INNOVATION: Electric bikes are the ideal alternative for urban commuting. Their environmental cost is small, they support physical and mental health and they鈥檙e fun to use. The downside? Most e-bike batteries only last two to three years. are different. Thanks to battery technology developed by the Jeff Dahn Research Group, where Ravi Kempaiah is a post-doctoral fellow, Zen battery packs have double the endurance of the competition. And soon, they鈥檒l last even longer.
鈥淥ur first-generation battery pack already lasts twice that of a typical e-bike battery pack. And we want to be the first company to commercialize Dr. Dahn鈥檚 million-mile battery for two-wheel e-mobility. It would last 10-12 years and reduce thousands of tons of CO2 emission.鈥�
FOUNDATION: Like Dr. Kempaiah, who has a PhD in Li-ion battery science, Zen鈥檚 co-founders are enthusiasts and experts: a principal engineer with ten years鈥� experience in EVs, and a tech solution architect. Backing them up is an advisory board that includes Dr. Dahn, NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair, and Dr. Chris Burns, CEO of NOVONIX.
INSPIRATION: 鈥淚n 2013, I was doing my master鈥檚 and I was adamant that I should not use a gasoline car just to transport me the three miles to campus,鈥� recalls Dr. Kempaiah. 鈥淚 got an e-bike and thought 鈥楾his is game-changing technology.鈥� I wanted to bring more attention to it. That鈥檚 when I did the Guinness Record ride.鈥� Dr. Kempaiah holds the Guinness World Record for longest journey on a motorized bicycle: 8,209.10 km over 34 days across twelve US states. 鈥淚t only cost me $6 in electricity! That convinced me that e-bikes are the future. So, I did my PhD working on batteries.鈥�
WHY IT MATTERS: 鈥淟ong-life batteries for electric mobility鈥攖hat鈥檚 our goal. A battery that lasts 10 to 12 years means less e-waste and better sustainability,鈥� says Dr. Kempaiah. But their ambitions don鈥檛 stop there. 鈥淭he next step? Let鈥檚 say you have two e-bikes, they could become an electrical backup for your home during a power outage. In places where the electrical grid is unreliable, you can ride your e-bike during the day and when you get back home, use it to power your lights and radio and other things.鈥�
听
This story appeared in the DAL Magazine Fall 2022 issue. Flip through the rest of the Fall 2022 issue using the links below.