In an age when the demands on
lithium-ion battery systems are increasing, the need for flexibility, speed and
cost effectiveness cannot be underestimated.
Offering high-performance battery systems
for local public transport and commercial vehicles, Voltabox Deutschland and
Voltabox of Texas are new, wholly owned subsidiaries of Paragon AG, which has
developed and manufactured automotive electronic solutions since 1988.
Apparently,
Artega's assets has been bought over by Paragon AG and they haven't any plans
to resume production.
Formally run under the banner of Paragon’s
Electromobilty business unit, new brand Voltabox supplies safe,
high-performance Li-ion batteries for all types of vehicle-based applications –
in particular hybrid, trolley, and electrical buses. And, with its most recent
modular battery system for prismatic cells, the company has added the material
handling market as well as stationary applications to its portfolio.
Voltabox, which was launched this year,
uses only cells sourced direct from premium, well-known suppliers such as
Samsung, Toshiba, K2 Energy and A123. This means the company has the direct
support of the original equipment supplier, providing cost savings while
enabling direct access to the newest technology to enhance technical data that
won’t be found in common data sheets.
The German company focuses on Li-ion
battery technology, the advantages of which are explained by Paragon CEO Klaus
Dieter Frers: “In vehicles, in comparison with lead acid battery systems,
lifetime, load time, and usability in combination with low temperatures, are
superior.
An
example Voltabox LiFePO4 module, based on cylindrical cell type 26650
“With trolley buses, for example, a
requirement could be to operate purely battery-driven for 10 or 15 miles on a
small hill. If you consider battery weight, this is only possible technically
and cost-wise regarding lifetime costs with Li-ion battery systems. In addition,
there’s a weight saving of 50-60%, plus space savings. As a vehicle, a bus
offers lots of physical space, but with Li-ion, they have more space to
transport people rather than batteries.”
Branching Out
Design, development and production of
Voltabox’s high-performance battery systems for its European customers takes
place in its headquarters in Delbrück, Germany, where a team of over 30 is
based in a recently opened 2,000m² production facility.
Frers adds, “Research, development and
design of our battery modules will be done in Germany. I am keen to be hands-on
with the R&D, especially in the case of the BMS, the electronics, and the
software behind the architecture, and we provide these for our American
colleagues. So Texas will be dedicated to sales and production.”
Indeed, for its North American, Canadian
and South American clients, Voltabox will open a 2,140m² production facility in
Cedar Park, a suburb of Austin, Texas, in September. This facility will turn
out mass-produced Voltabox batteries on assembly lines identical to those found
in Germany, with the same maximized degree of automation and end-to-end process
monitoring to guarantee optimum quality.
Reputed to be the birthplace of lithium
phosphate technology, Austin offers Voltabox an impressive potential employment
base. “Various ground-breaking discoveries in the field of Li-ion technology
originated at universities in the region, including the University of Texas and
Park University, and the Southwest Research Institute,” comments Frers, “which
led to the growth of organizations that have developed and contributed to some
outstanding infrastructure.
The
NMC has four wheels, but they stand only 47 inches apart. The car is electric
with a nominal range of 62 miles.
“In the environment of Austin, therefore,
there are a lot of very highly skilled people, both from universities as well
as rival companies. This means well-qualified employees are always within
reach, which we intend to take full advantage of.”
