PowerGenix scoops bike deal

Nickel zinc battery vendor PowerGenix has signed a deal to supply its non-toxic batteries to Power Eagle International.

The Chinese electric bicycle manufacturer, which will ramp up north American sales through its partner Veloteq next year, will also use the battery technology in a range of electric motorcycles.

The deal will see Veloteq shift away from lead acid batteries in favour of the lighter weight of the nickel zinc chemistry. The new battery technology will decrease battery size by about 40 per cent and weight by 50 per cent, according to Veloteq president Jim Wood.

Unlike the eight-hour charging time found in traditional lead acid batteries, the nickel zinc units will take two hours. The system will also provide about 800 miles of travel for roughly the same as a gallon of gasoline, he predicted.

The three-year deal, which started in July, will see PowerGenix supply the manufacturer with a million batteries. The power packs for the bikes will be made by a joint venture between Veloteq and Power Eagle. They will start with packs consisting of 90 D-cells, suitable for the smaller electric bicycle products, but will expand into F-cells with a higher capacity, which will be suitable for the more powerful electric motorcycles.

“Lithium offers the best footprint, but it is too expensive,” said Wood, explaining why the firm dismissed Lithium-ion batteries as an option. “Our products are priced up to $2,300 (£1,300) but the use of lithium would require us to double the cost, and that would scuttle our business.” The price increase associated with nickel zinc will be more like 25 per cent.