Continental and Varta are working on compact & removable 48 volt battery packs for small electric vehicles. Named the V4Drive, these Varta creations bring fast-charging lithium-ion cells to a compact and removable design.
Designed with the 125cc-equivalent electric vehicles in mind, these sleek batteries have been the result of a rather quick concept-to-prototype devlopment process, reported to be around 6 months by Motorrad Online.
Each cell will be enough for around 50km (30 miles) with a drive power of 10kW, and can be used in tandem with other packs - so adding cells to the formula will increase the range, something commonly seen with electric vehicles.
With removable charging in mind, each cell weighs around 9kg for easy charging away from the vehicle.
Where will we see these batteries in the future? German battery manufacturer Varta is already working with KTM on the development of low-voltage batteries ranging from 250 watts to 20 kilowatts, so further variations may pop up for use on other smaller models.
Worth noting that KTM is also part of the electric consortium (with Honda, Yamaha, Piaggio), and the removable nature of these batteries would suggest a universal ‘plug in and play’ system would give these batteries an interchangeable functionality across manufacturers.
As electric transport begins building speed (particularly for short-distance commuters), with manufacturers turning their eye to electric forms of mobility, development of competing technology for the market. For the average rider like us, that just means rapid advancements in what’s available on the market for competitive prices.
