F O C U S 2 7
driving fundamental cost reductions,
and this segment provided the ideal
forcing function to push us to stepchange
improvements.”
One of the most interesting elements
of the Redshift range is, rather
unsurprisingly, its battery pack. In
fact, Alta has developed the smallest,
most energy-dense battery pack
there is. “The keys to this were focusing
on thermal management of
the battery cells under both normal
operating conditions and in the case
of a cell failure – thermal runaway
– and then implementing some very
novel solutions that enabled us to
extract and move heat more quickly
than anything else we had seen,” says
Fenigstein of the challenges during
development. “We have several innovations
that work together to create
an extremely compact and safe battery
system with this improved thermal
management, all without resorting
to exotic materials or impractical
manufacturing methods.”
AVL’s E-STORAGE Battery Tester
played a key part in the development
of the battery system, with Alta relying
heavily on it in every stage of the
process – characterizing, abuse and
durability testing, and design validation.
“This equipment has been completely
crucial to our success, and we
have benefited greatly from ease of
use, quick feedback and access to experts,
as well as the capabilities and
precise control from the machine itself,”
explains Fenigstein.
>
The heart of Alta’s Redshift motorcycles. In the back: the AVL E-STORAGE Battery Tester.
He continues, outlining the productivity
gains and intuitiveness
the system offers manufacturers.
“AVL E-STORAGE™ system gave
us the ability to run any operating
take, get reliable data and feedback
on tests, and quickly iterate. Within
a very short time after receiving the
machine, we were using it and the
AVL LYNXTM control software to
run complex drive cycles with co-
ordinated control of thermal chambers,
communicating with our battery
pack of CANbus and controlling
multiple other pieces of I/O, all
with an engineer who had never used
the equipment or software before.”
This kind of innovation, of course,
should come as no surprise when
you learn that Alta Motors is based
in the Bay Area of San Francisco – a
world-leading destination for startups
that you may well know as ‘Silicon
Valley’. There are very few areas,
as Fenigstein explains, where you can
find world-class talent across all of
the disciplines necessary to build a
company in a single location that is
not just a technology company but a
manufacturing and consumer product
company, with aspirations to be
a global brand. “Designers, mechanical,
electrical, and firmware engineers,
sales leaders, marketing gurus,
supply chain and logistics experts…
most regions have their specialties but
not the full menu. The Bay Area is
one of the few with everything, and
what it has in addition is a gold rush,
an entrepreneurial spirit. People are
socially rewarded for taking calculated
risks. For working at a start-up.
For aiming big.”
Fenigstein is certainly aiming big –
and he gives us one last insight into
what he loves about the Redshift
range. “Whether you’re using that
level of control and predictability for
safety in rush hour traffic or to extract
the last little bit of traction from
the edge of the tire as you power
out of a corner, it’s really transformative.”
And Alta’s ultimate goal?
“We want our technology to elevate
the rider. To make them better at the
thing they love.” <
>
Marc Fenigstein,
CEO of Alta Motors
Find out more about Alta Motors’ Redshift
range at www.altamotors.co.
Photos: Alta Motors