Offering low-carbon footprint energy storage solutions based on lithium-ion cell technology, Leclanché was established in 1909 in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland.
Having its production facilities in Germany, Leclanché manufactures robust battery packs and functionally safe BMS along with other commercial e-mobility solutions in the field of automotive, marine and railways sector.
In its latest talks with Aishwarya, Gerardo Gimeno, VP of Sales, Commercial Vehicles, Leclanché highlights about its eTransport solutions and NMC Cells.
Dabbling in energy storage, software management & electrochemistry-based solutions, mention Leclanché key offerings, product portfolio that differentiates them from their competitors?
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Leclanché has a unique positioning among global battery manufacturers since we are vertically integrated. We produce our own cells and modules, develop our proprietary functional safe battery management system (BMS) and design and assemble our own battery packs for commercial vehicles and railway traction applications.
From an electrochemistry perspective, Leclanché has a leading technical solution among all NMC cells on the market. We are the leader in cycle life and discharge power and, thanks to a very robust battery pack architecture and our functional safe BMS, we have passed the most demanding safety requirements for commercial Vehicles and railway applications.
Are your products customizable? Tell us about Leclanché e-transport solutions and NMC Cells.
Due to our vertical integration and unique automated module assembly line, and an experienced system engineering team with experts in automotive, commercial vehicle and rail applications, we can provide our clients with a wide range of standard and customized solutions. Often, we are approached by our customers during the very earliest stages of their projects, helping to refine their vehicle or application concept and then identifying the most optimal solutions.
This includes choosing the most suitable cell chemistry and battery system dimensions, calculating the optimum cooling power and recommendation of battery thermal management solutions, determining the usable lifespan of the batteries and final agreement on validation and testing plans for customized solutions.
We also offer off-the-shelf battery packs for road, commercial vehicle off-highway and rail applications which enable customers to obtain a quick and cost-effective solution for many of their applications.
Apart from manufacturing cells, BMS and battery packs for HEVs and EVs, the company also provides solutions for marine applications. How’s the e-marine battery different and what is its impact on the environment?
We actually find many similarities between our land-based, eTransport solutions and our marine business. The properties of our cells and modules have proven to be an excellent match for e-marine applications. The main difference is in the battery system packaging where a ‘marine rack solution’ is a better fit for large and taller battery installations.
Similar to ground transport, our technological advantages make electrification for the marine industry easier to design, build and install. Our e-Marine team contributes strongly to the acceleration of the transition of the shipping industry towards sustainability – an industry previously forgotten. With numerous major design wins, including the world’s largest hybrid ferries, autonomous cargo vessels, floating platforms and even superyachts, Leclanché is leading the path to industry sustainability with large and ambitious projects that were previously unimaginable.
Leclanché has invested a great deal of company resources towards enhancing the sustainability of our business, which in turn impacts the communities we work in and the global markets which we support. We have created a highly specific and actionable Environmental, Social and Governance strategy which extends well beyond the regulatory environment we operate in. In brief, we are committed to measuring our environmental impact and avoiding emissions, supporting circular economy and environmental impact reduction, embedding a health and safety culture, ensuring responsible purchasing and operate with the highest level of business ethics.
Leclanché offers a unique software suite to manage BESS. Tell us more about this solution.
The Leclanché battery management system is developed following safety standards for railway applications (EN50126/EN50657/EN50129) with a safety integrity level 2 (SIL2), and is targeting an extension towards IEC61508 (for industrial applications) and ISO26262 (for automotive applications). Complying with these safety standards is a guarantee of high quality and reliability of the product.
Moreover, the vertical integration of the company allows us to fully characterize our cells and develop our own algorithms for the best control and usage of the battery systems over their lifetime.
Our ROSA GUI, management tool for battery monitoring and configuration, is also developed in-house and ensures the customers access to all relevant data, and to update and maintain the battery systems.
The Leclanché IOT solution under development will provide a mean for customers to remotely monitor their systems (live data and statuses), and get periodic reports on their usage.
Tell us about any ongoing projects or launches we can expect in the EV market?
We are very pleased about our new partnership with Medha Group and the potential to provide our solutions to a broader range of railroad and commercial vehicle clients in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Globally, we are working on 10 different railway projects in North America and Europe including a global OEM to power its refuse e-truck applications, and other global commercial vehicle and agricultural application OEMs.
Just recently, we were selected to power SOCOFER’s maintenance service locomotives that will operate in the EUROTUNNEL, the undersea tunnel connecting the UK and France. The high safety concept of our batteries was the key reason these demanding customers selected Leclanché.
