New Lifetime Rebuildable Battery Takes Worry Out of Buying Electric Vehicles.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric vehicle (EV) technology developer NTS Works has created a small and powerful battery that can be rebuilt and upgraded for half the cost of a new replacement battery.  The battery represents a large step toward making EVs of all sizes affordable and more environmentally sustainable.

When the battery of an EV accounts for half the total vehicle cost, buyers worry about the battery wearing out and being too expensive to replace.  With the NTS Works Lifetime Rebuildable Battery technology, the battery can be easily rebuilt and upgraded with standard sized lithium-ion cells.

The United States Patent Office has granted NTS Works Inc a patent on the technology; additional patents are pending.

"In my experience with electric vehicles, the battery never lasts as long as the rest of the vehicle.  People want to drive EVs without having to be careful about accelerating or hill climbing –and that kind of driving kills the lifespan of the battery," said Neal Saiki, founder of NTS Works.

Several other companies are in negotiations to license the technology which may make it available in products ranging in size from portable power supplies to electric buses.  NTS Works is showcasing the technology in a lightweight electric bicycle called the Fat Free.

Neal Tate Saiki is the founder of NTS Works, a start-up company based in Santa Cruz, California.  He is combining his electric vehicle experience as the founder of Zero Motorcycles, the leading electric motorcycle company, with his extensive bicycle industry experience as product designer of bicycles from companies such as Haro, Mountain Cycle and Santa Cruz Bicycles.

More on the stories behind the battery:
Battery Technology Story:

• At the core of the Lifetime Rebuildable Battery are high energy density lithium-ion cells that are made to an industry standard size, similar to the ones used in Tesla electric cars, and can be scaled up to power vehicles as big as a bus.  NTS Works is in partnership with Samsung Electronics for the supply of these new, small and powerful cells.  These new cells exceed all safety standards by a large margin.
• Having a standard-sized cell that is easy to replace also means that when newer higher energy cells come out, it's easy to upgrade.  New cells come out approximately every 18 months.
• The Lifetime Rebuildable Battery technology also helps to cool the battery.  Even moderate heat levels cause up to a 50% reduction in battery lifespan.  Copper heat conductors built into the Lifetime Rebuildable Battery technology help to cool the lithium-ion cells which helps to ensure a full lifespan.
• Large capacity EV battery packs are prone to having one or two bad cells. The Lifetime Rebuildable Battery technology facilitates thermal monitoring of every cell in the pack. Any bad cell can be identified and replaced in minutes. All of this monitoring and interconnection is done without any loose wires in the pack. It's all built into the walls so that everything is rugged and easy to assemble. The basic architecture was developed for cars and is made to withstand crash testing.
• In a typical EV battery pack, cells are only 1/4-1/2 of the finished cost. Items such as: crash protection, vibration isolation, thermal cooling and support electronics all add to the finished cost.  This technology combines all these elements into the case structure and greatly reduces cost. Once old cells are removed, they are still useable for less demanding applications such as solar power systems or backup power supplies.  There is still years-worth of life left even after cells are used in an electric vehicle.

Electric Bicycle Technology Story:

• The NTS Works Fat Free electric bicycle is 17 pounds lighter than the average electric bicycle on the market.  It features a high capacity battery called the Mini 48V, which weighs only 5 pounds.  The total weight of the electric bicycle including the battery is only 48 pounds.
• The Mini 48V battery is also available separately for people wanting to build or upgrade their own electric bicycles.  The Mini 48V battery has a unique lifetime rebuild warranty where at any time the battery can be rebuilt and upgraded for half the cost of a new battery.
• The Fat Free has several other innovative features: a mid-mounted crank drive motor for smooth and gentle power assist, a very low center of gravity for easy handling and a rear wheel constant velocity transmission.
• The average range is 31 miles on a route that includes hills and some cargo.  Many electric bicycle manufacturers exaggerate their range, but the range of the Fat Free has been independently verified in an instrumented test by Richard Masoner.

Entrepreneur Story:
Neal Saiki, NTS Works CEO, is a proven innovator of electric motorcycles, full-suspension mountain bikes, aircraft, rock climbing gear and numerous other products. His goal is always to refine technology until it is simplified elegance.

Environmental Story:
As electric vehicles of all types become more popular, the disposal of the batteries becomes an important issue.  Currently, millions of electric bicycles use lead acid batteries.  The manufacturing of lead acid batteries emits large amounts of lead in the air and the disposal of the used batteries leaches lead into the ground and water.  This environmental impact is the untold dirty secret of the industry.

American Clean Technology Jobs Story:
Battery production for the Lifetime Rebuildable Battery will be in Santa Cruz, California.  NTS Works has plans to establish a manufacturing plant for battery production, repair and service.  "On a personal level, we get our greatest satisfaction in creating clean technology jobs right here in the US." says founder and CEO Neal Saiki".

Video - http://youtu.be/ib4Egio1soo

SOURCE NTS Works