EnerDel/Argonne Advanced High-Power Battery for hybrid electric vehicles

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2008/news080717.html

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EnerDel/Argonne Advanced High-Power Battery for hybrid electric vehicles

The EnerDel/Argonne lithium-ion battery is a highly reliable and extremely safe device that is lighter in weight, more compact, more powerful and longer-lasting than the nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) )batteries in today's hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

The battery is expected to meet the http://www.uscar.org/guest/view_team.php?teams_id=12">U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium's $500 manufacturing price criterion for a 25-kilowatt battery, which is almost a sixth of the cost to make comparable Ni-MH batteries intended for use in HEVs. It is also less expensive to make than comparable Li-ion batteries. That cost reduction is expected to help make HEVs more competitive in the marketplace and enable consumers to receive an immediate payback in gas-cost savings rather than having to wait seven years for the savings to surpass the premium placed on HEVs.

Additionally, the EnerDel/Argonne battery does not use graphite as the anode material, which been the cause for concerns about the safety other Li-ion battery brands. Instead, Argonne developed an innovative, more stable new form of nano-phase lithium titanate (LTO) to replace the graphite. It also developed a new way of making nano-phased LTO that will allow for easier industrial processing, as well as provide a high packing density that can increase the battery's energy density and provide the power needed for vehicle acceleration and regenerative charging of HEVs.

The battery's principal developers are Khalil Amine, an Argonne senior scientist and group leader; Illias Belharouak, an Argonne materials scientist; Zonghai Chen, an Argonne assistant chemist; Taison Tan, EnerDel's research and development manager; Hiroyuki Yumoto, EnerDel's director of research and development; and Naoki Ota, EnerDel president and chief operating officer.

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[MannyGoldstein]

1. Wow. This Could Be Very, Very Big

And this is from people who probably actually know what they're doing, so it may be more than fantasy.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. I hope so. I would love to be able to get a hybrid someday, but the prices need to come down first.

[JohnWxy]

3. extremely important stuff. Improving performance, reliabililty AND reducing cost

recommended.

[kristopher]

4. And the good news just keeps getting better. nt