The early market adoption of full electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) sets the important foundation in the world’s fight to wean itself from expensive, polluting oil.  Energy storage technologies, especially batteries and ultracapacitors, have been identified by the U.S. Department of Energy as “…critical enabling technologies for the development of advanced, fuel-efficient, light- and heavy-duty vehicles…” (Annual Progress Report 2008, Energy Storage Research and Development). 

Integrating renewable sources, electrochemical energy storage technologies, and hybrids/EVs into the existing electric grid, paves the way for a 21st century smart infrastructure. These are critical measures for a future of sustainable energy and fossil fuel independence. 

In fact, breakthroughs in advanced battery technologies could very well determine the market penetration of EVs and other advanced fuel-efficient vehicles. For widespread application of hybrids and other electric vehicles to happen, developers must improve batteries’ cost, energy efficiency, low-temperature performance, cycle life, abuse tolerance and operating efficiency between -30ºC and +52ºC.

Another important factor is space. Packing a lot of energy into a small package will require systems for temperature control, performance data monitoring, high-voltage danger and other safety considerations. Researchers need to perform frequent electrical charges/discharges as well as static/dynamic characterization of the battery under development.  Long-term lifecycles, energy density and power density testing are also critical in validating battery performance targets for different application requirements.  

From Zero to 1200 Volts – Make AMREL Your Choice for Testing

For the full characterization of your test battery, the eLoad line of programmable dc electronic loads and the ePower line  programmable dc power supplies offer a wide range of options. Whether you need a low-voltage set-up for testing a single cell or a high-voltage combination of loads and power supplies for exercising a large stack of batteries, AMREL has what you need.

Test Stack After Stack Quickly and Effortlessly

eLoad and ePower programmable power products provide LabVIEW and LabWindows drivers and a full arsenal of SCPI Commands that enable rapid deployment of a convenient automatic testing platform.  AMREL makes high-throughput battery characterization easy.

In addition to fuel cells, eLoad’s programmable power products will validate dc-dc converters, power conditioners, ultra capacitors, batteries and other elements of your test set-up.