Maybe Lithium batteries in gliders not quite such a good idea yet?

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

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)

On 1/18/2013 7:00 AM, wrote:
On Friday, January 18, 2013 4:27:09 AM UTC-6, cfinn wrote:

"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)

The Antares cells are Li-ion, in case anyone was wondering.

I like the idea of LiFePO4 batteries, but I'm not comfortable with the
commercial offerings, like those from Tenergy or K2. The data sheets
I've been able to obtain are incomplete compared to what I can get for
any of the comparable SLA batteries by manufacturers like PowerSonic,
Yuasa, Panasonic, and so on. The idea of paying 7 to 10 times as much
for a complex, poorly characterized battery is not enticing.

If I could buy a direct replacement 12 volt LiFePO4 battery from one the
major battery companies, with a full datasheet, then I'd think about it,
and would be much more comfortable suggesting them for other pilots.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

I like the idea of LiFePO4 batteries, but I'm not comfortable with the

commercial offerings, like those from Tenergy or K2. The data sheets

I've been able to obtain are incomplete compared to what I can get for

any of the comparable SLA batteries by manufacturers like PowerSonic,

Yuasa, Panasonic, and so on. The idea of paying 7 to 10 times as much

for a complex, poorly characterized battery is not enticing.



If I could buy a direct replacement 12 volt LiFePO4 battery from one the

major battery companies, with a full datasheet, then I'd think about it,

and would be much more comfortable suggesting them for other pilots.



--

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to

email me)


I called K2 before I bought mine and they were very helpful answering my questions. The person I talked to said he has worked with other glider pilots to address their concerns too. From my experience, I think they would be happy to fill in the blanks.

They were expensive compared to SLA but for me, it was a good cost effective choice. I like all their advantages and, if they last for over 2000 charges like they say, I'll probably never need to buy another battery.

MK