Researchers Believe Zinc Batteries Could Revolutionize Electric Vehicles
According to the researchers, zinc batteries could soon revolutionize electric vehicles. Researcher John Cooper is convinced that the common metal zinc is the future of transportation. "It's a power source for refuel able electrical vehicles you can use 24/7 if you wish," Cooper said.
EnerG2’s New Activated Carbon Electrode Cuts Ultracapacitor Cost in Half
Ultracapacitors are currently being used in applications that need high amounts of electricity in short times. Unlike conventional batteries, which can store much more energy but release it slower, ultracapacitors (or sometimes called supercapacitors) can survive for longer, because they don't use the same chemical processes.
Ultra-Efficient Silicon Battery Anode Made By Lockheed Martin and Rice University
Lockheed Martin and Rice University scientists have recently discovered how to use the all-abundant silicon to make battery electrodes that could hold up to 10 times more lithium and enhance the battery's overall capacity from 300 mAh/gram to more than 3,000 mAh/gram. This could lead to an unprecedented rise in storage capacities for electric car batteries, in a crucial moment for their development.
PNNL Researchers Reinvent Sodium-Nickel Chloride Batteries and Make Them 30% More Powerful
Lithium ion batteries have been so far the best option for storing energy. Lithium is nevertheless an expensive material and a precious natural resource, whose extraction involves complex chemical processes, often damaging to the environment. Sodium-nickel chloride batteries, on the other hand, promise a cheaper alternative to lithium ion due to recent innovations from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Beacon Power Develops New, Enhanced Flywheel Systems
Beacon Power Corp., a provider of energy storage systems has established a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency to produce parts of a flywheel energy storage over a period of two years.
Volvo To Develop New Rechargeable Battery That Can Be Built Into The Car's Chassis
Volvo has found a new method to reduce the weight of electric vehicles and also a better place to install the power storage systems. Dubbed Tomorrow's Volvo Car, the new project consists in the installation of a rechargeable battery into the car's body panels.
GM Wants to Reuse Depleted Chevy Volt Batteries For Storing Renewable Energy
In collaboration with ABB Group, a power grid supplier, GM will study how batteries that will have formerly powered Volt electric cars will get a second life, being capable to store energy generated by solar and wind power generators.
Amprius's Silicon Nanowire Batteries Seek Faster Manufacturing Processes For Lower Price
Complaints about laptops whose charge lasts too little, or about electric cars not being able to charge as quick and last as long as gasoline are frequent. Amprius, a US-based company, addresses these issues and develops a battery that they say it can hold double the charge of regular lithium ion batteries.
New Nanoscale-Level Electronic Strain Microscopy Could Improve Li-Ion Batteries
A research team from the ORNL (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) performed a microscopy research on lithium ion batteries. They found out how they actually work at nanoscale levels and provided invaluable data never gathered before.
A123 Systems Officially Opened North America's Largest Lithium-Ion Battery Factory
The A123 Systems company has officially opened North America's largest lithium-ion battery factory. The 291,000-square foot facility is located in the Michigan state (Detroit suburb of Livonia) where it will focus on manufacturing prismatic cells and assemble battery packs for electric and hybrid cars.
