Hybrid and electric cars both have regenerative braking systems, which transfer the energy otherwise lost as heat back into electricity, by switching the motor’s function from its normal one into an electricity generator when the driver pushes the brake pedal.
The problem is that the energy recovered from the wheels is most of the time too high, and the lithium-ion battery just can’t make up to it.
AFS Trinity, a company that develops battery systems has recently been granted the patent on a different type of battery: a hybrid one. Consisting of a capacitor and a normal Li-Ion battery, the hybrid battery system first uses the capacitor for quick needs of energy, like accelerating and braking, and slowly charges/discharges the lithium battery in the meanwhile.
Capacitors are best at providing huge amounts of energy is short times without losing their properties, which makes them perfect for city driving or electric sportscars. AFS Trinity’s innovation had been filed in 2006 and is now ready to be sold to car manufacturers, as Edward W. Furia, the company’s CEO, says. They even tested it on a Saturn Vue Green Like in 2008.
Furia says that his technology “was written for the Volt,” anticipating what GM’s most expected hybrid-electric car will be equipped with.
[via nytimes]
I got Saturn Vue this last year and had been for repair for more then 4 times. I had to spend a lot for it.
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