Is GM Volt's Battery Cooling Approach Better Than Nissan Leaf's? Here's How They Both...
Nissan and GM both have big plans for the highly-expected pure electric and plug-in hybrid waiting to be released this month in the United States. Battery capacity is one of the fears the users of such cars have, and the fact that the manufacturers will use lithium ion batteries can be an issue.
Tobacco Virus Could Enhance Lithium Ion Batteries' Capacity Tenfold
Viruses, even if they have a bad reputation as the most versatile and destructive forces for anything alive, have their good parts, too. Now, for instance, an interdisciplinary team of scientists from the University of Maryland have a clue on how to use a virus called TMV (Tobacco Mosaic Virus) to enhance lithium ion batteries' capacity tenfold. And they're not joking.
30 Years Since The Invention Of Lithium Ion Batteries: A Long Story Made Short
Our phones, laptops and some electric vehicles are celebrating something special today: their batteries. 30 years ago, four Oxford University researchers have developed the first experimental lithium ion battery for the first time.
Toyota Unveils Solid State Battery That Can Withstand High Temperatures
Looking to gather momentum in the electric vehicle field, Toyota's focus is also on batteries. The Japanese giant has recently unveiled a solid-state LiCoO2 (lithium cobalt oxide) battery that features higher energy density and bears temperatures of up to 100 degrees Celsius.
Toyota Setting Up Recycling Facilities For Old Nickel Metal Batteries From Old Hybrids
To keep the planet as tidy as possible, and to make a good business, Toyota has decided that it's about time they recycled used NiMH batteries included in their old hybrid cars, such as the Prius, which has been produced from 2000 onwards.
New Titanium Oxide Electrode Increases Li-Ion Battery Energy Density By At Least 30%
A Japanese research group, having members among the Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) developed a new oxide negative-electrode and a new synthesis method to fabricate it, at lower temperatures, of about 200 to 300 degrees Celsius.
Fulvalene Diruthenium Studied As Alternative To Molten Salts For Renewable Energy Storage
Storing energy is almost as important as producing it, because wind and solar have the property of being intermittent sources - either they produce in excess or lack completely. Molten salts are currently the most used solution for storing energy in the form of heat, but they sometimes tend to be expensive and not so efficient.
MIT Researcher Michael Strano Reports News About Storing Energy In Carbon Nanotubes
We've been talking a while ago about Michael Strano and his thin carbon nanotubes that can transform fuel poured onto them into electricity. A chemical reaction is set up by heating the nanotubes, triggering the transformation at a speed of 10 meters per second.
Why Old Lithium Ion Batteries Die: Ohio Researchers Find Explanations
Because they're proposed to be used in hybrid and electric cars in the near future, it's an important issue to deal with if we want to have lower maintenance costs and, generally speaking, greener batteries, because of prolonged lifetime. Some Ohio State University researchers did an experiment to see why the batteries lose their original capabilities.
Batteries As Small As Sand Grains In Development at UCLA
Yet another chapter is about to be written in the history of lithium ion batteries. Present in almost any device from earpieces to electric cars, there is a need to use them in micro- or nano-sized devices. A DARPA-funded project aims at creating the smallest lithium ion batteries ever, as small as a grain of sand.
