GM backed battery company may have breakthrough that boosts range of electric cars
DETROIT — A small battery company backed by General Motors is working on breakthrough technology that could power an electric car 100 (160 kilometres) or even 200 miles (320 kilometres) on a single charge in the next two-to-four years, GM's CEO said Thursday.
Speaking at an employee meeting, CEO Dan Akerson said the company, Newark, California-based Envia Systems, has made a huge breakthrough in the amount of energy a lithium-ion battery can hold. GM is sure that the battery will be able to take a car 100 miles (160 kilometres) within a couple of years, he said. It could be double that with some luck, he said.
“I think we've got better than a 50-50 chance,” Akerson said, “to develop a car that will go to 200 miles on a charge,” he said. “That would be a game changer.”
GM's current electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, goes about 35 miles on a charge and has a small gas motor that generates power to keep the car going after that. Few competitors have electric cars with more than 100 miles (160 kilometres) of range. Tesla Motors' Model S can go up to 300 miles (480 kilometres), but it has a much larger battery and can cost more than twice as much as a Volt. Nissan's Leaf and Ford's Focus electric cars both claim ranges of around 100 miles (120 kilometres), but that can vary with temperature, terrain and speed.
Envia said earlier this year that its next-generation rechargeable lithium-ion cell hit a record high for energy density. The company said the new battery could slash the price of electric vehicles by cutting the battery cost in half.
GM Ventures LLC, the automaker's investment arm, put $7 million into Envia in January of 2011.
The GM meeting, which was broadcast on a conference call to employees, lasted about an hour. A participant allowed a reporter from The Associated Press to listen.
“These little companies come out of nowhere, and they surprise you,” Akerson said in response to a question about GM's strategy on gas-electric hybrid vehicles.
Akerson said the company is looking at hybrids, all-electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and natural gas vehicles, as well as developing more efficient petroleum-powered engines.
“We can't put all of our chips on one bet,” he said. “We've got to look at them all.”
Battery usage pattern, lifetime, and replacement cost
Submitted by Menachem Began on August 13, 2012 - 6:50pm.
If one uses the full cycle (full to empty) to achieve maximum range on a regular basis then the battery will need to be replaced after 'N' years (where N might be five). And the cost might be *many* thousands.
Meanwhile the fuel economy and cleanliness of the latest combustion engines continues to improve rapidly.
It's not clear that battery powered cars can ever be practical, unless the owner never leaves town. And even in those cases the fuel bill is not much to begin with.
Good luck to the battery engineers, they'll need it.
Progress
Submitted by Curious George on August 15, 2012 - 8:33am.
Electric cars are here to stay , and the batteries will get better and better . I already have a lithium battery lawn mower that has the power to mow all but the largest of lawns . It is light, easy to handle,and requires no maintenance.
I hear the Halifax cab drivers are spending a fortune on gasoline . The urban world is waiting for a low cost mass produced electric car , and I hope it's a GM , not a Made in China import.