Kolibri batteries - what are they and are they better than lithium-ion batteries? [ANSWER]

A video has appeared on one of the YouTube channels in which Kolibri batteries (also: Colibri) are referred to as being ahead of time. We decided to check what they are and how they differ from modern lithium-ion batteries.

Instead of an introduction: summary

Table of contents

• • Instead of an introduction: summary
• Colibri Batteries vs Lithium Ion Batteries – Which is Better?
  • We check reality, i.e. checking the facts
    • Multiple calculations
  • Kolibri battery drawback facts (read: they weren't innovative)
    • Battery capacity decreases, mass increases - that is, a regression during the study of Dekra.
    • Comparison of Kolibri and classic Li-ion batteries
    • 2010: Production of accumulators in Germany does not exist
    • Batteries in black boxes, cells never showed
    • Coverage test: why at night and without proof?
  • Wnioski

In our opinion, the creator of the battery is a scammer (unfortunately...) and youtuber Bald TV is more of a sensation than a fact check. This also applies to the section on Kolibri batteries, their creator Mark Hannemann and his company DBM Energy. It seems to us that Kolibri batteries are ordinary Chinese, Japanese or Korean cells packed in a black DBM Energy case. We will try to prove this below.

> There will be new periodic vehicle tests. Stricter requirements, emission tests (DPF), noise and leakage

For sensational and conspiracy theories, take a look. If you prefer proven facts and meaningful information, don't run away.

ALL THE TRUTH ABOUT CARS AND BATTERIES. WHOLE PL DOCUMENT (BaldTV)

As described in the video, the Colibri Battery (DBM) is a "dry solid electrolyte lithium polymer lithium polymer battery that was ready for mass production in 2008." Its creator drove an Audi A2 column with a Bosch drive and a 98 kWh battery for 605 kilometers on a single charge. In 2010

In addition, Deka examined, the narrator continues, on the dynamometer another Audi A2 equipped with the Kolibri package. The car weighed less than 1,5 tons and had a battery capacity of 63 kWh. This one reached a range of 455 kilometers.

> Li-S batteries - a revolution in aircraft, motorcycles and cars

The rest of the film introduces battery manufacturer Kolibri as the man destroyed by the media and a former board member of Daimler Benz AG "because he didn't want to disclose his technology to the investor." In a 2018 interview, the technology's creator admitted that the battery has generated "huge interest in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bangkok."

This amount of information is enough for us to check whether we really had a breakthrough.

We check reality, i.e. checking the facts

Let's start from the end: The former Daimler Benz board member wants to stay in business after leaving the company, so he invests your money into promising technology - Hummingbird cells, developed by Mirko Hannemann. Because Howthat car concerns are working hard on electric vehicles.

Like every co-owner has the right to Demand an understanding of the internal processes of the company, especially when he has invested a lot of money in it. Like any investor, he requires concrete results. Meanwhile, Kolibri battery founder Mirko Hannemann prides himself on "not revealing his technology to the investor." The company went bankrupt because it had nothing to sell, and the investor decided he would no longer add money to it. For Hannemann, this is a reason for fame, although he looks for the guilty elsewhere:

But let's assume that this episode didn't happen. Let's go back to the experiment with the converted Audi A2 presented in the first paragraph. Well, the Audi A2 is not chosen by chance, it is one of the lightest cars in the industry! - had to travel 605 kilometers on a single charge with a battery capacity of 98 kWh. And now some facts:

• a full Audi A2 weighs about a ton (source); without engine and gearbox, probably about 0,8 tons - while the car with Kolibri batteries weighs at least 1,5 tons (information from the video about the model tested by Dekra; the creators say something else - more on that below),
• the car had a 115 kWh battery, not 98 kWh, says Bald TV (source).
• the only official announcements of the experiment's progress with numbers come from the car's creators, DBM Energy, founded by Mirko Hannemann,
• the creator was planning a trip at a speed of 130 km / h, but ...
• ... the trip lasted 8 hours and 50 minutes, which means an average speed of 68,5 km / h (source).

Multiple calculations

The 115 kWh battery used at a distance of 605 km provides an average energy consumption of 19 kWh / 100 km at an average speed of 68,5 km / h. This is more than the current BMW i3, which reaches 18 kWh / 100 km during normal driving:

> The most economical electric vehicles according to the EPA: 1) Hyundai Ioniq Electric, 2) Tesla Model 3, 3) Chevrolet Bolt.

Note, however, that the redesigned Audi A2 referred to by DBM Energy was supposed to offer “adequate amount of cabin and trunk space” (source). This is where the first doubt arises: why produce a second car especially for Dekra, if the first one did a great job?

Let's look at the test conditions (= drove all night) and the battery capacity of the "second" Audi A2 (= 63 kWh). Now let's compare these values ​​with the journalistic driving time of the Opel Ampera-e (60 kWh battery), breaking the flight range record:

> Electric Opel Ampera-e / Chevrolet Bolt / covered 755 kilometers on a single charge [UPDATE]

First conclusion (guess): Both Audi A2s described before DBM Energy are actually the same vehicle. or the parameters of the first car were exaggerated. The developer gave almost double the power (115 kWh versus 63 kWh) to lie to the media about the energy density stored in Kolibri batteries.

Decra calculated 455 km for the 2 kWh Audi A63 - so why the difference between 605 km and 455 km for 115 and 63 kWh? It's simple: Hummingbird's battery maker was driving his way (at night; on a tow truck?) and Decra applied the NEDC procedure. 455 km according to Dekra's measurements is 305 km of real range. 305 kilometers are ideal for a battery capacity of 63 kWh. Everything is correct.

On the other hand, Dekra's measurements have nothing to do with the data on the first car provided by DBM Energy.

Kolibri battery drawback facts (read: they weren't innovative)

Battery capacity decreases, mass increases - that is, a regression during the study of Dekra.

The Kolibri batteries in the "second" Audi A2 weighed about 650 kilograms (see Audi A2 weight and vehicle weight declaration with batteries) and supposedly contained 63 kWh of energy. Meanwhile, the same batteries in the first car were supposed to weigh only 300 kg. These declarations give completely different results in terms of energy density: 0,38 kWh / kg in the first machine versus 0,097 kWh / kg in the second machine... The second car Dekra weighed for testing, for the first we can only rely on the statement of Mirko Hannemann / DBM Energy.

Why did the inventor first create a better car, with much denser batteries, and then put the worst car on official trials? It doesn't add up at all (see also the entire previous paragraph).

Comparison of Kolibri and classic Li-ion batteries

The second - in our opinion: true, because Decra signed it - the result in this area is nothing special.The 2010 Nissan Leaf had 218kg batteries with a capacity of 24 kWh, which translates to 0,11 kWh / kg. A hummingbird with a density of 0,097 kWh / kg had worse parameters than a Nissan Leaf battery..

The amount of energy stored in them would only be impressive if the cells actually contained 115 kWh and weighed 300 kg as originally stated by Mirko Hannemann - this data has never been confirmed, however it only existed on paper, i.e. in press declarations dbm. Energy.

> How has battery density changed over the years and have we really not made progress in this area? [WE WILL ANSWER]

2010: Production of accumulators in Germany does not exist

That's not all. In 2010, the battery cell industry in Germany was in its infancy. All commercial applications of electrical cells (read: batteries) have used Far East products: Chinese, Korean, or Japanese. Well, so it is today! Cell development was not considered a strategic direction because the German economy was based on fuel combustion and the automotive industry.

So it's hard a student in a german garage suddenly invented a wonderful method of making solid electrolyte cellswhen powerful industry in the Far East - not to mention Europe - could not do this.

Batteries in black boxes, cells never showed

This is also not all. The “genius creator” of the Hummingbird battery never showed his miraculous elements. (i.e. the elements that make up the battery). They have always been packaged in enclosures with the DBM Energy logo. The “genius creator” was proud that he didn’t even show them to the investor-co-owner of the company.

Coverage test: why at night and without proof?

The film Bald TV tells about ministerial aid when a car broke a record, but in reality, when the car was late for its destination, journalists were confused (source). It means that the car probably drove alone... In the night. Without any supervision.

> Current Featured Electric Vehicle Prices in the Aftermarket: Otomoto + OLX [Nov 2018]

In 2010, camcorders and smartphones appeared. Despite this the ride has not been confirmed by any GPX track, video recording, not even a movie... All data was allegedly collected in a black box, which was "passed to the ministry." The question is: why call in so many journalists and not give them real proof of your success?

As if that were not enough: DBM Energy received state funding for testing the Kolibri battery in the amount of 225 thousand euros, which today is equivalent to more than 970 thousand zlotys. She never considered this grant except on paper., did not show any products. A prototype of a car with a Kolibri battery burned down, the fire was set on fire, and no culprits were found.

Wnioski

Our conclusion: Hannemann is a scammer who packed classic Far Eastern (like Chinese) lithium polymer cells into his cases and sold them as brand new solid electrolyte cells. The Hummingbird battery conspiracy theory, described in a sensational tone, is a fairy tale. The battery maker wanted to seize the moment Tesla hit the market and solid electrolyte cells would give it an edge over it. So he lied about energy density because he had nothing to offer.

But even if his claims were partially true, according to Decra's measurements, the Kolibri batteries performed worse than the Nissan Leafa batteries, which debuted at the same time, built using AESC cells.

This article was written at the request of readers interested in the technology contained in the Colibri / Kolibri batteries.

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