Forsee to start manufacturing thin battery modules this year
Battery manufacturer Forsee Power has announced that it will introduce a new generation of, particularly thin battery modules. The French company has already found an initial customer for the modules of the new SLIM series: It is the bus manufacturer Wrightbus.
According to the manufacturer’s announcement, the batteries in the SLIM series are to be equipped with a liquid cooling system. According to the statement, they cover capacities from 5 to 21 kWh, voltages from 50 V to 120 V and a charging current of 106 A. Forsee plans to offer the modules for both overnight charging ( called “Zen high energy”) and high-power fast charging ( called “Flex energy-and-power”). The latter is also said to be suitable for fuel cell buses.
It is not surprising that the first customer, Wrightbus, is a bus manufacturer: Forsee Power describes itself as the “European market leader in batteries for heavy vehicles”. The manufacturer builds its batteries primarily for buses, non-road vehicles, trains and maritime applications.
Despite these applications, the thickness of the battery modules is not a secondary consideration here either. According to the manufacturer, the new design should allow the batteries to be integrated more flexibly into the vehicles; including on the roof, in the rear or on the floor. Wrightbus, the launch customer, plans to integrate the modules into its solo buses as well as its double-deckers.
Forsee and new Wrightbus owner Bamford Group had anticipated the introduction of the SLIM modules last year: When the two companies agreed on a new, extended supply contract in October 2020, it was already announced that the French would supply the Northern Irish manufacturer with a new generation of “slim” batteries.
The new modules in the Zen design are to be presented in more detail in spring 2021, with series production planned for the end of 2021.
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