Latest Updates: batteries RSS

• Renault Bets Big on Electric Vehicles
  Srikant Rajan 06:15:21 pm on October 12, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: batteries, carmaker, electric car, hybrid vehicles, lithium ion batteries, renault

  French car maker Renault is skeptical of a hybrid vehicle’s environmental friendly performance.Renault says hybrids cannot deliver the level of gasoline use and emissions reductions that governments and customers are demanding of automakers.Its vision of environmental friendly is a small electric car principally designed for simple no frills  daily commuting. At the Paris show, Renault unveiled a concept car showing the design of a compact EV commuter car: an EV version of its “   Kangoo   ” utility van, with startling acid-green windows to minimize air conditioning and a lithium-ion battery that carries the van 160 to 200 kilometers on an average charge.

  While designing a hybrid car is challenging ( putting 2 different engines than one is expected to be ! ) , a pure electric car isn’t really feasible.For starters , such a vehicle would have very limited range .Further more additional battery power than gas power would mean an increase increased manufacturing of batteries adding to their share of industrial pollution

   

• Ultracapacitor for Rapid Cell Phone Charging ?
  Srikant Rajan 01:13:02 pm on September 16, 2008 | 1 | # |
  Tags: batteries, cell phones, consumer electronics, energy storage, ultracapacitor

  Ultracapacitor’s have fast charging rates but their storage capacity is limited.This has limited their application in niche sectors that require high power at a rapid rate , albeit also need repetitive charging such as high power to vehicles in uphill terrains.A typical ultracapacitor consists of  aluminum electrodes suspended in an electrolyte.A voltage applied to electrodes separates ions in the electrolyte which when flowing out an external circuit generate electricity.The catch however is the limited area of electrode surfaces that limits their charge storage capacity.

  Research by Institute of Chemical Defense, in China, could boost ultracapacitor’s’ ability to store energy.The researchers have developed an electrode that can store twice as much charge as the activated-carbon electrodes used in current ultracapacitor. The new electrode contains flower-shaped manganese oxide nano-particles deposited on vertically grown carbon nanotubes. Preliminary research indicates that this design may deliver more power and is also more durable than conventional electrode design.

   

• Geothermal For Cheaper Batteries
  Srikant Rajan 03:11:58 pm on August 26, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: batteries, electric cars, ev, geothermal energy, lithium, simbol mining

  Electric cars are touted as green alternatives for satisfying transportation needs as compared to fossil fuel powered vehicles.However in order to promote their faster adoption we need to find cost effective and eco friendly alternatives for manufacturing of electric car components.Batteries, form a critical and also pose challenges in economic manufacturing.This is particularly on account of the expensive lithium used in their production.

  Simbol Mining, is presently researching cheaper and cost effective methods to mine lithium for use in batteries.The process used involves tapping into geothermal waters that have had an extended period of contact with earths crust.This extended contact results in dissolution of minerals and metals within the water.This water is further processed for re-extraction of metals .

   

• Solar Power Even Without Sun
  Srikant Rajan 02:22:01 pm on August 6, 2008 | 7 | # |
  Tags: batteries, fuel cell, MIT, solar cell, solar power

  The sun goes down in the night and with it goes the electricity being generated by a solar cell.Of course you can store some of the energy generated in a battery , but that is not cost economical.Now MIT has come come up with a process that may allow unlimited solar power.The essence of this new technology is similar to the process of photosynthesis.The electricity generated by a solar cell is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases , which are later recombined within a fuel cell to provide power when solar power is unavailable.

  This process uses a catalyst that can work well at room temperature and is easy to fabricate.Additionally this process also also  provides an attractive interlinking of two green energy generators( solar and fuel cells) .However there is still the challenge of integrating this into mainstream solar cells, which itself is in development phase.Researchers however add “ This is just the beginning. The scientific community is really going to run with this “. It is further anticipated that this technology could be close to commercialization within the coming decade.

   

• Volkswagen Also Goes The Hybrid Route
  Srikant Rajan 05:06:40 pm on May 29, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: batteries, Hybrid, lithium ion, metal hydride, sanyo, volkswagen

  Till the year 2006 German car maker Volkswagen (VW) had been consistent in its decision of not entering the hybrid car segment.Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder, chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen, went as far as to say “We are not interested in making cars which don’t make money.”However increasing demand for green products seems to have forced VW a rethink on its strategy. (VW) is partnering with Japanese based Sanyo Electric, to manufacture lithium ion batteries.These  batteries are widely used in a variety of electronic goods such as laptops and also present a attractive alternative to metal hydride batteries,particularly for hybrid cars on account of their high energy density as compared to hydride batteries.Under this partnership,Sanyo aims to produce 15000 -20000 batteries by 2009 and also planned to invest nearly $769 million to expand production capacity by the year 2015.

   

• Ultracapacitors or Batteries for Electric Vehicles ?
  Srikant Rajan 07:18:05 am on May 25, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: batteries, electric vehicle, ev, gm, maxwell, ultracapacitor, volt, wagoner

  The main limitation of an electric vehicle is he cost of the battery used by it.GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner ,has recently revealed that the company aims to launch its Chevy Volt by 2010.However Wagoner highlighted that the main challenge currently being faced  is the high cost of the battery which is threatening to push he cost of the Volt beyond GM’s projection of $30,000/vehicle.Ultracapacitors provide an alternative to the use of batteries as they are more durable and less expensive.Maxwell Technologies is currently the largest enterprise in the Ultracapacitors segment.Maxwell’s affordable Energy Line series and the  Power Line series provide an attractive alternative to batteries in virtually any application.