Dr. in Electrical Engineering, Ernest E. Csapo-Martinescu (ECM) is Senior Technical Advisor, at ROMBAT S.A. company in Bistrita, sole Lead Acid Batteries manufacturer in Romania.

The company, founded on 1980, is one of the top five OEM certified automotive batteries manufacturers for the European market, producing yearly around 2.3 million Lead Acid Automotive Starter Batteries.

As leader for more than 6 years of the ROMBAT product R&D team for the new Start and Stop (S&S) batteries generation, ECM is running a fruitful co-operation with the National Institute for Research and Development for Isotopic and Molecular Technology (INCDTIM) in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in order to increase the electrochemical efficiency of the Lead Acid Batteries by promoting improved Grid Design for this.

As industrial partner’s representative in the Romanian Standardisation Association (ASRO), in co-operation with CENELEC and IEC, ECM is also involved in the mid term development of testing and standardisation activities of the new Lead Acid S&S batteries for Micro Hybrid automotive applications.

Title presentation: New challenges for the lead acid storage and automotive starter batteries industry:
high efficiency energy conversion and reduced environmental impact

Abstract: Battery Manufacturers are currently focusing to the Research and Development of New generation of 12 V Lead Acid Automotive Starter Batteries for modern Micro – Hybrid Start & Stop Cars.

The aim of this Battery Development is reducing the green house CO2 emissions of the actual Internal Combustion Engines driven automotive cars.

The New Start & Stop Batteries have to achieve some special performances as: Low Water Consumption at High Operational Temperature Environment up to +75 oC, High Dynamic Charge Acceptance during Recuperative Braking, Very High Micro Cycling Endurance 2 %DoD, High Deep Cycling Endurance 17.5 %DoD and 50 %DoD of the C20h (Ah) Nominal Capacity, with the lowest possible Specific Material Costs.

In order to fulfil these requirements research is focused on development of new Materials, Grids Designs, Additives and Pasting Technologies for Corrosion Resistant Active Masses as well as new characterization techniques of the final product.

Started on 2014 and founded by Romanian Research and Innovation Ministry, a common R&D Program, between ROMBAT Laboratory in Bistrita in close co-operation with the National Research and Development Institute for Isotopic and Molecular Technologies (INCDTIM) in Cluj – Napoca, has an output of a new Lead Acid Batteries design.