Changing the chemistry

Given the recent disturbances on the National Grid, UPS system manufacturers are justifiably expecting a boost to sales. The essential component of their product is the battery and UK?s largest valve-regulated lead acid battery manufacturer Yuasa already devotes 50% of its local output to the UPS market. Its factory in Ebbw Vale, South Wales, produces up to 5.5 million VRLA batteries a year. Managing director of Yuasa Battery Sales UK, Malcolm Howes, says that the death of lead acid batteries has been predicted for the past three decades but the technology goes from strength to strength. ?We change the chemistry of the batteries to suit specific customer requirements. For cyclic operation where long life and reliability is expected, such as wheelchairs and golf carts, we designed a range from 8Ah to 65Ah at a 20-hour rate which provides a high cycle life. The metallurgy, plate design and electrolyte make up a unique chemistry to give the user a reliable low-maintenance product. No-one wants to be stuck on the eighth green and have to carry the clubs home.? Apart from UPS and mobility applications the VRLA battery is widely used in the telecomm sector. The latest models have front terminals, which is a common requirement for that industry, and a float service life of up to 15 years. Although the major part of our production Worldwide is VRLA batteries, Yuasa also make Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) cells for the electronic and instrumentation sectors. Yuasa also expands through acquisition and famous names such as Lucas, Oldham, Crompton and Tungston are part of the group. ?Automotive batteries account for an increasing part of our European sales,? says Howes. ?The modern car is more like a hotel with air conditioning, communications and entertainment systems as well as the traditional starting, lighting and control systems. The requirement of the automotive battery has changed. Here again we look at changing the chemistry to suit the requirement. We are fortunate that our experience of making batteries for our industrial customers allows us to use the knowledge to design and produce more powerful, more suitable batteries for today?s cars.? There is much research into the automotive battery market and applications with voltage changes, new materials and shapes of batteries are being proposed.