PBES launches marine battery innovation

CellSwap uses a new cost-effective method of retrofitting battery systems by replacing battery cells while leaving the rest of the installation intact. The process, called ‘re-coring’, claims to save up to 60% of the costs of installing a new battery after a five-year cycle, instead of the usual ten.

Brent Perry, CEO, PBES, said: “By removing the need for full battery replacements, CellSwap delivers significant cost, efficiency and environmental benefits, while crucially enabling ship owners and operators to access the latest fast-moving innovations in battery cell technology when systems are replaced every five years, rather than having to wait for ten years.”

The technology takes a ‘serviceable’ approach to battery components. While conventional batteries have to be recycled in their entirety, CellSwap enables battery cells to be replaced while almost all other components are preserved, including electric and cooling components, cell barriers and master battery unit (MBU).

This is achieved due to the large percentage of aluminium present in PBES batteries, which enables the battery to be disassembled every five years and the lithium-ion cells removed and replaced.

This approach is not possible using conventional batteries, which consist of plastic components that are glued together rendering them inaccessible.

PBES has recently marked the production and installation of its 1,000th battery.