Li-Bridge leading the USA across lithium battery chasm
Li-Bridge alliance hopes to solve supply problem where China manufactures over 75% of lithium batteries worldwide.
Tag: Battery Research
US Dept of Energy funding electric vehicle and battery research
The Trump Administration has been taking all kinds of actions to undermine environmental regulations, coddle polluters, and support fossil fuels, but at the same time the Administration continues to fund research into clean energy technologies. In January, the Dept of Energy announced a funding opportunity for up to $133 million…
Toyota’s battery breakthrough, does it mean they’ll ever abandon fuel cells?
It’s clear that Toyota has for a couple years now downplayed battery electric cars in favor of Fuel Cell vehicles. Rather than stay invested in Tesla Motors, Toyota sold off their stake, they’ve buried the Toyota Prius Plug-in, did not produce any more of the Gen2 Toyota RAV4 EV, and have…
FORD ACCELERATES EXPANSION OF ELECTRIFIED VEHICLE BATTERY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, BENEFITING CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE
Ford is expanding its global battery research and development footprint for electrified vehicles this year, adding research and engineering capabilities in Europe and Asia to take advantage of new market opportunities The company has invested in a world-class battery research and development facility at the University of Michigan to…
Sion Power and Solid Energy claim lithium-metal batteries will give us 200+ mile range EV’s
The quest for long range electric cars is heading towards lithium metal batteries, according to two companies who presented at the IDtechEx battery technology conference last week in Santa Clara. The companies, Sion Power and Solid Energy, both claim the lithium-ion battery won’t supply the needed energy density and cost improvements to implement…
24-M says they’ve got Lithium-Ion redesign to beat them all
Current Lithium-ion battery design involves lots of thin layers that 24-M claims is costly. Their newly developed design, created by the scientists who created A-123 Systems, uses semi-solid materials that allow for just one layer rather than dozens of layers. It means more of the volume of each cell is…
Ford and Samsung hope to eliminate lead-acid batteries from gasoline cars
One of the negative impacts of regular gasoline powered cars is the lead-acid battery that drives the starter motor, and also helps to run the 12 volt system. Lead acid battery production has a negative impact because Lead is obviously one of the horrid chemicals. While lead acid batteries are…
Two materials science breakthroughs could reduce EV cost and reliance on rare materials
A couple recent materials science breakthroughs could, if they pan out, reduce the need for rare materials in electric cars, reduce their cost, etc. Researchers see rare-earth-like magnetic properties in iron: The issue is the rare earth metals normally required in magnets for electric motors. While Iron can hold a…
Nissan Leaf hot battery, increased range, may (or may not) be coming soon, possibly
Will Nissan launch, this year, a version of the Nissan Leaf that gives a 135 mile driving range? According to an article last week on TheStreet.com, that’s exactly what Nissan will do, by this fall. Unfortunately the article offers no solid proof, just a pile of weak guesswork. However, one…
Electric car prices reaching tipping point by 2020, making buying an EV a ‘no-brainer’
In part what will drive electric vehicle adoption is the fact that electricity is a cheaper fuel than gasoline – so long as electricity rates stay about what they are today. But the price premium for today’s electric vehicles over equivalent gasoline powered vehicles make it hard to recognize the…
Dept. of Energy awards over $30 million in battery research grants
A $45 million package of Department of Energy grants supporting advanced vehicle technologies included $22.5 million for advanced battery research, and another $8 million for power electronics research. The grants aim to cut battery size and weight in half, allow semiconductors to operate more efficiently and at higher temperature, give greater durability, reliability, and lower…
There is a Moore’s Law for batteries – it’s just a long time before capacity doubles
Most “technology” developments are enjoying a rapid pace of development, and in computer technology there is a truism known as Moore’s Law that claims CPU’s will double in complexity/capability/speed every 18 months. It’s Moore’s Law that explains why our cell phones have more computing power than the supercomputers of the…
Are the “perfect” lithium air batteries the enemy of lithium ion batteries
Routinely some news makes the rounds touting some far off future battery technology as the savior of electric cars. The headline vaporously screams we’ll be driving cars powered by graphene, or lithium air, or compressed air, or something or other. There are several ways to think about this and the…
Is GM working on a 200 mile range Chevy Volt? Probably, but so too are the other carmakers
The news is buzzing today with word that GM is working on a 200 mile range Chevy Volt. Bloomberg News has a report claiming that GM’s CEO Dan Akerson said this: “There will be breakthroughs in battery technology, they’re on the horizon. We’re actually developing a car today which is…
A123 Systems announces cold/hot weather battery breakthrough amid financial woes
A123’s new Nanophosphate EXT technology offers better performance in cold and hot weather, reduces the need for thermal management systems, and is a breath of good news following months of difficult times at A123 Systems. Amid worries that A123 Systems might be unable to continue as a going concern, the…
US Dept of Energy funding electric vehicle and battery research
The Trump Administration has been taking all kinds of actions to undermine environmental regulations, coddle polluters, and support fossil fuels, but at the same time the Administration continues to fund research into clean energy technologies. In January, the Dept of Energy announced a funding opportunity for up to $133 million…
Toyota’s battery breakthrough, does it mean they’ll ever abandon fuel cells?
It’s clear that Toyota has for a couple years now downplayed battery electric cars in favor of Fuel Cell vehicles. Rather than stay invested in Tesla Motors, Toyota sold off their stake, they’ve buried the Toyota Prius Plug-in, did not produce any more of the Gen2 Toyota RAV4 EV, and have…
FORD ACCELERATES EXPANSION OF ELECTRIFIED VEHICLE BATTERY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, BENEFITING CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE
Ford is expanding its global battery research and development footprint for electrified vehicles this year, adding research and engineering capabilities in Europe and Asia to take advantage of new market opportunities The company has invested in a world-class battery research and development facility at the University of Michigan to…
Sion Power and Solid Energy claim lithium-metal batteries will give us 200+ mile range EV’s
The quest for long range electric cars is heading towards lithium metal batteries, according to two companies who presented at the IDtechEx battery technology conference last week in Santa Clara. The companies, Sion Power and Solid Energy, both claim the lithium-ion battery won’t supply the needed energy density and cost improvements to implement…
24-M says they’ve got Lithium-Ion redesign to beat them all
Current Lithium-ion battery design involves lots of thin layers that 24-M claims is costly. Their newly developed design, created by the scientists who created A-123 Systems, uses semi-solid materials that allow for just one layer rather than dozens of layers. It means more of the volume of each cell is…
Ford and Samsung hope to eliminate lead-acid batteries from gasoline cars
One of the negative impacts of regular gasoline powered cars is the lead-acid battery that drives the starter motor, and also helps to run the 12 volt system. Lead acid battery production has a negative impact because Lead is obviously one of the horrid chemicals. While lead acid batteries are…
Two materials science breakthroughs could reduce EV cost and reliance on rare materials
A couple recent materials science breakthroughs could, if they pan out, reduce the need for rare materials in electric cars, reduce their cost, etc. Researchers see rare-earth-like magnetic properties in iron: The issue is the rare earth metals normally required in magnets for electric motors. While Iron can hold a…
Nissan Leaf hot battery, increased range, may (or may not) be coming soon, possibly
Will Nissan launch, this year, a version of the Nissan Leaf that gives a 135 mile driving range? According to an article last week on TheStreet.com, that’s exactly what Nissan will do, by this fall. Unfortunately the article offers no solid proof, just a pile of weak guesswork. However, one…
Electric car prices reaching tipping point by 2020, making buying an EV a ‘no-brainer’
In part what will drive electric vehicle adoption is the fact that electricity is a cheaper fuel than gasoline – so long as electricity rates stay about what they are today. But the price premium for today’s electric vehicles over equivalent gasoline powered vehicles make it hard to recognize the…
Dept. of Energy awards over $30 million in battery research grants
A $45 million package of Department of Energy grants supporting advanced vehicle technologies included $22.5 million for advanced battery research, and another $8 million for power electronics research. The grants aim to cut battery size and weight in half, allow semiconductors to operate more efficiently and at higher temperature, give greater durability, reliability, and lower…
There is a Moore’s Law for batteries – it’s just a long time before capacity doubles
Most “technology” developments are enjoying a rapid pace of development, and in computer technology there is a truism known as Moore’s Law that claims CPU’s will double in complexity/capability/speed every 18 months. It’s Moore’s Law that explains why our cell phones have more computing power than the supercomputers of the…
Are the “perfect” lithium air batteries the enemy of lithium ion batteries
Routinely some news makes the rounds touting some far off future battery technology as the savior of electric cars. The headline vaporously screams we’ll be driving cars powered by graphene, or lithium air, or compressed air, or something or other. There are several ways to think about this and the…
Is GM working on a 200 mile range Chevy Volt? Probably, but so too are the other carmakers
The news is buzzing today with word that GM is working on a 200 mile range Chevy Volt. Bloomberg News has a report claiming that GM’s CEO Dan Akerson said this: “There will be breakthroughs in battery technology, they’re on the horizon. We’re actually developing a car today which is…
A123 Systems announces cold/hot weather battery breakthrough amid financial woes
A123’s new Nanophosphate EXT technology offers better performance in cold and hot weather, reduces the need for thermal management systems, and is a breath of good news following months of difficult times at A123 Systems. Amid worries that A123 Systems might be unable to continue as a going concern, the…
