A Dundee company has been charged with powering Rolls-Royce’s first electric car.
Lithium-ion battery manufacturer Axeon designed the special battery system the largest ever built for a passenger car for the experimental 102EX Rolls-Royce Phantom Experimental Electric, which was recently unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.
The one-off test car is designed to test attitudes towards different power sources to Rolls-Royce’s traditional V12 petrol engine.
The Axeon power pack is expected to deliver a range of up to 200km with a 0-60mph acceleration time of under eight seconds.
The batteries can be recharged via a plug-in cable or, in eight hours, by means of an advanced wireless induction charging system.Pouch-cellsAxeon’s battery pack uses 96 lithium-ion pouch cells and has been designed to fit into the space occupied by the car’s conventional engine and transmission.
Similarly, it has been engineered so that it does not alter the weight distribution between the front and rear of the vehicle.
Axeon chief executive Lawrence Berns said, “We are delighted to partner Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in this unique market testing programme, which provides Axeon with the opportunity to demonstrate our advanced technology capability.”
The Axeon battery system is believed to be the biggest passenger car battery built in the world, both in terms of capacity and power, with 71kWh overall capacity and 388V DC nominal power.
The peak current that can be delivered is 850Ah, 330Kw.
Axeon is Europe’s leading producer of Lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles.