EV Xchange Technologies disclosed that the company has been awarded a US patent (No. 8,146,694), which covers a modular battery packs arrangement system for use in electric vehicles.
The modular arrangement system features battery packs that are small in size than existing cluster battery pack designs. This novel system has many unique features.
The system uses several smaller-sized rechargeable modular battery packs, which can be exchanged either manually or through an automated battery swap station, thus eliminating battery re-charging downtime.
Every battery pack is stacked into shielded enclosures inside the battery rack frame to ensure better safety. To enable air flow circulation, a gap is provided between the battery packs and the shielded enclosures. It is possible to remove and replace faulty battery modules with good battery modules.
It is possible to charge these smaller battery packs within 2-3 hours, thus eliminating the necessity to stock huge batteries in the swap charging station. This modular battery packs arrangement system is a rapid exchange battery packs system, thus offering an additional option for the owners of electric vehicles.
It is possible to custom design the modulated battery packs based on the electric vehicle's preferred layout design and company criteria regarding number of battery packs. At present, EV Xchange Technologies is planning to license the patent rights of this invention.
Source: http://www.evxchange.com