Kokam, a provider of innovative battery solutions, said it is powering the batteries used in Solar Impulse 2, the historic solar powered plane that completed its 48-hour flight from Cairo to Abu Dhabi on July 26..
Solar Impulse 2 uses batteries based on Kokam’s advanced Ultra High Energy Lithium Nickel, the company said.
The Solar Impulse uses four 38.5 kilowatt hour (kWh) Kokam Ultra High Energy NMC battery packs with 150 Ah cells, totaling 154 kWh of energy storage.
Over the course of 17 flights totaling 26,744 miles (43,041 kilometers), the Solar Impulse 2’s 17,248 solar cells produced 11,000 kWh of electricity, much of which was stored in its Kokam Ultra High Energy NMC batteries and then discharged to power the plane at night.
Kokam’s Ultra High Energy NMC batteries feature an energy density of approximately 260 watts hours per kilogram (Wh/kg). This high energy density enables the Solar Impulse 2 to store more energy without increasing the plane’s weight or size.
The batteries have a 96 percent efficiency, meaning less energy is wasted when the batteries charge or discharge. Its high energy density and efficiency, along with its ability to operate over a wide range of temperature, humidity and pressure conditions, led the Solar Impulse team to select Kokam’s NMC battery technology for both the first prototype, the Solar Impulse 1, the company said.
“We had to find and use the most advanced solar, material and battery technologies available on the market at the time of the design to build a plane capable of flying around the world using only the power of the sun,” said André Borschberg, co-founder, CEO and pilot of Solar Impulse.
“What was critical was to get the lightest and most energy efficient solution, and we consequently selected Kokam’s Ultra High Energy NMC batteries, which has been our battery solution since the first flight of Solar Impulse 1 in December 2009 until the final leg landing of Solar Impulse 2 in Abu Dhabi in July 2016,” Borschberg said.
“The Solar Impulse team and Kokam share a common vision – to create a world powered by non-polluting renewable energy,” said Ike Hong, vice president of Kokam’s Power Solutions Division.
“By choosing to use our advanced Ultra High Energy NMC battery technology, the Solar Impulse validates Kokam’s belief that, by continually working to develop more powerful, efficient and cost-effective battery technologies, Kokam can play an important role in accelerating the transition to a clean, electrified global economy,” Hong further said.
Rajani Baburajan