Delta-Q’s founders had a vision – to create a company that would change the world with “Delta-Q in electric vehicles, everywhere”. 20 years later, we grew from a small, idealistic start-up to realizing that vision. But as we continue to grow and evolve, we pondered, what’s next for Delta-Q?
After months of planning, assessing and reassessing…we decided it’s time for a change!
So, our team started working tirelessly together to create our very first low-powered battery charger, the RQ350. Bringing this product to life was far from easy, but our team continued to persevere, while collaborating as a unit. Even through the COVID-19 pandemic!
We are so proud of this accomplishment, which is why wanted to highlight the teams that worked so hard to make this project a reality.
In this blog , we are featuring Delta-Q’s Product Manager, Nikhil Iyer.
Q: Why don’t you introduce yourself and your role in the RQ350 project?
Nikhil Iyer: Hello, my name is Nikhil Iyer and I’m the product manager at Delta-Q for the RQ Series battery chargers. My role is to interact with customers and understand their pain points, identify opportunities in the market, and develop products and solutions to help our customers succeed. I also perform competitive analysis and translate these stories into a shared vision for a product, which the Delta-Q engineering team used to develop the RQ350.
Q: What does RQ stand for and why did you choose this name?
Nikhil Iyer: That’s a good question! Our company had a lot of fun trying to figure out the name. The RQ stands for “Redefining Quality”. With this charger, our goal was to introduce a product in the market that is the best in its category for small floor care equipment, mobile elevated work platforms, lift trucks and e-mobility. Quality is a driving factor and a core principle at Delta-Q, which is why we wanted that value reflected in the name.
Q: Why did Delta-Q enter the 350W battery charger market?
Nikhil Iyer: Over the years, customers have shared with us about the absence of a reliable charging solution for their machines that have smaller battery capacities. We felt this was an opportune moment to solve our customer needs, which led to the design of the RQ350.
Q: What makes the RQ Series unique compared to other chargers on the market and for Delta-Q?
Nikhil Iyer: With the RQ350, our goal was to redefine quality expectations, and customer experience, in the low-power battery charger market. Based on my conversations with our customers, the three common challenges we uncovered were charger failure, premature battery failure and non-compliance to regulatory standards. So, using our experience in building durable, automotive grade battery chargers, we wanted to bring this reliability, quality and durability, that is proven from the IC series, into the 350W market.
The RQ Series builds on the same foundation of the IC/RC/ICL Series chargers, but adds new capabilities in terms of design and engineering capacity. When comparing this product to other chargers on the market, we find that the RQ has the highest power density. Most of the chargers that are on-board, and/or used within small machines today, have an open-sealed design that can easily get damaged from water or dirt ingress. They also don’t have a high shock and vibration protection, so repeated use breaks down the charger. We addressed all these failure modes with the RQ350.
Q: What was the biggest challenge with making the project a success and how did you overcome it?
Nikhil Iyer: The biggest challenge with the RQ350 was to launch a fully sealed, IP66-rated battery charger, in a small footprint, that could be installed onboard small machines. A product that is fan-cooled, and allows air through the electronics for cooling, has its own failure modes. We realized that customers weren’t happy with it, so to address these problems, our engineering teams had to go back to the drawing board. We collaborated multiple times and innovated on almost every aspect of the product design. This resulted in the RQ350, which is our smallest, most compact charger that is fully sealed and very reliable.
Q: How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact you to make this project come to life and how did you work around it?
Nikhil Iyer: The COVID-19 disrupted our launch plans for the RQ350. We were excited to launch and showcase the product at several trade shows around the world. Unfortunately, all those plans were cancelled, and we had to pivot to a digital-only launch. In fact, we are planning a bunch of exciting sessions to help our customers learn about the product and interact with Delta-Q online.
Click here to learn more about our new RQ350 battery charger.
About Delta-Q Technologies
Delta-Q Technologies, a leading provider of battery charging solutions that improve the performance and reliability of electric drive vehicles and industrial equipment, has over 20 years of experience helping tier 1 OEMs electrify their products, while its engineering team has a combined experience of over 60 years working with CAN programming and telematic systems. The company has become the supplier of choice to many of the world’s leading manufacturers of electric golf cars, lift trucks, aerial work platforms, motorcycles and scooters, floor care machines, and utility and recreational vehicles. Delta-Q is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with a local presence in the U.S., Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.delta-q.com.
