Our Intelligent
Technology
We made the best battery. Then we made it even better.
Balancell’s commitment to excellence is driven by our mission to unlock the full potential of energy. That’s why we have spent 16 years relentlessly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in energy storage, to arrive at the best and most intelligent energy storage system available.
Benefits
The advantages of Lithium Ferro-phosphate batteries
While the Balancell BMS and energy platform are chemistry agnostic, we use automotive-grade lithium ferro-phosphate cells in all our batteries for a number of reasons, including:
- Longer Lifespan
- Faster charging and opportunity charging
- Safer and less maintenance
- Better energy efficiency
- Lower heat generation
- Higher energy density
- Better for the environment
A world-class energy platform
Balancell smart connected batteries offer remote monitoring, analytics and alerts and provide clean efficient energy on demand with 100% Depth of Discharge (DOD) and can be built and commissioned offsite and shipped anywhere in the world.
The energy platform has multiple benefits that help you stay in control of your fleet and ensure continued operations:
The energy platform has multiple benefits that help you stay in control of your fleet and ensure continued operations:
Performance Tracking
Monitor the health and performance of your batteries and fleets in real-time for better operational decisions
Smart Charging Recommendations
Receive guidance on the best times to charge, ensuring maximum operational uptime
Proactive Issue Identification
Be notified of potential issues and safety concerns with alerts for any connectivity problems, temperature and voltage anomalies, and low State of Charge (SOC)
Easy Troubleshooting
Diagnose issues with ease by analysing performance graphs and identifying root causes
Support Integration
Log issues directly against a battery and maintain a full historical record over its lifetime
State-of-the-art Manufacturing
Our state-of-the-art facility in Ndabeni, Cape Town, can produce roughly 3GWh per year.
Our production line has been designed and implemented according to best practice batch and lean manufacturing principles and is itself a modular production line. This means we can replicate the line and scale production fast. Our modular BMS and battery assembly technology also gives us the ability to rapidly produce new designs and take them directly into production. The automotive-grade lithium ferro-phosphate cells used in Balancell batteries are the only component not manufactured locally, meaning Balancell batteries have the highest local content of any South African battery manufacturer.
Our production line has been designed and implemented according to best practice batch and lean manufacturing principles and is itself a modular production line. This means we can replicate the line and scale production fast. Our modular BMS and battery assembly technology also gives us the ability to rapidly produce new designs and take them directly into production. The automotive-grade lithium ferro-phosphate cells used in Balancell batteries are the only component not manufactured locally, meaning Balancell batteries have the highest local content of any South African battery manufacturer.
Setting new standards in battery safety
The safety benefits of a battery being connected online permanently, as Balancell batteries are, is substantial.
Our BMS measures battery parameters with enough accuracy to show when a single connection is starting to come loose or cell performance is degrading. With correct algorithms, these types of failures can be predicted well ahead of time.
All battery information can be analysed in real-time on the server side, with alerts and warnings generated if something is going wrong. Even simple warnings can help prevent a dangerous over-discharge condition and preserve the value and life of the battery.
Connectivity also enables a remote shutdown to be initiated if necessary. This can be done by server analytics, with or without human intervention.
Our BMS measures battery parameters with enough accuracy to show when a single connection is starting to come loose or cell performance is degrading. With correct algorithms, these types of failures can be predicted well ahead of time.
All battery information can be analysed in real-time on the server side, with alerts and warnings generated if something is going wrong. Even simple warnings can help prevent a dangerous over-discharge condition and preserve the value and life of the battery.
Connectivity also enables a remote shutdown to be initiated if necessary. This can be done by server analytics, with or without human intervention.
Cells Certified Safety
We only use Lithium Ferro Phosphate Chemistry (LFP) cells that meet GB31484, GB31485, GB31486, UL1973, MSDS UN38.3, and manufactured to ISO9001, ISO14001, TS16949.
Battery Safety Standards
Our batteries have been internally tested far in excess of standard limits (IEC 62485-6, IEC 63056, IEC 62619, and automotive temperature and vibration standard IEC 62660-2), as well as proven in field performance. Batteries have been tested for EMC and certified to CE standards, by an approved test house.
Short Circuit protection
Our batteries are unique in that they have both Electronic short circuit protection and Fuse protection. The Electronic short circuit protection is performed with our solid-state contactor, referred to as the Smart E-Switch.
Dual redundant Digital & Analog protection
All batteries have digital protection, but if it has failed or not responding there is also failover analogue protection provided by the Smart E-switch. The analogue limits are just a little over the digital limits.
Automatic pre charge
The fast-acting electronic current limit prevents excessive currents and damage to both inverter and controller input capacitors. In addition, the input Contactor life will be extended as this automatic pre charge reduces most of the arcing due to contactor bounce during key-on events.
Over voltage protection
If the battery is full or overvoltage present, the Electronic Smart E-switch will disable only the top half of the contactor, meaning the battery cannot be charged further, but it is still instantly available for discharge through the internal diodes of the Smart E-switch.
Deep discharge protection
When left for six months out of season, even if batteries are left with less than 20% SOC, our very low power analogue circuitry will disconnect the BMS and prevent deep discharge.
85% Average SoH at the end of warrantied life
Balancell’s commitment to quality and engineering excellence has resulted in our batteries consistently outperforming their warranted lifespan. After five years in a demanding industrial motive application, the Balancell EoT fleet is showing an average State of Health (SoH) of 85%.
Laboratory accuracy
battery management system
Balancell’s BMS was first developed in 2013 and was designed to be chemistry agnostic, which has produced numerous insights to inform a range of design improvements and unique innovations over time. To date, we have processed well over 1 billion minutes of customer data in the cloud.
Built on our proprietary connectivity modules and an IoT gateway, we can collect extremely accurate battery information in the field and measure parameters such as coulombs and energy and use that data for battery analysis, machine system analysis, and early failure predictions.
Built on our proprietary connectivity modules and an IoT gateway, we can collect extremely accurate battery information in the field and measure parameters such as coulombs and energy and use that data for battery analysis, machine system analysis, and early failure predictions.
For example, the BMS has a 1:500 000 dynamic range on both voltage and current measurement, which means it can resolve 1mA changes, measure up to 500A, and has an extremely low offset of less than 10mA, enabling the BMS to measure coulombs in, coulombs out and coulombic efficiency with enough accuracy to be scientifically meaningful, and to do lifetime predictions.
In addition to battery and machine analysis, the data can provide useful business metrics and value adds.
In addition to battery and machine analysis, the data can provide useful business metrics and value adds.