Mahle Touts Improved Mild-Hybrid Battery
Germany’s Mahle GmbH has developed a prototype 48-volt battery the company claims can boost fuel efficiency by 12% to 15% in mild-hybrid vehicles.
#hybrid
Germany’s Mahle GmbH has developed a prototype 48-volt battery with an optimized cell chemistry and improved cooling capabilities that the company claims can boost fuel efficiency by 12% to 15% in mild-hybrid vehicles.

The new design uses lithium titanium oxide as an anode material. The change improves charge and discharge rates that previously have been constrained by packaging and cost tradeoffs, according to the supplier.
Cooling was enhanced by redesigning the battery’s busbars and electrical connections, which otherwise can generate excessive heat that drains power.
Initial tests of a prototype 0.5-kWh battery have shown a continuous discharge rate of more than 10 kW and peak power levels in excess of 20 kW. Further testing will be conducted in a demonstrator vehicle in coming months.
RELATED CONTENT
-
GM Seeks to Avert U.S. Plant Shutdowns Linked to Supplier Bankruptcy
General Motors Co. says it hopes to claim equipment and inventory from a bankrupt interior trim supplier to avoid being forced to idle all 19 of its U.S. assembly plants.
-
On Fuel Cells, Battery Enclosures, and Lucid Air
A skateboard for fuel cells, building a better battery enclosure, what ADAS does, a big engine for boats, the curious case of lean production, what drivers think, and why Lucid is remarkable
-
Cobots: 14 Things You Need to Know
What jobs do cobots do well? How is a cobot programmed? What’s the ROI? We asked these questions and more to four of the leading suppliers of cobots.