Kreisel Electric, a small startup launched by three brothers in Austria, has been making headlines in Europe for having retrofitted some popular European-built electric vehicles with their own battery packs and significantly increasing their range in the process.
The three Kreisel brothers developed their own battery pack technology using regular battery cells and they managed to double the energy density of every car they retrofitted, including a Porsche Panamera, a Skoda Yeti and a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Now their latest project, a VW e-Golf, could actually make it to production.
Earlier this year, Kreisel announced that it started construction of a new battery factory to manufacture up to 800 MWh of high energy density li-ion battery packs aimed at the electric vehicle industry.
The company claims to be “in contact with partner companies regarding mass production of cars with Kreisel batteries”. Whether it’d be producing the packs directly for automakers or offering the system as an aftermarket upgrade remains to be seen, but apparently it’s their latest e-Golf that has impressed the most.
Volkswagen recently debuted its 2017 e-Golf with a new 35.8 kWh battery pack that enables a range boost to now 124 miles on a single charge – up from the 83-mile range of the previous version.
Kreisel did the same thing, but working from the 2016 e-Golf with a 24.2 kWh battery pack at a weight of 330kg, the company delivered a 55.7 kWh pack with an identical installation volume and weight so that it can easily fit inside the car. The range of the vehicle exceeds 200 miles on a single charge.
It’s important to note that Kreisel’s technology is on the battery pack side and no cells, which the company imports from a supplier just like most automakers. The company focuses on developing light weight, compact and efficient all in-battery solutions with their own BMS and liquid cooling system.
Kreisel explains the cooling system:
“Each cell in the battery of the Kreisel E-Golf is actively tempered with a special liquid. This is a non-conductive and noncombustible fluid, which in extreme cases even acts as a fire-retardant. This technology ensures that the battery cells are constantly kept in a working temperature range between 25°C and 30°C. Particularly at high charging capacities, the battery life can be considerably extended and wear phenomena can be reduced.”
The company lists the main specs of their upgrade on what they are now calling the Kreisel e-Golf:
- 55.7 kWh capacity
- Always ideal working temperature by active liquid cooling
- 330 kg battery weight (identical to production battery)
- Same dimensions as production battery
- Prepared for quick-charging with up to 150 kW
Kreisel didn’t offer any timeline to bring the system to production and it just started construction at its new facility 8 months ago.
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