The OEM target is around $1.5 / Kwh, currently retail they go for about $1.2 / ah so about 3x the OEM price.
The issue with going the drop in route is that each battery replacement has to have an inbuilt BMS stystem, Unless they also communicate with others in the string, then they really are not a good solution.
If you simply put a naked Li Ion pack into a Ranger, the over charge would severly damage the cells, and could lead to cells going high voltage.
A safe system has not only a charger designed/ programmed to charge in the correct way (CC going to CV or even just CC) and to the correct voltage, but has a way of shutting down the charger if any cell is detected as going high voltage during charge.
The best a drop in can do is to somehow break the power feed,either by an electronic switch or a contactor, in each unit. That may well be enough, but it cant help but be a costly option. Over time Lithium cells will become the norm and the vehicles will be designed to use them right from the start. At that point costs will come down.
But what isnt taken into account is the life span of a Lithium solution. Lead may last less than 2 years, Li Ion should last 5 to 10 years, but generally 4 to 8 times the number of charge discharge cycles.
The issue with going the drop in route is that each battery replacement has to have an inbuilt BMS stystem, Unless they also communicate with others in the string, then they really are not a good solution.
If you simply put a naked Li Ion pack into a Ranger, the over charge would severly damage the cells, and could lead to cells going high voltage.
A safe system has not only a charger designed/ programmed to charge in the correct way (CC going to CV or even just CC) and to the correct voltage, but has a way of shutting down the charger if any cell is detected as going high voltage during charge.
The best a drop in can do is to somehow break the power feed,either by an electronic switch or a contactor, in each unit. That may well be enough, but it cant help but be a costly option. Over time Lithium cells will become the norm and the vehicles will be designed to use them right from the start. At that point costs will come down.
But what isnt taken into account is the life span of a Lithium solution. Lead may last less than 2 years, Li Ion should last 5 to 10 years, but generally 4 to 8 times the number of charge discharge cycles.