Johnson Matthey Battery Systems, part of the

Johnson Matthey Johnson Matthey is a British multinational speciality chemicals and sustainable technologies company headquartered in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Early years Jo ...

group and formerly called Axeon, designs and manufactures advanced

lithium-ion A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...

battery systems for electric vehicles and processes over 70 million cells per year. Headquartered in Dundee, Scotland and with operations in Poland and sales offices in Coventry, England, Johnson Matthey Battery Systems produces batteries for all types of electric vehicles including urban delivery vehicles and high performance

sports cars A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

History

In 2006, Axeon, as a software company, began working with MPower, a manufacturer producing batteries for mobile phones and portable products. MPower was working on a battery to be used in electric vehicles and the Battery Management System, the software that monitors the

cells, interfaces with the vehicle and ensures safety, was provided by Axeon. In 2007, Axeon merged with MPower. In 2008, Axeon acquired Ristma AG, a Swiss holding company whose constituent companies also had several decades of experience in battery design and manufacture. The trading companies, formerly EMB GmbH and SAT AG, design and sell battery packs for the professional power tool market and Robert Bosch GmbH is a key customer. They also manufacture battery packs for a range of mobile applications, including medical and industrial monitoring equipment, and leisure equipment such as

electric bicycles An electric bicycle (e-bike, eBike, etc.) is a motorized bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fall into two broad categories: bikes that assist ...

and powered golf trolleys. Manufacturing is carried out at a facility in Poland, formerly MAZ Sp.Z.o.o. In 2009 Axeon was forced into administration by its major lender and 20% shareholder Ironshield Capital Management LLP with no notice and following its assurance of continued support and that Axeon's future was bright. Ironshield appointed Grant Thornton who failed to find a buyer after they "discreetly marketed" the company. Almost immediately Ironshield formed a new vehicle "AG Holdings" which acquired Axeon outright allowing Axeon to continue in business as normal, excepting the shareholders who were wiped out through the move. Following its acquisition AG Holdings reported that Axeon had a very bright future. In October 2012 Axeon was acquired in total by

, a British multinational chemicals and precious metals company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Axeon rebranded as Johnson Matthey Battery Systems in August 2013. In January 2018, Johnson Matthey Battery Systems was acquired by Cummins.

Automotive

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Johnson Matthey Battery Systems has worked with

McLaren Automotive McLaren Automotive (formerly known as McLaren Cars) is a British luxury automotive manufacturer based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The main products of the company are supercars, which are produced in-house in designat ...

to develop an advanced lithium-ion battery for the

McLaren P1 The McLaren P1 is a limited-production mid-engine plug-in hybrid sports car produced by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive. Debuted at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, sales of the P1 began in the United Kingdom in October 2013 and all ...

, a limited production plug-in hybrid supercar. Power for the vehicle's electric motor is stored in a 324-cell lithium-ion high density battery pack located behind the cabin. The battery pack is liquid-cooled and the Battery Management System incorporates active cell balancing.

Range-extended electric hybrid vehicles

Jaguar Land Rover displayed the ultra-low carbon XJ_e plug-in hybrid engineering research vehicle at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June 2012. This was the outcome of a project led by Jaguar Cars to develop a range-extended electric hybrid vehicle, and is powered by an Axeon lithium-ion battery. In October 2011 Axeon announced that it would also supply two prototype batteries to Intelligent Energy for a UK Technology Strategy Board (TSB)-grant-assisted project to develop a concept for a lightweight, low emissions, range extended electric delivery van. This vehicle was launched in June 2012.

Electric vehicles

At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show,

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited is a British luxury automobile maker which has operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW AG since 2003 – as the exclusive manufacturer of ''Rolls-Royce''-branded motor cars. The company's administrative ...

unveiled its new 102EX Phantom Experimental Electric, which is powered by a battery from Axeon. The battery system is believed to be the biggest passenger car battery built in the world, both in terms of capacity and power, with 71kWh overall capacity and 388V DC nominal power. The power pack is expected to deliver a range of up to 200 km with a 0-60 mph acceleration time of under 8 seconds. The batteries can be recharged via a plug in cable or in eight hours by using a wireless induction charging system. At Indaba 2011, one of Africa’s largest tourism events,

Land Rover Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...

South Africa unveiled the Electric Defender Game Viewer Concept with an Axeon battery pack. The vehicle was built for the Londolozi Private Game Reserve, a major South African game park. The standard 2.4-litre diesel engine from the Defender was replaced by an electric motor and 28.8 kWh battery pack in the engine bay, which enables the vehicle to maintain its original ground clearance and wading height.

Power tools

Johnson Matthey Battery Systems supplies

battery technology for cordless

power tools A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed a ...

, such as cordless

hedge trimmer A hedge trimmer, shrub trimmer, or bush trimmerAs with the term ''scissors'', the plural terms "hedge trimmers" + c. are often used for individual trimming tools. is a gardening tool or machine used for trimming (cutting, pruning) hedges or so ...

s and

lawn mowers A lawn mower (also known as a mower, grass cutter or lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the design of the mower, but g ...

. Its customers include several major producers of professional

, including Robert Bosch GmbH.

Electric bikes

Johnson Matthey Battery Systems supplies rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to several

electric bike An electric bicycle (e-bike, eBike, etc.) is a motorized bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fall into two broad categories: bikes that assist ...

projects for both major component manufacturers and bike OEMs, manufacturing e-bike batteries using various cells from a range of cell manufacturers.

Mobile power

Johnson Matthey Battery Systems produces mobile batteries that mean devices are able to run without a connection to mains electricity. Applications include mobile phones, cordless phones,

pagers A pager (also known as a beeper or bleeper) is a wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays alphanumeric or voice messages. One-way pagers can only receive messages, while response pagers and two-way pagers can also acknow ...

; medical devices such as diagnostic equipment and infusion pumps;

mobility aid A mobility aid is a device designed to assist walking or otherwise improve the mobility of people with a mobility impairment. There are various walking aids which can help people with impaired ability to walk, and wheelchairs or mobility scoot ...

s such as bath lifts and

electric wheelchair A motorized wheelchair, powerchair, electric wheelchair or electric-powered wheelchair (EPW) is a wheelchair that is propelled by means of an electric motor (usually using differential steering) rather than human power, manual power. Motorized wh ...

s; industrial equipment such as

gas meter A gas meter is a specialized flow meter, used to measure the volume of fuel gases such as natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. Gas meters are used at residential, commercial, and industrial buildings that consume fuel gas supplied by a ga ...

s and

data loggers A data logger (also datalogger or data recorder) is an electronic device that records data over time or about location either with a built-in Scientific instrument, instrument or sensor or via external instruments and sensors. Increasingly, but ...

; leisure products such as

and powered golf trolleys and other applications such as portable credit card readers,

forklift trucks A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various c ...

, horse massage blankets and olive tree shakers.

Technology

Cells

Johnson Matthey Battery Systems is independent of cell suppliers, allowing the company to deploy a range of cell chemistry for its automotive products. Currently, it works mainly with

Lithium Iron Phosphate Lithium iron phosphate or lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a gray, red-grey, brown or black solid that is insoluble in water. The material has attracted attention as a component of lithium iron phosp ...

and Lithium NCM (Nickel Cobalt Manganese) chemistries. It is also working on a project to develop a high energy density

Transition metal oxide An oxide () is a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom and one other element in its chemical formula. "Oxide" itself is the dianion of oxygen, an O2– (molecular) ion. with oxygen in the oxidation state of −2. Most of the E ...

/Silicon alloy battery for

PHEV A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...

( Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) applications.

Battery management systems

The battery management system (BMS) is an essential component within a multiple cell

battery pack A battery pack is a set of any number of (preferably) identical batteries or individual battery cells. They may be configured in a series, parallel or a mixture of both to deliver the desired voltage, capacity, or power density. The term battery ...

. It monitors the state of a battery, measuring and controlling key operational parameters, and thus ensuring safety. Johnson Matthey Battery Systems’ BMS incorporates proprietary battery management electronics, and its four main objectives are to protect the cells and the battery from damage, prolong the life of the battery, maintain the battery in a state where it can meet the requirements of the application and to interface with the host application.

Batteries

Johnson Matthey Battery Systems designs and manufactures batteries for a wide range of applications, from low-power, low-capacity batteries for industrial, leisure and medical uses, to high-power, high-capacity batteries for use in electric vehicles and

hybrid electric vehicles A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertrain is intended ...

. Johnson Matthey Battery Systems produces a range of batteries from as little as 1 or 2 watts up to 180 kWhr, and from 2.4 Volts to 614 Volts. Johnson Matthey Battery Systems'

s are subjected to a testing regime that meets industry standards. This covers environmental tests,

electromagnetic testing Electromagnetic testing (ET), as a form of nondestructive testing, is the process of inducing electric currents or magnetic fields or both inside a test object and observing the electromagnetic response. If the test is set up properly, a defect i ...

, bump and vibration testing.

Battery chargers

Johnson Matthey Battery Systems can supply both off-board and on-board battery chargers, which include an enclosure, the mains input wiring and safety circuits, as well as the umbilical cabling, and can also arrange them to be

CE mark On commercial products, the letters CE (as the logo ) mean that the manufacturer or importer affirms the good's conformity with European health, safety, and environmental protection standards. It is not a quality indicator or a certificat ...

approved.

References

External links

* {{Official, http://www.axeon.com Electric vehicle battery manufacturers Companies based in Dundee