Better Place has showcased its new battery switch system in Yokohama, Japan, which is designed to make long distance travel by electric vehicle convenient for consumers.
The company selected the Nissan Dualis to demonstrate the battery switch technology. The technology demonstration saw specially built 400V battery packs with standard lithium-ion cells from A123Systems that were inserted into an enclosure built to fit this specific vehicle.
The idea is that the Better Place automated battery switch replaces a depleted electric vehicle battery with a fully charged one in just a few minutes. This in turn allows drivers to take their electric vehicles on long trips without recharging en route. It is believed that this is part of an overall solution for electric vehicles that includes an open network of charge spots.
By using an automated track system that runs two robotic battery shuttles, one lowers the depleted battery from the vehicle and the other inserts a hydraulic scissors lift while the other inserts the fully charged battery using another lift. The battery shuttles are meant to work with a variety of battery enclosure sizes and shapes.
According to Better Place, the lift platform does not actually touch the car. Instead, when releasing a battery, the car and battery separate themselves – and when inserting a new battery, the latching mechanism brings the car to the battery and the battery to the car.
The exhibit in Yokohama is part of a six-month feasibility study by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment into the adoption of electric vehicles. The country has set of goal for half of all new vehicles sold in Japan to be electric by 2020.
