A family of Tesla patents and pending applications relating to a hybrid battery system has been generating a bit of buzz (see, e.g., Cleantechnica’s story here).
The patent family includes U.S. Patent Nos.
A previous post discussed advanced battery maker Electrovaya’s lithium ion polymer technology, which the company says provides faster, more efficient transport of lithium, and therefore greater energy density.
Several years ago, Electrovaya partnered with Tata
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids that are moldable. Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but they often contain other substances. How about mostly sulfur? A new chemical process can transform waste sulfur into a lightweight plastic that may improve batteries for
Back in February, Envia Systems made an announcement regarding tests of its electric vehicle battery technology, and said it had achieved an energy density of 400 Watt-hours/kilogram (Wh/g) with battery technology for electric vehicles. Last week, General Motors,
Often described as the next evolutionary leap in battery systems, solid state batteries substitute solid electrolyte films for liquid electrolytes, thus eliminating the need for cooling devices and supporting materials and making the battery more stable and efficient. Theoretically, they have the potential to cut both the size and the price of batteries in half.
Below is a wonderful video that explains the multiple drivetrains at work in the Chevy Volt. A couple of immediate impressions:
1) No wonder the price on this sucker is $41K, with all that going on. The bill of materials (costs of the individual components) must be enough to choke a horse. And the non-recurring engineering costs must
The migration to electric transportation is going through a period that some of us anticipated: a bit of nervousness brought on by the fact that the value proposition for the consumer is simply not there yet. EV start-ups are having a hard time getting there, which has given the established auto industry a great deal of time to breathe, take its time, hedge its bets, and, perhaps
A U.S.-based company says it has developed a new lithium-ion battery with an energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram — roughly twice the density of existing rechargeable batteries — an innovation the company claims could significantly increase the range of electric cars and ultimately cut the price of battery
LED lights, or light emitting diodes, are increasingly more common in newly manufactured devices. A beneficial addition to solid-state lighting, LEDs provide long-life lighting technology in applications such as safety street lighting, vehicles, medical devices and
Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere these days. From cellphones to electric cars, they dominate the market for rechargeable devices. One of the main challenges faced by the electric vehicle industry is related to the energy density of electric car batteries.
Primus Power is a Hayward, California, startup that makes flow batteries for grid-scale energy storage. A flow battery is a type of rechargeable battery that works by the flow of electrolytes through an electrochemical cell, which converts the chemical energy to electricity.
Electric cars are not a new concept in the automotive industry. They were around before the pre-eminence of the internal combustion engine in the 1890s. They were introduced again in the United States in the 1990s with GM’s EV1, but were dropped when GM decided they are unprofitable. Now the
A team at the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) announced that it succeeded to produce isobutanol directly from cellulose. It is the first time anyone does that.
The process presents several advantages, including saving time and money. Besides, isobutanol is a higher-grade of alcohol than ethanol.
One of the central questions yet to be answered in energy technology is how to store energy from alternative sources like solar or wind that don’t always produce power when we need it. For the Navy and Marine Corps, this is particularly important, as we move toward our established goal of at least 50% non-fossil fuel use by 2020.
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