Bid to extend battery life

Prolonging the battery life of electric buses and trucks is the aim of a new collaboration – in a move which could have significant implications for the future viability of electric vehicle (EV) remanufacturing. Research group the Fraunhofer Institute forTransportation and Infrastructure and data specialist ViriCiti have looked at how battery life can be extended by altering specific aspects of operations. The organisations create a battery stress report which gives specific advice, such as interchanging buses on steep roads, to prolong battery life. Such information is now available for ViriCiti’s international customers. Fraunhofer has expertise in the field of Lithium-ion batteries, while Amsterdam-based IT firm ViriCiti uses real-time data to look at aspects of batteries such as power, temperature, discharge and charge, evaluating what negatively impacts a battery’s running.