Korean technology company Kokam has introduced a new battery called Xpand that is designed to improve battery safety and performance for commercial electric vehicles.

By using a liquid cooling system that cools battery cells directly, Xpand batteries have as much as 75% reduced mass compared to air-cooled systems. This allows the company to produce batteries with higher energy density in a more compact package.

The company said that its new batteries exceed current electric vehicle battery standards for safety, with a ceramic separator and other battery pack thermal containment to prevent thermal runaway. The batteries have received an IP67 rating for dust and water protection and also meet many other major standards, per Kokam.

The batteries are also designed for better longevity, with a lifespan of over 6,000 cycles, according to Kokam. They feature a modular plug-and-play design to help adapt to a variety of EV applications while also making them easier to service in the field.

The batteries also come with built-in monitoring capabilities featuring diagnostics, battery state information, and a flexible system architecture to provide more accurate charge and health estimates.

The Xpand battery pack will be offered in two versions: XMP71P, a 7.1-kilowatt hour version, and XMP114E, an 11.4-kilowatt hour version. Both versions are scalable enough to support EV applications from 7.1-kilowatt hours up to 1.5-megawatt hours of capacity in a wide variety of voltages.

"While cost and performance are important considerations for electric bus, tram, and other EV manufacturers when selecting a battery, safety is their number one priority," said Ike Hong, vice president of Kokam's Power Solutions Division. "With Xpand, Kokam now offers manufacturers an EV battery pack that has been tested and certified to be one of the safest EV battery solutions on the market - while still offering high levels of performance at a competitive price."