Volthium has invested just over $300,000 in research and development to develop lithium backup batteries that would meet Hydro-Québec standards.
“We are really the only Canadian company to have passed the certification tests at Hydro-Québec, it’s my greatest pride,” enthuses Yanni Samson, Technical Director.
In addition to providing the state-owned company with battery backup for its telecommunications towers and infrastructure, Volthium is experiencing enviable growth at home and abroad. The Quebec company has indeed won a major contract in California. “The largest manufacturer of electric boats, founded in 1970, had problems with its lithium batteries. They decided to drop their cheaper product to go with us,” says Yanni Samson. The young entrepreneur is trying to make his American presence profitable by seeking out other clients, in particular manufacturers of recreational vehicles (RV). “The demand there is absolutely crazy,” he says.
If the demand for lithium is lower in Quebec, Volthium is happy to do good business in the other provinces of the country, particularly in Ontario, where hydroelectricity rates are much higher than at home. “People are already paying for solar systems to be able to lower their bill. When you have already paid for your solar system, your battery input is already there. You are able, if there is a power outage, to support yourself. At the same time, it allows you to further reduce your electricity consumption,” says Yanni Samson.
Volthium brought its first lithium battery to market three years ago. Since then, the company has added 17 products to its catalog and grown from 1 to 19 employees. “We never thought that the ascent would be dazzling like this,” admits its technical director.
In addition to expanding markets, development is at the heart of the company’s activities.
Volthium works together with chemists and electrochemists to develop quality lithium batteries, adapted to our climate. All the prototypes are manufactured in its workshop on the South Shore and, once all the satisfaction tests have been passed, the parts are delivered to assembly companies around the world.
Yanni Samson prides itself on offering the best lithium batteries on the market, with a basic 10-year warranty and an approximate life of 25 years. “All the details, everything is thought out so that it really lasts and that it does honor to this technology. Lithium-iron-phosphate, by definition, theoretically speaking, is good for 25 years, but if you cheapen on certain details, this battery that could last 25 years will last 3. We are not trying to t be as cheap as possible, we try to be the best possible. »
Volthium is a finalist in the “start-up” category at Mercuriades 2023.
