Seriously.  You ask any two car companies what the future of the electric car looks like and both will, with a straight face, give you two totally different answers and insist in the most strenuous fashion available that the other company is represented by a series of lying bastards who wouldn’t know the future of the electric car if it crawled up their pant legs and started licking them.

Some insist that there have been no major changes in technology.  Others claim that’s so much crockery and there HAVE been major changes, especially in battery technology.  Some claim that electric cars will never catch on anyway because they’re too quiet.  Too quiet?  How does THAT happen?  Well, for all my readers who live out in the country you know what the biggest threat to driving at night is–car-deer collisions.  Animals will be constantly running out in front of these electric cars because they CAN NOT HEAR THEM COMING.

For every solution, there’s a whole new set of problems.  And nowhere is this more clearly illustrated than with the electric car.

Tags: battery, battery technologies, battery technology, Electric, electric car, Tesla

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T3 Motion unveils the latest addition to the growing roster of electric cars offered in the market. T3 Motion lifts the covers on the CT3 Electric Vehicle that is based on the CT Micro Car. T3 Motion Inc. is not a new player in the electric car market. In fact, it has made a good account for itself, acknowledged as a global leader in Electric Vehicle Design, Battery Technology and Power Management Systems.

A version of the CT3 is competing for the Progressive Automotive X Prize in the Alternative Vehicle Class. The “CT3-S” is specifically designed and engineered to be capable of speeds up to 80 miles per hour yet delivering the energy equivalent of over 100 miles per gallon.

“We are very honored to be competing in the Progressive Automotive X Prize. It is energizing for T3 Motion, Inc. to be alongside so many different interpretations of creating the 100 mile per gallon car,” said Ki Nam, T3 Motion, Inc. C.E.O. “With electricity being the most readily available source of fuel today, our zero gas emission CT3-S exemplifies the ‘real world’ opportunities electric vehicles have both today and in the future.”

(Source) Press

Tags: battery technology, car market, electric car, electric cars, electric vehicle design, electric vehicles, electricity, future source, gas emission, global leader, latest addition, micro car, miles per gallon, miles per hour, power management systems, real world

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A joint effort involving ExxonMobil and Electrovaya has opened the doors for a new kind of car sharing and rental program called AltCar. The said program will be launched at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

The car to watch will be the Maya-300, a car that is powered exclusively by lithium-ion battery technology. These new electric vehicles will make up one of the first fleets of all-electric vehicles in a consumer car-sharing and rental program in North America.

“This program is a perfect example of the important role innovative companies and organizations, such as ExxonMobil, Electrovaya and the Maryland Science Center, will play in addressing the world’s need for safe, low emission, fuel-efficient vehicles,” said Sankar Das Gupta, president and chairman, Electrovaya.

With the growing turn towards electric vehicles, it is apparent that the efforts of these two companies and the launch of the Maya-300 will no doubt be welcomed with open arms. As we all try to curb down our carbon emissions and find solutions to fuel problems, a new electric car is certainly something we will all be needing.

(Source) Press

Tags: addressing the world, baltimore maryland, battery technology, car sharing, carbon emissions, consumer car, electric car, electric vehicles, electrovaya, exxonmobil, fuel efficient vehicles, gupta, innovative companies, joint effort, lithium, lithium ion battery

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In something which may be traced to the expected influx of electric cars, the industry that is quiet but is expected to boom is the car battery business. With fueled cars being seen to become a thing of the past, hybrid and plug-in vehicles are expected to be the next generation modes of transportation which naturally rely heavily on car batteries. And from the countries touted to take advantage of this development, Germany is being wooed as the country heading the car battery industry.

Germany is positioned to be a global leader in this market segment. Business opportunities in Germany resulting from this trend will be presented at the Advanced Automotive Battery & EC Capacitor Conference in Long Beach, California from June 8-12.

Within the framework of the German economic stimulus program, over USD 700 million have been allocated for research funding in the area of electric mobility. Interest-reduced loans and grants can be received for developing new battery technology, as well as other hybrid drives and fuel cell technologies.

(Source) Press

Tags: automotive battery, battery business, battery industry, battery technology, business opportunities, capacitor, car batteries, car battery, economic stimulus, electric cars, electric mobility, fuel cell technologies, global leader, influx, long beach california, market segment, next generation

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Boston-Power has announced a piece of great news that will get the demand for lithium-iron batteries and jobs up on their feet. The company has already been a familiar figure in the world of longest-lasting, fastest-charging, most environmentally sustainable and safest lithium-ion battery technology platform today and now it plans to build an advanced facility to deliver advanced batteries as needed today.

This not only covers the area of addressing the expected growth in demands for lithium-iron batteries but also means that new jobs will be made available. Approximately 600 new jobs would be needed at the Auburn facility and 2,000 more indirectly through supply chains to be put up.

An award-winning provider of next-generation lithium-ion battery cells to market-leading companies,

Boston-Power will also today provide a ‘first look’ at Swing, the company’s product for Plug-in Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles (PHEV/BEV). The only eco-certified battery of its kind, Swing is poised to drive the adoption of PHEVs and BEVs by establishing new benchmarks in energy density, long life, safety, weight, cost and environmental sustainability.

“Our goal is to make Massachusetts a manufacturing hub for the advanced batteries that will power the nation’s clean energy future, and Boston-Power’s plan to create this facility in Auburn is a big step toward that goal,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “We look forward to working with the company and our colleagues in the Congressional delegation to make this happen.”

(Source) Press

Tags: battery cells, battery technology, clean energy, electric vehicles, energy density, energy future, environmental sustainability, life safety, lithium, lithium ion battery, supply chains, technology platform

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Perhaps two companies working together can come out and product a new battery product that is seen to become a demand in the coming years as BASF and Sion Power have combined to speed up the cause to accelerate the commercialization of Sion Power’s proprietary lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery technology, e.g., for the electric vehicle (EV) market and other high-energy applications.

The Sion Power / BASF collaboration targets the development of battery materials to improve Li-S battery life and to increase the energy density and thus extend driving range of future EVs beyond what is currently available with alternative rechargeable battery technologies. Li-S technology already offers significant energy density and weight advantages over those existing technologies.

Improved battery technology is a fundamental requirement for more efficient use of current and renewable energy sources. The recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides for $2 billion for the development and manufacture of advanced automotive batteries. All major automotive manufactures are vigorously pursuing the introduction of electric vehicles that are environmentally friendly yet provide the range and comfort consumers expect in an automobile, features that cannot be obtained with any currently available battery technology.

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Tags: basf, battery life, battery materials, battery technologies, battery technology, commercialization, driving range, efficient use, electric vehicle, electric vehicles, energy applications, energy density, fundamental requirement, high energy, lithium, rechargeable battery, reinvestment act, renewable energy sources, technology development

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K2 Energy Solutions has revealed that they are constructing a new 90,000 square-foot facility in Varkaus, Finland. The new facility will be used to manufacture safe and eco-friendly high-capacity batteries for Europe’s advanced industrial, energy and transportation needs, and is being constructed in conjunction with K2’s European technology partner, European Batteries.

Utilizing the world’s most advanced lithium battery technology, K2 and EB are working in close collaboration to create the world’s most advanced rechargeable battery. Through this alliance, the companies intend to develop a safer, more efficient battery chemistry that is specifically designed to address Europe’s need for high-capacity rechargeable batteries.

The $44 million facility is expected to be completed in Fall of this year, with full battery production beginning in early 2010.

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Tags: battery chemistry, battery technology, capacity batteries, collaboration, conjunction, energy solutions, Europe, finland, industrial energy, lithium, lithium battery, lithium ion, rechargeable batteries, rechargeable battery, square foot facility, technology partner, varkaus

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Ford is on the offensive in efforts to speed up the developmental process of their electric vehicle plans. Ford is accelerating its research, development and testing of advanced Li-ion battery technology, thanks, in part, to a $55 million tax credit incentive from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

Ford has engaged researchers at the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to conduct digital simulation tests, collecting degradation data that Ford and its battery suppliers have used to improve Li-ion performance.

In addition, Ford has entered into research partnerships with eight regional electrical utility companies to conduct real-world tests on Li-ion-powered Ford Escape PHEVs.

These vehicles:

• Use a common household current (120 volts) for charging, with a full charge of the battery completed within six to eight hours
• Can achieve up to 120 mpg when driven on surface streets for the first 30 miles following a full charge
• Operate in two modes, electric drive and blended electric-engine drive
• Run as a fuel-efficient standard Ford Escape Hybrid one the charge in the battery as been depleted

(Source) Press

Tags: battery suppliers, battery technology, eight hours, electric vehicle, electrical utility companies, electrification, ford escape, ford escape hybrid, li ion battery, volts

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