AYK Energy scoops battery deal for FPS container vessel

“I saw, however, that costs had to come down to make battery technology attractive to the mass market. As a result, I set up AYK’s factory in China to be close to the manufacturing skills base and supply chain to find those savings. We have built relations with several battery cell manufacturers, so we are not reliant on single suppliers for critical components which massively derisks our operations and slashes lead times. Our factory is growing, and in the last year we have built and shipped 10 MWh of batteries to Europe. From this position of strength, we can scale up to satisfy demand. Our next move is to set up manufacturing centres in the US and Europe in 2024. If we can secure the right volume of orders, we estimate we can drive costs down significantly, kickstarting a significant uptick in electric-powered vessels and other marine battery applications including port facilities and aquaculture.”

HSG FPS Waal project manager Thijs van der Schaaf said, “AYK’s marine battery has significant technical and commercial advantages. We are happy to select them as the battery supplier of the Waal project.”

Mr Kruger said AYK will be supplying HSG with a system that is easy to install, built to exceed class requirements, with a higher density than many other batteries on the market. He said AYK has nine different battery types which can be used on a wide range of vessel types and applications from high power to high energy.

“For FPS Waal we are working with HSG’s engineering team on the entire integration of the battery system,” he said. “One of my big concerns with battery systems was the need for the shipyard or integrator to supply many of the required subsystems. With the AYK system, we’ve included as many support systems as possible, at no extra cost. This includes racking, in module fire-fighting, breakers, precharge, all cooling and exhaust fans, mass data storage, a large touch screen display, and even an AC power distribution panel. Moreover, our battery is built around safety. We are one of the few manufacturers to exclusively use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and have developed a system where the LFP chemistry is safer, with greater energy density than nickel manganese cobalt. "

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