Nowadays the demand for electric scooters is increasing. People are now paying more attention to the battery life. Most e-scooters have two types of batteries, NMC and LFP. Companies are preferring LFP batteries because they are more durable and safe. Suzuki has also launched its first electric scooter e-ACCESS with LFP battery.
Auto Desk, New Delhi. With the popularity of electric two-wheelers increasing in India, people are now wondering not only how far they can ride but also how long they will ride? The most important answer to this question lies in the battery, which is the most important part of an electric vehicle. Nowadays, two types of battery technologies are used in electric two-wheelers. The first is Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) and the second is Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP). Both of these have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of battery will determine the long service life of the vehicle.
LFP batteries are now used by a few companies. That's why Suzuki Motorcycle India has incorporated this technology in its first electric scooter, the Suzuki e-ACCESS. Let's find out its features.
What is a LFP battery? What makes it different from NMC?
Long Life: LFP batteries have a two to three times longer life than NMC batteries.
Safer: LFP batteries are considered safer as they are less prone to overheating or catching fire.
Liability: LFP batteries are a bit heavier and have less energy than NMC, but they last longer. It is best suited for riders who value battery durability and want a lot of range on a single charge.
What makes LFP batteries special?
Long Battery Life
This graph compares the capacity loss of LFP and NMC batteries over time.
LFP battery (used in Suzuki e-ACCESS) (blue line): The capacity of an LFP battery decreases slowly and steadily, as this line indicates. This means that it can retain its full capacity even after a long time or multiple charging cycles.
NMC battery (dotted line): This line indicates that the capacity of NMC battery decreases rapidly. This battery loses its capacity quickly as the charging cycles increase.
Why is this important to the customer?
The LFP battery is expected to have twice the life and charging cycles compared to NMC batteries. This means the customer will have to replace fewer batteries, leading to lower costs in the long run and a happier rider.
Why is a long-life battery necessary?
The most expensive part of maintenance for electric vehicle riders is battery replacement. When a scooter battery wears out quickly, the range of a scooter that initially offered a range of 100 km can gradually decrease. Vehicles with LFP batteries like the Suzuki e-ACCESS have a longer range. Riders stay on the same range for years, delaying battery replacement and increasing the overall life of the scooter.
This graph shows how the charging range of the vehicle changes as it is charged. It compares the performance of NMC and LFP batteries.
NMC Battery (Red Dotted Line): This line indicates that the NMC battery gives longer range initially but as the vehicle progresses, its range starts decreasing rapidly.
LFP Battery (Blue Line): The LFP battery of Suzuki e-ACCESS appears on this line. It comes with a slightly lower range initially, but later it remains more stable and uniform.
For example, scooters with NMC batteries may offer slightly more range than scooters with LFP batteries. Later, the LFP battery range becomes equal to the NMC battery range. After this, LFP maintains its range, making it clearly better over time.
While the 95 km range from a 3.1 kWh battery is important in range comparisons, it's not everything. Given that most people in India travel short distances every day, some companies are focusing on improving the daily efficiency of employees rather than selling more range. Suzuki has used the e-ACCESS in this way. The 3.1 kWh battery gives a range of 95 km. According to experimental data, the average Indian scooter rider travels about 30 km every day; this means most people can continue riding the scooter for three days on a single charge.
Crafted for strength and protection
Just like the battery technology, the safety and testing of the battery is also important. The battery in Suzuki e-ACCESS scooters is fitted into the scooter frame and housed in a robust aluminium case. It is safer from fire and less affected by external damage.
Additionally, every e-ACCESS scooter and its battery are put through rigorous tests including motor bench, crushing, puncture, vibration, dropping, extreme heat and cold temperature testing, water immersion, etc. This makes them more durable and durable, ensuring they withstand the rigors of real-world riding.
(Note:- This article is written by Brand Desk. Please take your own decision.)
