Bristol, UK. 27 November 2020. Galvion has entered Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) with their unique Symbasys SWitchPack™ i6T Li-ion vehicle battery. LRIP has commenced following a series of successful tests to validate compliance with the international standards for military batteries and to prove the system fully safe and ready for installation and use in military vehicles.
Galvion has demonstrated prototype variants of their Li-ion battery over the last 2 years, with a considerable amount of product development and testing conducted to reach this important production milestone of what has become the SWitchPack i6T unit. What makes Galvion’s solution both unique and ground-breaking is the use of a blended lithium chemistry that has been tailored to match the specific needs of military vehicle power. Galvion is the only company in the world to use this chemistry blend for military applications. High purity materials combined with quality separators and laser welded electrodes minimize losses and unwanted chemical side-reactions which extends cycle life and environmental performance.
The SWitchPack i6T uses a proprietary smart internal Battery Management System (BMS) that includes self-shutdown and self-balancing protocols in unsafe conditions. The BMS has been bespoke designed to effectively operate in the harsh conditions and environments experienced on military operations. It also has a battle-override facility for “beyond-the-specs” operation in unprecedented combat mission scenarios.
From a user perspective, Galvion’s Symbasys SWitchPack™ i6T battery offers considerable capability enhancements and through-life efficiencies. Maintenance free across a 10-year service lifespan, the battery will deliver as much as 8000 recharge cycles; over twice that offered by any alternative 6T Li-ion unit. Compared to a traditional lead-acid 6T battery, SWitchPack delivers 3 times the useable capacity and energy at 24Volts (78Ah) and is 38% lighter in weight. Through-life cost savings are 87% compared to lead-acid 6T alternatives and 43% compared to other 6T Li-ion brands.
Galvion’s Symbasys SWitchPack™ i6T Li-ion vehicle battery meets demanding military standards including MIL-STD-1275, MIL-STD-810 and MIL-PRF-32565B. Furthermore, the i6T has been demonstrated safe when subjected to extensive ballistic and non-ballistic penetration and meets stringent UN 38.3 commercial safety standards.
Peter Rafferty, Galvion’s V.P. of Platform Power said: “entering initial production with our i6T battery is a huge milestone for Galvion. We’ve developed a truly ground-breaking product that we know is well ahead of our competition, globally. Our ongoing work with a number of major defence vehicle primes positions us at the forefront of not only battery technology, but perhaps more importantly, as the leader in understanding the integration challenges involved in fitting these kinds of battery systems in modern military vehicles”.
He added “vehicle power is an area where we forecast massive growth. The power demands on modern military vehicles are huge and continue to increase as more electronic sub-systems are integrated. With our SWitchPack i6T battery we’re bringing the military vehicle market up to date with the very best technology available that not only increases capability but also significantly reduces through-life costs”.
