Lucas Bell 
Every modern electric vehicle sits atop a large battery pack, which is not unlike the one found in your phone or laptop. To say they are exactly the same would be a bit of an oversimplification, but they are certainly made by the same people. Tesla works closely with Panasonic to build and source batteries for their cars, while the Mustang Mach-E’s battery comes from LG Chem. While these other automakers outsourced battery production, Michigan-based Bollinger Motors has just filed a patent for a brand new battery pack design of their own.
The patent-pending design features a pack made of 35 kWh strings that can be connected in series or parallel, which allows for a tremendous amount of configurability. Bollinger says that this will allow pack sizes to range from 35, 70, 105, 140, and even 175 kWh and higher. Furthermore, these unique batteries will be available in both 350V and 700V configurations.
Bollinger Motors haven’t just thought about output however, as the modules have been packaged in a way that provides multiple benefits. The modules have been mounted to both sides of a symmetrical I-beam, which both supports and helps protect the pack from side intrusions. The I-beam also aids in heat management, as cooling fluids are channeled through these supports around the pack.
The patent also includes the new Battery Management System that Bollinger Motors is working on, which will work in tandem with other vehicle control modules to protect the batteries. The company also says that these batteries were specifically designed with medium duty trucks, agricultural and construction equipment in mind. Perhaps that’s no surprise from the makers of the first Class 3 EV.
Bollinger Motors will begin manufacturing these battery packs for use in their own vehicles in 2021, but the company has wider plans. The battery packs will also be made commercially available as a standalone product, which may help to propel Bollinger Motors to a whole new level. If these batteries are really able to power heavy equipment, and if they can be built efficiently, Bollinger will have a future in this industry without a doubt.
