www.vicorpower.com POWERING INNOVATION 13 www.power-mag.com Issue 4 2023 Power Electronics Europe Climb. Hatfield’s LS-218 EV motorcycle out-scrambled the entire field, winning the event by more than 20 seconds over the fastest gas bikes. Honing a world class riding experience Lightning’s goal from day one was to deliver a one-of-a-kind electric riding experience. To a large extent, that came down to assuaging two customer concerns: range and charging time. Initially, Hatfield confided, it was a challenge to build a bike that could deliver 100 miles at 70 miles an hour. Lightning’s bikes now range more than 170 miles with the capacity to recharge to 80 percent in 10 minutes. Lightning’s latest battery packs replace the typical graphite anode with silicon anodes, which have energy density in the 300-watt-hour-per-kilogram range – higher than most automotive EV OEMs can achieve, according to Hatfield. Silicon anode cells also charge exceptionally quickly and are able to charge sustainably over 100 kilowatts, whereas competing EV bikes push to get to 20 kilowatts even for a brief time. The cell battery pack lifespan also generally exceeds that of most EV motorcycles. Even shorter-life cells pull about 800 to 1,000 zero-to-100 cycles. Lightning batteries are also modular and upgradeable, meaning that as better technology becomes available, new batteries can be swapped onto the bike. Power modules the easy choice for top performance As Lightning’s bikes became more sophisticated, the electronics onboard demanded more power, but not weight. Managing electrical noise in a vehicle that’s extremely compact and lightweight is always a challenge. From the early stage, Lightning adopted Vicor DC-DC power modules in all its products, a decision Hatfield attributed to their superior reliability, low noise, high power density and easy thermal management. Lightning uses Vicor DC-DC converters to power the bike’s 12V control electronics as well as lighting, dash instrumentation and sensors. Lightning began commercial production using the DCM4623TC8G16F0T00, which is powerdense, lightweight and a very cost-effective solution. The input range of the DCM4623 is wide enough to support different voltages from commonly used battery chemistries. For example, it offers flexibility to switch between Lithium-Iron-Phosphate packs, which provide 200 – 400V, and NickelManganese-Cobalt or Nickel-CobaltAluminum Oxide chemistries, which typically range between 250 – 420V. One early issue was how to connect the battery and apply its voltage to the DCM. The problem is one that all DC-DC converters face: the transient voltage step (V/µs) from a battery when turning on and off is so fast that it’s not actually possible to connect and immediately apply the battery’s 400V. There were also mechanical relays that connect the battery to the loads such as actuators and the motor, where noise can damage the DCDC converter and other electronics. To address both problems, Vicor designed a pre-charge circuit and input filter to allow stable operation when turning ON and OFF. Vicor was instrumental in supporting Lightning’s technical needs as the power systems evolved. What’s down the road for Lightning Hatfield is planning to return to the El Mirage dry lake beds in southern California to see if his team can break its own record. They also have aspirations of racing at Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, which is the largest salt flat in the world and covers almost 4,000 square miles at 12,000 feet. So far, 15 of the world’s elite teams have been invited to compete in what is the world’s premiere land-speed event. For Hatfield, while the records are important, it’s the poetry of riding an EV motorcycle that is most satisfying. “It’s just a more advanced feeling,” he said. “You don’t need a transmission, you don’t have to shift, and you have limitless torque all the way across the power band. We hear that a lot from our customers. Most of them are lifelong motorcyclists, but they don’t ride their gas bikes so much anymore because of the experience they get from the Lightning.” DCM™ is a trademark of Vicor Corporation. Figure 3 Lightning uses Vicor DCM power modules to convert the high voltage battery down to 12V to power the bike’s control electronics including dash instrumentation, lighting, and sensors. The DCM4623 is a power-dense, lightweight and costeffective DC-DC converter that generates a clean 12V supply from a very wide high voltage input range. www.power-mag.com
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