Community Member Spotlight: Venus Desai
Meet Venus Desai, co-founder of Nugen Systems (ATDC). As part of our Community Member Spotlight series, we sat down with Venus during our Tesla Battery Day Fireside Chat last month to learn more about Nugen Systems and what they’re working on.
“I started my career launching lithium ion batteries for cell phones for Motorola.”
Venus worked as an Engineering Manager when he first started with the company. In his 11 years at Motorola, he rose through the ranks up to the company’s Product/Business Manager, where he developed and launched wireless accessory products for the consumer, government, and enterprise markets.
“[We believe] that everything that’s fossil fuel-powered today, sooner or later will be extinct.”
Together with his team at Nugen Systems, Venus developed an advanced Lithium ion (Li-ion) rechargeable battery system, which can directly replace existing lead acid batteries currently used in most material handling equipment (think autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), pallet jacks, and forklifts). Nugen Systems empowers companies to operate their material handling equipment with batteries that are eight times smaller in capacity that last 2.5 times longer, and in many cases, provide for a zero-downtime, lead-free operation.
“Think of how many times you’ve been to a food truck or ice cream truck, and you can smell generator fuel along with the ice cream or food you’re eating. You [also] can see the oil sludges around [the truck, which could be off-putting]. Wouldn't it be cool if [their fuel-powered energy source] was replaced with a battery-powered generator that gave it the power it needs for the whole day? [The truck would make] no noise, no pollution, [and it] would be more cost-effective given the rise of gas and electricity.”
According to his team, the Li-on battery presents many cost, performance, and environmental improvements over the traditional lead acid batteries. Some of the advantages of Li-ion batteries over lead acid batteries include:
Faster recharging
Longer life cycle
100 percent charge efficiency
Maintenance-free
DID YOU KNOW?
Photo by Kento Awashima
The first safe, production-viable Li-on battery prototype was created in 1985 by Akiro Yoshino. Since then, the Li-on battery has become widely used in cell phones and laptop computers. In 2019, Yoshino was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
What’s the fastest charging battery-powered device you own? Let us know in the comments below.