Saw an article in New Scientist about the UltraBattery.
HYBRID-electric vehicles (HEVs) could become cheaper thanks to a breakthrough that would allow inexpensive lead-acid batteries to replace the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries they now use.
Lead-acid batteries are cheap and can store large amounts of energy. But if they are repeatedly and rapidly charged and discharged - as happens when storing braking energy from an HEV and then releasing it when it accelerates - the battery's negative plate becomes coated with deposits. That limits its working life to a few years and is one reason why today's HEVs, such as the Toyota Prius, use NiMH batteries.
The UltraBattery marries a lead-acid battery with a supercapacitor. The combination stores as much energy as a standard lead-acid battery, but can happily charge and discharge without deterioration. The UltraBattery simply combined battery and capacitor in parallel in one unit. By acting as a buffer during charging and discharging, the capacitor boosts the battery's life to match that of NiMH batteries.
In lab tests the UltraBattery lasted four times as long as the best lead-acid batteries, while producing 50 per cent more power. A test vehicle has so far covered 185,000 kilometres while being recharged as needed. The cost of the battery is a third to a quarter that of NiMH batteries and a sixth that of the lithium-ion batteries used in some high-performance electric cars.
Japan's Furukawa Battery Company will start manufacturing the UltraBattery on modified lead-acid battery production lines by the middle of next year. In the US, battery manufacturer East Penn in Pennsylvania will make the device.
In summary:
The UltraBattery offers a number of advantages over conventional Lead Acid batteries:
1) cycle life is four times longer
2) 50 per cent more power
3) approximately 70 per cent less expensive than current HEV battery systems
4) faster charge and discharge rates.
Granted they'll still be heavy but with 50% more power combined with long life and the low cost then we could see them on electric bikes in the future.
HYBRID-electric vehicles (HEVs) could become cheaper thanks to a breakthrough that would allow inexpensive lead-acid batteries to replace the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries they now use.
Lead-acid batteries are cheap and can store large amounts of energy. But if they are repeatedly and rapidly charged and discharged - as happens when storing braking energy from an HEV and then releasing it when it accelerates - the battery's negative plate becomes coated with deposits. That limits its working life to a few years and is one reason why today's HEVs, such as the Toyota Prius, use NiMH batteries.
The UltraBattery marries a lead-acid battery with a supercapacitor. The combination stores as much energy as a standard lead-acid battery, but can happily charge and discharge without deterioration. The UltraBattery simply combined battery and capacitor in parallel in one unit. By acting as a buffer during charging and discharging, the capacitor boosts the battery's life to match that of NiMH batteries.
In lab tests the UltraBattery lasted four times as long as the best lead-acid batteries, while producing 50 per cent more power. A test vehicle has so far covered 185,000 kilometres while being recharged as needed. The cost of the battery is a third to a quarter that of NiMH batteries and a sixth that of the lithium-ion batteries used in some high-performance electric cars.
Japan's Furukawa Battery Company will start manufacturing the UltraBattery on modified lead-acid battery production lines by the middle of next year. In the US, battery manufacturer East Penn in Pennsylvania will make the device.
In summary:
The UltraBattery offers a number of advantages over conventional Lead Acid batteries:
1) cycle life is four times longer
2) 50 per cent more power
3) approximately 70 per cent less expensive than current HEV battery systems
4) faster charge and discharge rates.
Granted they'll still be heavy but with 50% more power combined with long life and the low cost then we could see them on electric bikes in the future.
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