August 3, 2023: The Sunlight Group said on August 1 it had successfully completed an R&D program  into developing ‘smarter and healthier’ lithium ion batteries.

Smarter batteries mean their lifespan can be extended beyond existing limits and healthier batteries are those with a reduced environmental footprint that create less waste, the lead and lithium battery manufacturer said.

The R&D program, which ran from January 2021 until this summer, will help the group develop a “robust prediction model” for monitoring the state of health and state of charge of lithium batteries for electric industrial vehicles.

 Integrating the model to improve the battery management system for Sunlight’s products was also a program goal.

Sunlight worked with its academic-based INEM Technologies spin-off on the R&D project, which the companies said showed lithium depletion is a key factor in battery ageing, together with increased internal resistance.