On Friday, January 18, 2013 4:27:09 AM UTC-6, cfinn wrote:
On Jan 17, 9:30*pm, gotovkotzepkoi

wrote:

Does anyone know what type of lithium batteries are used in the electric

self launchers like the Taurus or the Antares?



--

gotovkotzepkoi



From Antares web site: http://www.lange-aviation.com/htm/en...ry_system.html.



"The Antares 20E is equipped with a battery-system utilizing Li-Ion

cells of the type SAFT VL41M.".



"As a user of SAFT VL41M cells, Lange Aviation is in good company.

SAFT VL41M are also used in most new European satellites, the RQ-4B

Global Hawk UAV, the F35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Airbus A380 and in

many other high-tech applications.

Next to being a great vote of confidence to SAFT VL41M cells, the

military implementations mean that the cells which are now being built

into the Antares 20E will be available at least until 2031."



Charlie

A further advantage of LiFePo batteries is the higher current they can take when charging. I charge my 8.4 Ah 4-cell battery with 4A on a balancing charger. The fuse on the battery is 5A so I could easily go a little higher. According to the spec sheet the charge current could be as high as 16A (2C)