Lithium-metal-polymer battery: long-life validation field tests, life prediction and product evolution

This paper is the fifth in a series describing the implementation of lithium-metal-polymer battery (LMP) in telecommunication applications. The LMP has been in field testing since 1999 and is now deployed in five different sites in the USA. An update on the first field test is presented. Parallel to the tests under real conditions, cells and modules are being tested in the laboratory. From the lab test results, we extrapolate a life well in excess of 10 years, even under extreme climatic conditions. These tests demonstrate the LMP´s performance and suitability for telecommunication applications. The LMP technology is quickly moving toward commercialization. A new and improved commercial model, the STOR 48-70 (48 V, 70 Ah), has already been designed. It will be available for testing in January 2002 and ready for commercial production in the second half of the same year.