Home » EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – Kelvin Lim, CEO, Durapower Group Taking Charge of Battery Space

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – Kelvin Lim, CEO, Durapower Group Taking Charge of Battery Space

Durapower Group (Durapower) has been powering electric vehicles (EV) and renewable energy (RE) globally since 2009.

by EV Team
Published: Last Updated on

BatterySingapore-based Durapower Group has established itself as a leading figure in the energy storage system solutions.

Providing high-performance lithium-ion battery solutions for electric mobility applications ranging from last-mile vehicles to commercial vehicles such buses and trucks, Durapower has continued its work on developing renewable energy solutions.

Considering their recent work in battery systems, Aishwarya from EVMechanica had an exclusive talk with Kelvin Lim, CEO of Durapower Group where he shared his views on the significance of next-generation battery solutions.

  • Known as a key innovator in developing energy storage solutions, mention your major EV focused products?

Durapower Group (Durapower) has been powering electric vehicles (EV) and renewable energy (RE) globally since 2009.

Since the onset, we specialised in research, design, manufacturing, and system integration of advanced high power lithium battery technology for automotive and energy storage systems with a perfect safety track record since commercial deployment in 2011. Currently Durapower also offers a variety of high energy solutions according to different market segment requirements.

Durapower battery systems can be customised for different types of electric vehicles. Our battery cells are certified and proven safe in the most stringent international standards while delivering high performance in the harsh operational conditions of the commercial vehicle segments (such as public buses and port trucks). Examples of applications are electric buses, industrial and speciality vehicles, marine ferries and vessels, electric cars including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and light vehicles such as electric two and three wheelers.

  • What’s the USP of DP Flex Battery Module? Suggest possible types of vehicles where it can be leveraged.

Durapower’s lightweight, compact DP Flex battery module provides significant energy density benefits from proprietary advanced technology, lightweight design and vehicle chassis integration.

Our latest DP Flex battery solution has fast charging capability, flexible system deployment, and is applicable in all weather conditions.

DP Flex is designed to be installed directly onto the wheelbase of the electric vehicle chassis, resulting in potential significant energy density benefits from the overall weight reduction due to an optimized system design that uses less materials for pack enclosures, cables and connectors.

The flexible, modular design of the DP Flex enables it to be easily adapted for various applications, including different types of electric vehicle applications, or installation into cabinets or containers for stationary energy storage system applications. DP Flex adds to Durapower’s existing product portfolio of battery solutions, and translates into compatibility with a wide range of commercial vehicles including electric buses, trucks, forklifts, cranes, tractors, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

  • Providing solutions of every facet of EVs ranging from batteries, charging, battery swapping, etc., are these products customizable?

Durapower battery solutions can be customised based on required technical specifications or client requirements.

We have a global network of customers in the automotive and energy storage sectors in 24 countries, are a tier-one supplier to vehicle manufacturers, and our battery systems are integrated in EVs in 49 cities in China, Europe, Japan, India and Southeast Asia.

Durapower batteries are wired to your needs. Since its establishment, the group has achieved a 100 per cent safety track record with more than 1 billion kilometers (km) of operational mileage for commercial electric vehicle applications, and provides energy storage solutions (ESS) for renewable micro grid, commercial and industrial, and utility-scale applications. Such modular ESS products can be deployed at various scales including residential energy storage of as low as 5 kWh, uninterruptible power supply as backup power of 10 kWh to larger scale of mega-watt level storage solutions, and are available on integrated package solutions inclusive of control systems, thermal management and fire safety, inverters and environmental protection.

Durapower offers closed loop, end to end solutions for EV and ESS ecosystems, from our own research, design and manufactured cells, fully integrated system solution, digital platform software solution for remote operations, to charging infrastructure and recycling of our battery systems, powering the present and future of e-mobility and renewable energy.

We provide reliable long-life cycle battery solutions, resulting in lower operational cost and lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

Our batteries have a well-balanced performance portfolio and high charging capability while maintaining lightweight and compact features. Durapower battery systems can be designed for opportunistic fast- charging and can be charged within minutes.

Durapower battery cells are lightweight and compact, resulting in more energy-efficient EV fleet operations, and better space utilisation in today’s land-scarce environment for other stationary ESS applications. For the same weight loading and space, Durapower ESS provide a higher capacity and performance solutions.

  • Discuss about second life deployment, its process and its utilization in different domains?

Battery systems that have aged while powering electric vehicles can be redeployed to provide stationary energy storage systems after their main first life application.

Battery packs retired from electric vehicles after the end of their first life retain 70 to 80 per cent residual energy of its capacity, which can be repackaged into a stationary storage system for power backup or peak shaving applications. Second-life deployment allows residential buildings the possibility of an economically viable extension of the monetary value of the battery assets.

Durapower batteries have been in the commercial market since 2011 and part of the retired lithium-ion batteries that we have supplied to electric vehicle fleets around the world have been deployed for repurposed applications or recycled at end of life.

  • Give your perspective on sustainability and carbon neutrality in EV industry?

Durapower believes that to be successful, the market needs to be sustainable and so is our business model. Market sustainability is a result of not only government policies, but also measured in terms of social and environmental impact.

Renewable energy (RE) and transport electrification is a global directive, of which energy storage is essential. Durapower provides total energy storage solutions to fill such gaps. We offer a sustainable model from creating a battery’s first life on automotive applications; to giving it a second life by collecting and reconditioning retired automotive batteries for ESS applications such as containerised Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) EV charging solutions; and after end of second life by breaking down the retired RE battery storage system into recycled raw materials. This builds not only a sustainable business model that ensures continuity but also one that is socially and environmentally sustainable.

We also constantly seek to improve our internal manufacturing processes on areas such as energy efficiency, waste treatment and monitoring of carbon footprint generated by manufacturing. We believe in onshoring our manufacturing footprint close to our major markets to minimise the generation of unnecessary carbon footprint due to long distance freights and transportation.

Durapower is commited to developing scalable, sustainable batteries that support the circular economy towards a carbon neutral future.

  • Tell us about your future plans or any project Durapower is currently working on?

Driven by our mission to empower lives and transform the future through value creation and innovation, we envisage a future where energy is renewable. Durapower has been collaborating with strategic partners, government agencies and research institutes globally on projects related to development of advanced battery materials and energy storage solutions. We are excited about strengthening and deepening our partnerships with our private and public sector stakeholders to address global sustainability challenges.

Durapower is set to continue the growth of our global market presence across 24 countries and aims to take technology leadership in high power performance lithium battery for the applications for commercial electric mobility, autonomous heavy-duty applications, marine electrification and stationary energy storage solutions as part of the global energy transition towards a cleaner and sustainable future.

 

 

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