do if cost wasn’t an issue. I mentioned how Lithium Polymers were lighter and you could theoretically get the range you want if you install 100 polymers, each 400Ah at 192 volts. Yes you would lose space but based on my vehicle weight with those batteries it’d be about 1 1/4 tons which is roughly what my vehicle on the heavier lithiums weighs. Only one major issue, total cost would be around $30,000!
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Wow, 400 miles is a long distance, between re-charges if that’s what you mean. Currently you’d need a LOT of batteries at the highest voltage for the greatest range. I am installing 45 x 160Ah batteries, each with nominal 3.2v but these are costing me around $10,000 and given the specs, should last around 10 years with battery management. I am hoping to keep my back seat but typically, the more batteries you want, the more room you lose (and the power to weight ratio becomes more inefficient). My range will be a modest 80-85 miles between re-charges and the car will weigh slightly more. You’d need over 135 of same-spec batteries but weight would be an issue. I believe Thundersky sell 800Ah batteries but the prices would high. Lithium polymers are lighter but again, you would not reach that long range and pay a lot more for them (and I believe cycle life is shorter than Lithium phosphates).
A handy calculator can be found here, http://www.driveelectric.org/cars/text/evcalculator.htm. Some EVers are using AC motors and less batteries but I am not sure of the specs here. You could check out Everspring, http://www.everspring.net/product-battery-pricing.htm for pricing and advice. The Tesla which I believe use proprietary batteries has a range of around 220 miles; more specifically 10.9 kWhour/100 km (around 0.175 kWhour/mile). Ed Begley Jr. from the film “Who Killed the Electric Car”, said, “What detractors and critics of electric vehicles have been saying for years, is true. The electric vehicle is not for everybody, given the limited range it can only meet the needs of 90% of the population.” Your 400 mile trip falls into the remaining 10%, for now – but batteries are getting better all the time (and their high cost will fall).
Hi yes you can get BMS from Thundersky but they’re more expensive than getting from a local supplier like Everspring. In Australia we can get TS-90 BMS from this source, http://www.evpower.com.au/-Thundersky-Battery-Balancing-System-.html. Don’t forget the master controller you’ll need for the BMS pack.