Electric vehicle (EV) technology developer NTS Works has created a small and powerful battery that can be rebuilt and upgraded for half the cost of a replacement battery.
The battery represents a large step toward making EVs of all sizes affordable and more environmentally sustainable.
When the battery of an EV accounts for half the vehicle cost, buyers worry about the battery wearing out and being too expensive to replace.
With the NTS Works Lifetime Rebuildable Battery technology, the battery can be easily rebuilt and upgraded with standard size lithium-ion cells.
The U.S. Patent Office has granted NTS Works Inc a patent on the technology; additional patents are pending.
"In my experience with electric vehicles, the battery never lasts as long as the rest of the vehicle," said Neal Saiki, founder of NTS Works. "People want to drive EVs without having to be careful about accelerating or hill climbing and that kind of driving kills the lifespan of the battery."
Several other companies are in negotiations to license the technology, which may make it available in products ranging in size from portable power supplies to electric buses and NTS Works is showcasing the technology in a lightweight electric bicycle called the Fat Free.
Saiki is the founder of NTS Works, a start-up in Santa Cruz, California. He is using his EV experience as the founder of Zero Motorcycles, the leading electric motorcycle company, and as product designer of bicycles from companies such as Haro, Mountain Cycle and Santa Cruz Bicycles.
