The TWIKE 5 was actually due to be launched in 2021, but last fall the start of production was postponed to mid-2022. At the time, it was said that a producer for the electric drive had been found in Vitesco.
The largest version of the battery was supposed to store 30 kWh; otherwise the details remained somewhat unclear. There was talk of a “robust but smaller capacity battery cell”. Now there are more details.
A cylindrical battery cell in 18650 format (i.e. 18 mm diameter, 65 mm height) was then planned, but one of the two potential suppliers announced the end of production for the cell “from one day to the next”. The successor cell was “presumably snatched from under TWIKE’s nose by an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) in the automotive industry”, according to TWIKE. The remaining supplier formulated new boundary conditions and reduced the originally promised properties.
At the end of summer 2021, TWIKE therefore had to start looking for a suitable battery again. It had to have good cycle stability and not be too tall. TWIKE would have compromised on capacity because they hoped to compensate for this by reducing power consumption and thus be able to maintain the targeted range of 400 km.
In the end, TWIKE found what it was looking for, although it seems to have moved away from the 18650 format and chosen a different standard format. This is presumably the announced more robust but smaller cell. The 2170 and 4680 formats often discussed in the automotive sector are larger than 18650; however, Wikipedia lists a whole host of other sizes such as 14250 or 14500. TWIKE has not yet revealed which one is to be used.
The weight should increase due to the more robust cell housing, but this is good for the center of gravity, according to TWIKE. The cycle stability of the new cells should be considerably better than with the originally planned battery. And the storage capacity should now be “more than 35 kWh” (instead of 30 kWh). TWIKE therefore now expects a range of over 500 km.
The new information on the battery is still not very specific. Apparently TWIKE wants to test the new battery first before releasing more detailed information. So even six months before the planned start of production in the summer, a lot of the technology of the TWIKE 5 remains vague.
Source: TWIKE 5 – insideevs.de
