At the heart of any battery pack, is the Lithium or Lithium-ion cell.  Choosing the optimal cell for your battery pack can determine the success or failure of a mobile device. The selection of the optimal cell requires;

• Extensive knowledge of the performance profile of cells under consideration,
• Ability to test available cells for “corner case” usage scenarios and application usage, and
• An understanding of the realistic usage profile for the OEM equipment (and it’s battery pack). This profile includes environmental ranges, discharge profiles, charging regimens, expected shelf life, transportation requirements, and price targets.

Mobile Power Solutions (MPS) understands the specific characteristics of the available cell options in terms of voltage, cycles, load current, energy density, charge time, and discharge rates.  But cell manufacturers typically specify their cell performance at an ideal C/5 constant current at +20 C degrees. The greater challenge in selecting available cells is acquiring the cell performance and profile information not listed on their specification sheets. MPS has extensive testing facilities to further qualify the available cell options for the entire range of environmental and performance requirements dictated by the OEM.  Regardless of published information on the available cells, we can validate and document that the recommended cell covers the entire range of OEM requirements.

Upon initial engagement with our in-house battery technology group, our team will work with your engineering team to extract and develop a comprehensive specification for your custom battery pack.  This specification will outline all the application requirements, and our team will use this specification to initiate the cell selection process.

MPS has access to numerous mature Lithium-ion cell technologies.  These rechargeable cell technologies include Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO), Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) cells, and Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) cells.  These different cell chemistries can be packaged in various formats, including round cylindricals (18650, 26650, 21700,…), rectangular prismatics, or polymer pouches.  Each of these different types of cell packages has its unique assembly challenges, and MPS excels in assembly using these different formats.

MPS has access to and experience with emerging battery technologies as well.  These emerging technologies include Silicon Anode, Sodium-ion, Liquid Metal Polymer (LMP), solid electrolyte, and hybrid (i.e. the combination of two complementary technologies into one power source) battery technologies.

Example of prismatic Lithium cells assembled into a battery pack

In the event that an existing cell does not cover all your application or regulatory requirements, we will work with our cell suppliers to develop a custom cell to cover your exact environmental and performance requirements.  If your battery pack requires a custom cell, or utilizes a new cell that lacks extensive field use, MPS can evaluate this new technology against your application requirements and verify that the cell is ready for field deployment.

MPS has extensive supplier relationships with the top tier cell suppliers.  Our long-standing relationships ensure that we have access to cells, even during global supply constraints.  Our diverse relationships enable us to recommend the optimal cell for your battery pack design, and we can provide a second source in the event of unexpected demand or temporary cell shortages.