Kreisel Electric expanding capacity with construction of new Li-ion battery plant

Kreisel Electric, an Austrian developer and manufacturer of high-performance battery packs for electric mobility and stationary energy storage systems, is expanding its production capacity to 800,000 kWh per year with the construction of a new battery plant. The 6,276 m² factory will be equipped with a fully automated production line.

Kreisel says that it leverages assembly and thermal management techniques to deliver 20% more usable capacity available in comparison to the products of its main competitor. With a weight of only 4.1 kilograms and volume of 1.950 liters the Kreisel battery offers 1 kWh capacity.

The three equally sized parts of the new plant building will be used for battery production, as well as for technical development of prototypes and small batch productions. The last section of the building will host the software and engineering development and the offices.

The roof of the factory will be equipped with a photovoltaic system with a 200 kW peak output. The generated solar power will be stored in stationary Kreisel batteries (1,000 kWh) to secure the continuous power supply for building and charging stations. The heat supply is ensured by using the waste heat from the manufacturing machines together with thermal heat pumps.

Kreisel Electric has applied its battery technology in a number of conversions, including a Porsche Panamera with a total electric (operating) range of 450 kilometers (280 miles) without speed reduction (up to 300 km/h / 186 mph), a Skoda Yeti and a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

Kreisel has also swapped out VW’s 24.2 kWh battery pack in an e-Golf and replaced it with a 55.7 kWh Kreisel pack, with the weight (330 kg) remaining identical. The range improves from 190 to more than 430 km—i.e., from 120 to 267 miles.

Kreisel also works with manufacturers, fleet operators, and taxi and transport companies, either producing a custom-made small-scale series with up to 500 vehicles or supporting the establishment and operation of a licensed implementation of its technology.