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PowerLines by Linnea Brush
April 2, 2012
If Life Gives You Lemons...
Power Channels: Automotive Electronics, Batteries and Portable Power, Energy Efficiency, European Power News, Power Components, Smart Grid Power, Switch-Mode Power
The power supply industry traditionally has not required a lot of flexibility with product road maps – much of that has already been taken care of by the component makers who have followed the system makers. By the time it gets to the power supplies, the system technology has pretty much been established, and there is very little risk that the system might need something other than an ac-dc power supply. Some of these applications have changed so little over the decades that it’s more of a challenge to get into the business than to adapt your product to it.
This is changing, however. Not in every industry, but in the ones that matter most to power supply and energy storage companies. Nowhere is this most evident than with batteries. Years ago, the most critical decisions revolved around which battery chemistry would prevail: Lead-acid, alkaline, rechargeable batteries, emerging chemistries? Systems were changing so much that it was unclear what would be needed. Then new technology demands came on the scene (like electric vehicles) and even more choices (and opportunities) presented themselves.
The sheer quantity of applications requiring batteries was both a boon to start-up companies and a challenge to make the right choice as to what battery technology would prevail. Lithium-ion, despite its drawbacks, has established its dominance in the portable device category. There was no such dominance in the hybrid-electric, electric and plug-in vehicle segment, and companies formed left and right to take advantage of this new market. That has proven problematic for a number of reasons.
On one side of the argument is the following observation from the editor of Batteries + Energy magazine: “…it always makes me laugh when some cocky salesman assures a conference audience that his company’s battery chemistry will oust lead-acid in short order from the SLI market and even the traction market – then one is unfortunately publicly tasked in informing the young man of the reality of the situation.” The point being made here is that one should never underestimate the (financial) power of the incumbent.
The EV industry has promise, but it is a long way from competing with existing vehicle technologies. Darnell has identified certain segments that will likely adopt both electrification and related battery solutions, but these are niche markets that have specific power and energy storage requirements. The battery start-ups saw an opportunity, but many of them jumped on the bandwagon too quickly – before they had really researched the pitfalls of an emerging market.
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We would like to hear your comments on the topics discussed in this column. We welcome the opportunity to publish opposing opinions. Please email Jeff Shepard at jshepard@darnell.com.
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Design Features
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