Battery development wins funding
More than US$2 billion has been earmarked for motor vehicle battery research as part of the US$787 billion economic stimulus and recovery package announced by US President Obama.
"Lighter, more efficient batteries could hold the key to a more economically and environmentally sound future," said William Robinson, chairman and CEO of Bellingham-based Integral technologies, Inc, a development-stage company that may have created a new building block for a better Detroit.
"While you can't change the basics of how a battery works, you can change the materials that are used to create it."
The company has developed a mouldable conductive plastic called ElectriPlast, a polymer blend that can be used to conduct electricity. It consists of small single pellets compounded with metal fibre that, when poured into a moulding machine and shaped, may help streamline production of batteries and electronics.
With ElectriPlast replacing lead or stainless steel, batteries could be created that would be 9 to 13 kg lighter than batteries used today. On average, most components would weigh 80% less than standard metal counterparts. Lighter doesn't only mean faster, it also means greener.
Today, decreased vehicle weight translates into lower fuel consumption. Tomorrow, a better, more efficient battery likely holds the key to widespread popularity of hybrid and electric cars.
A second life for batteries
Discarded lithium-ion cells from electric cars could be re-used as stationary power storage...
Low-energy process developed for high-performance solar cells
Researchers from UC Santa Barbara have developed a process to make high-quality perovskite films...
Enhancing the cyclability of lithium-ion battery cathodes
Researchers have found that the charge-recharge cycling of lithium-iron-oxide, a high-capacity...
