MIT Tackles Making An Electric Car That Recharges In Ten Minutes

The overall practicality of electric vehicle tranportation depends on the speed of battery recharge. Many EVs take six to eight hours. MIT is going for something closer to what people might experience at the gas pump.

Michael Mulcahy at GizMag.com reports:

"Sometimes in science, it helps to set the bar high. That seems to be the attitude of the MIT Electric Vehicle Team (EVT). By their reckoning, one of the biggest impediments to the average driver adopting an electric vehicle is recharge times. So ....their next project is to produce a prototype family car that will achieve 0-60mph in under nine seconds, have a range of 200 miles, and fully recharge in under 11 minutes. Dubbed the elEVen, this latest project is an attempt to build an electric car that meets the expectations of mainstream drivers, including a “refill” time comparable to that at a gas pump. The engine will be replaced with a 250-horsepower, 180kW AC induction motor, donated by SatCon and originally designed for use in a 16.5-ton electric transit bus. Given the sedan will only weigh about 2 tons, it should easily achieve their acceleration goal and, better, manage a top speed of about 100mph." See full article:

A Battery That Stores Enough Solar to Run A House For 24 Hours

A new battery is helping to store enough power to greatly improve the overall effectiveness of alternative energy.

Times of India reports:

"A Utah-based company has found a new way to store solar energy – in a small ceramic disk which can store more power for less. Researchers at Ceramatec have created the disk, which can hold up to 20-kilowatt hours, enough to power an entire house for a large portion of the day. The new battery runs on sodium-sulfur — a composition that typically operates at greater than 600°F. “Sodium-sulfur is more energetic than lead-acid, so if you can somehow get it to a lower temperature, it would be valuable for residential use”, Ralph Brodd, an independent energy conversion consultant, says. Ceramatec’s new battery runs at less than 200°F. " See full article.

Will Vehicles of the Future Supply Power to the Grid?

What if millions of cars and trucks had a two-way relationship with the power grid?

Alternantive Energy News.info reports:

"How about a vehicle that not only draws energy from an electric grid but also gives it back when there is surplus or unused energy in the vehicle? This is exactly the kind of car being developed by Willett Kempton, a renewable-energy professor at the University of Delaware.

This is a great concept, especially when 95% of the time the vehicles are just standing and their batteries remain unused. While it’s not being driven, an electric-drive motor vehicle can be plugged into a nearby grid and that grid can receive energy from the vehicle. When the battery needs to be charged it can be quickly done by drawing energy from the grid. According to some claims this can provide a utility value of $4000 per year to a vehicle owner." See full article.

Despite Bankruptcy, GM Opens $25 Million Battery Lab

Electric vehicles loomlarge in General Motor's future as evidenced by its opening a new technology lab in Michigan.

Johnathan Martinez at Examiner.com reports:

"The failing auto giant’s highly anticipated energy research lab officially opened up shop on Monday, despite filing chapter 11 bankruptcy. The new lab, located in Warren, Michigan, is touted as the world’s most leading-edge automotive technology research center. Chevrolet's electric car, the Volt, is the reason why GM went ahead with the facility. The laboratory has turned some heads, including those of the U.S. government, who have given GM billions as they continue to restructure and layoff workers. The battery research lab’s main goal is getting the Chevy Volt, the company’s first fully electric vehicle, off assembly lines by the scheduled 2010 deadline." See full article.

IBM Shoots for 500-Mile Electric Car Battery

Today's electric cars are fairly limited in how far they can go without being recharged. IBM's investment in a new battery technology may be changing that.

International Business Times reports:

"The company [IBM] will begin a project to develop lithium metal-air batteries that perform 10 times better, are lighter and more compact than today's lithium-ion batteries. For the project, IBM's Research unit will partner with U.S. laboratories to develop a technology that uses lithium metal to react with oxygen in the air, resulting in a storage capacity of more than 5,000 watt-hours per kilogram, more than ten times the capacity of today's lithium-ion batteries. A battery with this technology is expected to run for 500 miles, IBM said according to MIT." See full article.

Electric Car Battery Swapping Stations

One approach being explored by a California firm is setting up battery swap stations.

Environmental Leader.com reports.

"Better Place, a California company, is testing the process for extending the mileage of electric cars by swapping out batteries at strategically placed stations.

At a demonstration in Yokohama, Japan, using a Nissan electric vehicle, the company demonstrated the technology, in which customers would subscribe to a service based on their estimated driving needs. Individual charging stations, not consumers, would own the batteries.
Markets targeted for the service include the United States, Israel, Denmark, Canada and Japan, according to Reuters." See full article.

Battery that Runs on Air

More efficient power storage and battery power is a key to a low-carbon future and there are many new bettery technologies evolving including the "air" battery from Scotland.

Inventorspot.com reports:

Within the next five years we could see electric cars that can run far longer on one charge than a tank or two of gas. Your computer and cell phone batteries could last for several days without charging... while they are in use! In one huge step for the electronics and renewable energy industries, air power could actually be in 'charge.'

Researchers at Scotland's University of St. Andrews are reporting great progress in their work on the air-powered battery, which is being designed to replace the lithium cobalt oxide electrode in the fuel cell. The "STAIR" (St. Andres Air) battery will run on all renewable sources, including solar, wind, and oxygen!

The four-year research project, sponsored by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Councle of Great Britain (EPSRC), is not even two years underway, but the project has already achieved a battery lasting 8 times longer than a lithium cobalt oxide battery, and the overall goal was to achieve a battery with 5 to 10 times more life." See full article.