# Anyone have experience with K2 Energy Solutions Li-Ion battery packs?



## champy (Nov 24, 2008)

Hi Mitch,
I actually know the guys at K2 Energy and I have to say that they're one of the most impressive companies I've ever dealt with. I can't tell you an awful lot about their stuff, since I can't afford it for one thing, and I told them specifically that I wouldn't pass on some of the stuff they've shown me, but I can definitely tell you that their quality of construction on their EV cells is very good and that their performance and pricing are on par with, or better than, any of the other manufacturers. I was actually down visiting them yesterday and I was completely blown away. They also do a lot of testing and quality control on anything that goes out their door to make sure you don't pay for a faulty, short-lived cell. I'm pretty sure they will also deal directly with individuals unlike a couple of the other LFP-makers. If you're really curious, I'd just give them a call. They're nice guys and willing to talk to people, so it might be worth your dime.

In the interest of full disclosure: I am not an employee of K2, I never have been, and they didn't ask me to talk them up. I really am that excited about their stuff.


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## DIYguy (Sep 18, 2008)

champy said:


> Hi Mitch,
> I actually know the guys at K2 Energy and I have to say that they're one of the most impressive companies I've ever dealt with. I can't tell you an awful lot about their stuff, since I can't afford it for one thing, and I told them specifically that I wouldn't pass on some of the stuff they've shown me, but I can definitely tell you that their quality of construction on their EV cells is very good and that their performance and pricing are on par with, or better than, any of the other manufacturers. I was actually down visiting them yesterday and I was completely blown away. They also do a lot of testing and quality control on anything that goes out their door to make sure you don't pay for a faulty, short-lived cell. I'm pretty sure they will also deal directly with individuals unlike a couple of the other LFP-makers. If you're really curious, I'd just give them a call. They're nice guys and willing to talk to people, so it might be worth your dime.
> 
> In the interest of full disclosure: I am not an employee of K2, I never have been, and they didn't ask me to talk them up. I really am that excited about their stuff.


It's nice to see a north american supplier. What is the pricing at then... per watt hour? Did you get a quote?


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## ElectriCar (Jun 15, 2008)

Your link didn't work for me. I'm listening though...


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## ZEVUtah (Apr 10, 2008)

The price on the cells looks a bit steep*for my budget.

http://store.peakbattery.com/lfp200es-128v-16ah.html

12.8 volts and 16 ah is about 204 watt hr and a price of 249 dollars = ouch

KJD


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## frodus (Apr 12, 2008)

its much lower if you call them. Its all about quantity, and for 10kwh, you'd need 1000 cells, and I think at that many cells they can get it even lower.

From this website:
http://www.zeva.com.au/tech/K2/
"Pricing shown is for *individual cells*. Pricing in quantity of 1000 cells is around 60% of the single cell price, and may be slightly less in EV quantities of 2000-4000."


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## rctous (Jun 18, 2008)

we use and have used many of their cells and they are a pretty darn good cell. Not quite at a price that I can afford for my e-car. We tested tem head to head with the A123 cells and I will post a graph here in a minute. They perform nearly as well but not quite. I would not hesitate to get them if I had the money. Not sure well how well the graph will post but I will try it. 

Brian


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## rctous (Jun 18, 2008)

here is the discharge curves ( ignore the part where it says it was a lead acid battery that is just for reference )

Brian


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## rctous (Jun 18, 2008)

its a 10 amp 20 amp and a 30 amp discharge for a single 3.2 volt cell. It was the same cell used in a the test. (1- A123 and 1- K2)

Brian


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## champy (Nov 24, 2008)

They also make EV-oriented "cells" that are roughly the same form-factor as the ThunderSky or China HiPower 3.2v 100ah stuff. If you go to their website:
http://www.peakbattery.com
then the EV cells are the green ones pictured on the front page. Those are rated 90ah and 3.2v each and they're the ones I was so impressed with when I was down there. I believe they sell for about $200 a pop. One of the things that impressed me most was that when they were showing me their performance graphs, they were very up-front in acknowledging when a competitor's battery (such as A123's mentioned above) had the edge on some part of the performance rating. However, they were also able to demonstrate to my personal satisfaction that, at least with regard to their EV batteries, the chemistry had been deliberately formulated to make those trade-offs in order to perform at a better level in an EV-specific High-current application. I believe that, at the currents most EV's demand from the batteries, K2's stuff would probably outperform competing cells. Again, this would probably be something they could clarify for you better than I could. I'm starting to sound like an advertisement here. At the same time though, I don't hear their name out there much, and I really think that the EV community could benefit a LOT from their stuff. If their quality control is as good as what it looked like to me last week, then I think buyers will be saving money by not having to count on a couple of faulty batteries in their order.


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## ElectriCar (Jun 15, 2008)

I like their EV batteries but not at $1.21/wh!


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## champy (Nov 24, 2008)

Yeah, I can't exactly afford it for my EV yet either. Just for curiosity, what does this stuff usually sell for?


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## AntronX (Feb 23, 2009)

Prices they have online are for small quantities. I contacted them few months ago about selling me couple hundred "EV" cells and got an offer for $7 per cell or $0.71/Watt. For over 1000 cells, the price would be $6.50 per cell. Higher performance "P" cells were quoted for $8 for EV quantity, or $1.05/Watt. Their P cells are almost as powerful as A123 cells and little more capacity too. Email them to request a PDF file with detailed graphs and specifications.


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