News

January 20, 2015

Researchers Announce Significant Improvement in Li-S Battery Performance and Cycle Life

A team from the University of Waterloo in Canada and BASF has developed a way to stabilize cathodes in lithium-sulfur batteries, significantly improving performance and cycle life. Li-S batteries offer high theoretical energy density and low cost, due to the high natural abundance of sulfur. However, the insulating nature of […]
January 17, 2015

Advanced Battery Consortium Awards Funds to Seeo to Test Solid Polymer Battery Modules

The US Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) has awarded a $299,000 contract to Seeo Inc. of Hayward, California. The nine-month technology assessment program will focus on testing of Seeo’s elevated-operating-temperature solid polymer battery modules. Under the contract, Seeo will deliver its DryLyte battery modules to USABC for testing and third-party validation. […]
January 15, 2015

Fuji Pigment develops new type of aluminum-air battery

Metal-air battery technology could offer very high energy density, and is considered a promising candidate for “beyond Li-ion” next-generation batteries. Aluminum, which is abundant and cheap, is a likely anode material. Aluminum-air batteries have a theoretical specific energy of up to 8.1 kWh/kg, second only to lithium-air batteries (13.0 kWh/kg). […]
January 14, 2015

Johnson Control Introduces 12-volt Lithium Titanate Battery for Start-Stop Systems

Johnson Controls is adding a lithium titanate battery to its line of automotive battery offerings. The new 12-volt technology, the product of a collaboration with Toshiba, is designed to power Advanced Start-Stop vehicles. “Johnson Controls is pursuing opportunities to develop evolutionary low-voltage energy storage systems that will help our customers […]
January 13, 2015

Did Nikola Tesla Create An Electric Car That Could Be Charged Wirelessly?

While the mythology that currently surrounds Nikola Tesla does contain a lot of very fanciful elements, there’s no doubt that the man had a mind that was well suited towards the creation of technological “marvels.” The man has certainly left his mark on the world of modern technology — which […]
December 30, 2014

Gallium Nitride and Silicon Carbide Expected to Displace Silicon in Power Electronics

Emerging materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) will eventually displace silicon in power electronic applications, according to a new report from Lux Research, which forecasts that the market for GaN power electronics will reach $1.1 billion, about 5% of the total market, by 2024. While silicon […]
December 29, 2014

Automakers: Lead-Acid Batteries Are Still Necessary

While lithium-ion is the chemistry of choice for EV batteries, almost every ICE vehicle made today still uses the ancient lead-acid battery technology for its 12-Volt starter battery (Porsche and a couple of other makers of high-performance cars offer lithium-ion starter batteries). Auto OEMs and battery providers want to preserve […]
December 28, 2014

Will Seeo’s 400 Wh/kg Battery Fulfil Expectations?

Forbes, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Giacom, Green Car Congress, Xconomy, Reuters Pe Hub,The Green Optimistic, VentureBeat, and the MIT Technology Review have all written about the California start-up company Seeo. Korean electronics giant Samsung led in the recent $17 million round of series E investments. The other two investors, Khosla Ventures and Beijing-based GSR Ventures, increased […]
December 26, 2014

Graphene Wrapper Enhances Performance of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries are of great interest, as they could offer specific energy densities far greater than those of current lithium-ion chemistries. However, current designs are plagued by low efficiency and capacity degradation. A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Beijing Institute of Technology has devised a […]
December 24, 2014

Ioxus Announces New Line of High-Temperature Ultracapacitors

New York-based ultracapacitor manufacturer Ioxus has introduced a new line of high-temperature 1250-Farad cells. According to the company, its proprietary Titan technology meets the requirement of automotive customers for ultracaps with a wider operating range that meets both cold and high temperature standards. Ioxus’ newest line of cells functions at […]
December 21, 2014

EV Battery Experts Discuss Battery Costs & More

Today is clearly a video catchup day for me. This last one of the day is a super interestingdiscussion about electric vehicle (EV) batteries. It includes the CEO of LG Chem (which providesEV batteries to GM for the Chevy Volt and Renault for its electric vehicles, as well as others), […]
December 17, 2014

IATA Publishes Guidelines For Safe Transport of Lithium Batteries

Like any energy storage medium, lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous if mishandled, so it’s necessary to establish guidelines for their safe transport and storage. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published a guide for the safe handling of lithium batteries on aircraft. The IATA estimates that each year, over […]