Saft Space and Defense Division (SDD) announces the launch of its lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) technology made in Cockeysville, Maryland. Saft will be presenting this new product at the Advanced Automotive Battery and Ultracapacitor Conference (AABC) jointly with our supplier, Phostech, in May. In addition, we will display related data at the Joint Service Power Exposition in San Diego, in April. Using Saft’s renowned electrochemical expertise, the close cooperation with our supplier and our focus on excellence, Saft is now able to provide the highest performance LiFePO4 cells available today, measured in specific power or specific energy. These products use UT licensed LiFePO4 and are available without encumbrances due to intellectual property issues. While potentially beneficial for military use, this is an evolving technology that does not yet solve the problem of calendar life, which is critical for automotive applications and others where life cycle cost is important. The performance of the Saft LiFePO4 product, while superior to that of competitors proposing this chemistry, will be nominally 20 - 30% inferior to our premier product range based on LiNiCoAlO2 cathode. While LiFePO4 cannot match the performance of Saft’s LiNiCoAlO2 products, it can provide satisfactory performance in some applications. The interest in LiFePO4 is due to its good thermal stability, which can limit the outcome resulting from severe abuse.
Saft’s LiFePO4 products will be available in several Space and Defense Division standard formats. Saft SDD is developing standard modules and electronics to make the technology applicable. One of the challenges will be in providing the State of Charge in this technology and in maintaining good balancing of cells, both of which will be done with Saft’s sophisticated electronics and software expertise. Saft’s standard electrochemistry is still the ideal choice for power and applications with high-energy consumption, or where life or life cycle cost are important. Saft’s industry leading CANProbe™ electronics provide very high reliability protection and virtually eliminate the probability of abuse failures. It is no longer necessary to line up large numbers of inadequate smaller cells to provide the battery desired in LiFePO4 technology. Saft Space and Defense Division is ready to support U.S. defense markets today and in the future with a broad range of products for the needs of the military market.