Battery Pack Development Timeline
Concept Through Production
Here you will find our battery pack development timeline process. This will cover the scope of the project needed and the time between developing prototypes and finally end product production. For more information, see our blog post on battery management and logistics monitoring.
Battery Pack Application Review
The first step involves obtaining all documented information on the battery project that gets sent to our development team to review internally. We will then engage with the customer engineering group to discuss specific requirements for the batteries they require. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on what information is offered, and availability of the engineers to discuss on a call.
Scope Development
Next we work on completing the first draft of our battery pack project proposal. This is intended to outline all the information and requirements gathered during the application review. The entire process is documented and is presented in a formal proposal. Depending on the complexity of the project, this is typically competed within 1-2 weeks. Once finalized, it's sent to all parties involved for review.
Scope Refinement
As soon as the customer has received the proposal and reviewed it, we conduct a follow-up meeting to go over the specifics outlined in the scope of work. It's normal for a customer to revise the specifics. Revision usually is related due to costs or the overall requirements' of the application. If this happens we will revise the initial proposal and resubmit our proposal again for an additional review. This step can take anywhere from 1-2 weeks depending on the details and availability of the engineers required for the meeting.
Battery Pack Development Process
Once the scope of work has been confirmed, the development process will begin. This includes designing the control circuitry, creating the Gerber data to manufacture the battery pack, creating the BOM for the project , procuring all the required materials to produce the prototypes, producing the prototype run on the PCBA's, testing, and assembling the prototype battery packs. This step is typically 4-6 weeks but it can take up to 10-14 weeks if the battery requires a plastic design.
Prototypes
Previously mentioned in the above section, the completion of a battery pack prototype can take anywhere from 4-14 weeks. The actual time of completion will depend on the complexity of the battery pack design, availability of materials, and battery cells. Prototypes are constructed and bench tested which are then submitted to the customer for product testing on their end. This step can be a quick approval or can take up to several months depending on the testing required at the customer level.
Production (not Lithium)
Once prototypes are approved and the productions' PO is received we begin procuring all the materials to build the battery's battery pack(s). The production test fixture is created during the same time. This process can range from 6-18 weeks depending on material and battery cell availability.
Regulatory (Lithium)
In regards to lithium batteries, as soon as the prototypes have been approved we produce another lot to certify the DOT UN38.3 level for transportation prior to producing production. The turnaround time will be another 4-14 weeks to build the required submission lot. An additional 4 weeks is necessary for the test agency to certify once they have received all materials and documentation required. The required amount of batteries needed for this certification testing is based on the size and capacity of the battery pack. It can range from 16-26 batteries; they will be used for destructive testing.
Production (Lithium)
Once the DOT UN38.3 certification has been completed, we proceed with the production battery packs and transport as required. The first production builds will have lead times of 6 -18 weeks depending on the materials required.
UL
If a UL certification is required, it is completed after passing the DOT UN38.3 regulatory testing. This step requires a submission lot of 52 battery packs that will be used for destructive testing. This will take a minimum of 12 weeks to certify as soon as the test agency has all materials and documentation required.
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