American battery manufacturer Johnson Controls has showcased its lithium-ion battery to the Chinese market and increased its lead-acid production for mild hybrid EV applications.
JCI unveiled its Advanced Start-Stop 12-volt lithium-ion battery to the Auto Shanghai 2015, just months after it premiered at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Back in January JCI said the lithium titanate battery would be in production by 2018.
The battery, a collaboration with Toshiba, will be used in an advanced Start-Stop system alongside a 12-volt Enhanced Flooded Battery (EFB) or Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) lead-acid battery.
The battery will primarily accept and store regenerative braking energy.
As one of the world’s biggest lead-acid OEMs, JCI’s move could lead to the eventual elimination of lead-acid technology, perhaps substituting the lead acid component with a supercapacitor, experts told BEST magazine in January. Click here for the report.
The company recently began making EFBs at its facility in Changxing, and plans to localise production of its AGM batteries. It has taken delivery of the first batch of its advanced lead-acid Start-Stop vehicle batteries for the global OEM market.
The company has predicted 40% of all new vehicles will be Start-Stop in China by 2020, with the market set to grow to 49 million units within the next five years.