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Lightweight 12V lithium car battery systems from Voltphreaks

911UK

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911uk would like to introduce the Voltphreaks lightweight 12V lithium car battery systems at [url]www.voltphreaks.com[/url]

Please feel free to post Testimonials about your Voltphreaks experiences on this thread.




Voltphreaks set out originally to provide electric vehicle battery systems, and to convert a gas vehicle into a pure battery electric vehicle. During this process, we developed a lightweight racing battery that has found a niche market among racers. We provide a product that is a drop in solution for users, nothing else needs to be changed on a user's car, charger, alternator, or anything else.

We are engineers, designers, and racing enthusiasts. We are a small company. We design and build our products from our location in sunny southern California.

Voltphreaks can also be contacted by PM to user "vph_tony" or by email to [email protected]

Voltphreaks designs and builds lightweight 12V lithium systems for professional racing teams (LeMans, NHRA, Daytona, etc), and high performance cars. Though expensive, if you're replacing parts with carbon fiber and titanium to save weight, than a Voltphreaks battery is for you!

There are several technological benefits of using a Voltphreaks battery in a racing/motorsport application, versus a traditional lead-acid battery. A Voltphreaks battery is not just a battery, it's a complete battery system, complete with a management circuit, protection circuit, and a built in disconnect switch, along with technology to make the battery a complete drop-in replacement for a lead-acid battery. A user does not have to change their chargers, or their car. A racecar using this technology will have a distinct advantage over a racecar using a traditional lead-acid battery.

When a lead-acid battery is overdischarged to an excessively low level, permanent damage can result. The same thing will happen to a lithium battery. All Voltphreaks batteries are deep cycle capable, they just cannot be discharged past empty (overdischarged). All Voltphreaks batteries contain a Low Voltage Cutoff (LVC) to prevent over-discharge.

An advantage of the LVC is that the driver never returns to a dead car! By setting the LVC to shut off the battery just before the battery is completely empty, you never return to a dead battery in the event your headlights are accidentally left on, or if the car is parked for an extremely long time. You will always be able to still start your car.

vph1100.jpg


A Voltphreaks battery has an extremly long service life, lasting much longer than a comparable lead-acid battery. For example, a lead-acid battery can be charged and discharged 300 times, after which the battery must be replaced. A Voltphreaks battery can be charged and discharged over 2000 times! After 2000 charge/discharge cycles, capacity will be reduced to 80% of the original capacity, but the battery can still continue to be used. A Voltphreaks battery can last 3 to 4 times as long as the lead-acid battery it's replacing, and 5-10 years or more.

These batteries are a drop-in replacement for your lead-acid battery. Once installed, you can forget about it,and treat it just like a standard car battery. Lithium batteries require management during charging and discharging and has different requirements compared to a lead-acid battery, but this is all handled behind the scenes by the circuitry inside the battery. This circuitry inside the Voltphreaks battery masks the fact that it's a lithium battery, allowing the battery to be used and treated as if it's a lead-acid battery!

* Similar to an AGM battery, there is no need to vent the battery.

* Battery can be installed in any orientation, even upside down.

* Battery should be tested at least once a year/race season, by turning it on and off, making sure it turns on and off properly.

Voltphreaks batteries weigh between 2.5 to 14 pounds. Our most popular models are the 3.75 pound VPH450 for cars like the Elise, while cars like the BMW M3, and Porsche's use the 5.5 pound VPH750. BMW M5's, or users that want more capacity but still want a lightweight battery use the 7.25 pound VPH900.

 

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Click here for the Voltphreaks 5.5 lbs lithium-ion nano battery as featured on Rennlist on a 997 GT3.



Voltphreaks battery - OVERVIEW

There are several technological benefits of using a Voltphreaks battery in a racing/motorsport application, versus a traditional lead-acid battery. A Voltphreaks battery is not just a battery, it's a complete battery system, complete with a management circuit, protection circuit, and a built in disconnect switch, along with technology to make the battery a complete drop-in replacement for a lead-acid battery. A user does not have to change their chargers, or their car. A racecar using this technology will have a distinct advantage over a racecar using a traditional lead-acid battery.

Explore some of the technological benefits of a Voltphreaks battery by clicking on the links below.






Model Number : VPH750
Nominal voltage : 12.8 volts
Cranking Amps (CA) : 700 amps
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) : 390 amps
reserve capacity (RC) :30 minutes
Capacity : 16 Ah
terminal type : SAE post, M6 male, M6 female (click for images)
working temperature : -22°F to 140°F (max 170°F)
dimensions : 8.3 x 5 x 3" (not including terminals)
weight : 5.5 lbs / 2.5 KG
[url]www.voltphreaks.com[/url]


Model Number : VPH900
Nominal voltage : 12.8 volts
Cranking Amps (CA) : 1020 amps
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) : 570 amps
reserve capacity (RC) : 42 minutes
Capacity : 22 Ah
terminal type : SAE post, M6 male, M6 female (click for images)
working temperature: -22°F to 140°F (max 170°F)
dimensions : 10 x 6 x 3" (not including terminals)
weight : 7.25 lbs / 3.3 KG
[url]www.voltphreaks.com[/url]
 

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To 911Uk

Attention:
911UK

Hi,
Are you advocating them for track or track and road? would you just clear that for me please?
Many thanks.
 
I have been using a voltphreaks battery for almost a year now on both track and road use and its been PERFECT. So far it was the cheapest way for me to lose more than 10kgs of weight and have a more efficient battery. Really chaps dont think too hard about this one, its worth every cent.
 
I would consider one for the Renault, as this is it would be a good weight saving in a good place.

However, as far as i can see the batteries are not a drop in replacement as the block is much smaller and the posts are closer together.

So, I was hoping there was an adapter that would take the unit up to the same size as a regular battery - then it would be a no-brainer (which would suit me :oops: )

I'll take a look in the car again, but i'm sure it would need a new securing bracket for one thing, but its the lower closer together postion of the posts that I'm not sure is easy to deal with. Maybe a block of high density foam underneath and hope theres slack in the main take off cables to bring them closer together??

So perhaps manogh you could put up a picture of your installation to show how it was done and the guys from voltphreaks could provide some advice on this point? Please! :)
 
As Tim said, how does it fix into the car ?
 
Yes chaps its not a direct bolt on mod but you dont need to re-engineer the car to install it. You simply need to make a new bracket to hold it in place and I will send a pic of the one i fabricated . The first bracket i made was of stainless steel (not the lightest metal), but now that i have found someone who is a master with Aluminium - i am having one made in Al.

I retained the original baseplate and did not use the light weight terminals so that i can retrofit the OEM battery at any time without any hassle.

You also dont want to fool around with the original baseplate because it has a seal on the underside of it, which covers an access into the fuel tank. .....I always thought placing a heavy battery that high in a car was unintelligent, but you can imagine what my face looked like when i found that it covered an access into the fuel tank as well - only Porsche must know why they did it.

In any event it passed all the crash tests , so i opted not to try to reinvent the wheel, and as aforesaid, fitted mine in exactly the same location.
 
Voltphreaks batteries, daily driver use and install

To answer two questions brought up, yes any of the Voltphreaks batteries can be used in a car that's a daily driver. Because this is a lightweight battery, it will have less capacity than the stock battery though (this is true of any lightweight battery). The disadvantage of this is that a parked car with it's alarm on may last only 1 to 2 weeks, instead of maybe 3 weeks with the stock battery. Other than that, no issues with using it as a daily driver.

One thing to keep in mind, even if the battery dies after say, 2 weeks, you can still start the car, no need to jump start the car or charge the battery. This is because the LVC feature of the battery will preserve the starting power of the battery, preventing you from ever returning to a dead battery. Just push a button the the battery or a remotely installed switch and the battery will turn back on, allowing you to start the car.

As for the question about installation, yes it requires some fabrication. Most users fabricate something out of aluminum sheet (it's easy to work with, can be drilled and machined easily). If you don't wish to make something yourself, any capable shop should be able to do this. As for using foam blocks to make the battery the same size as the stock battery, that works too (it's what several users have done). If you go that route, keep in mind it might not pass inspection, though. But for general use, it is adequate, as long as you use incompressible foam (as opposed to the soft foam used for seat cushions, etc). Some users do away with the stock mount, and use a couple of heavy duty tie-wraps to secure the battery. This works also, but again will not pass inspection.

About fabricated aluminum mounts, in general they don't need to be as strong as mounts for say, a 30 pound regular battery, since the Voltphreaks batteries are so light! As for the terminals being spaced closer than a stock battery, one way around this is to make a short extension cable if the stock cables won't be long enough. This can be something you do, or something we can supply (please contact us, as it's a custom cable and would be different for each user).

Here's a picture of someone's DIY bracket. He did it himself with aluminum sheets, but it doesn't have to be this fancy:

pict7473.jpg


Let me know if there's any other questions, and glad to be part of this forum!

- Tony (voltphreaks.com)
 
Hi,
Are the Batteries purchased on a personal import basis?
Do they have EU certification, accreditation and conformity?

Many thanks
 
Ocean Blue said:
Hi,
Are the Batteries purchased on a personal import basis?
Do they have EU certification, accreditation and conformity?

Many thanks

Yes it would be a personal purchase. Like most aftermarket parts, these are "rated for track use only", so no EU cert. Thanks!
 

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