Europe: Electric Car Evolution!

MANCHESTER, England, March 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Manchester City Council chief executive, Sir Howard Bernstein and Juergen Maier, Head of Industry at Siemens plc, took to the streets of Manchester today in an electric powered sportscar – looking to the future of a city using zero-emission electric cars. Read More...

USA: Big power from tiny wires

New discovery shows carbon nanotubes can produce powerful waves that could be harnessed for new energy systems
David L. Chandler, MIT News Office Read More...

Lithium Ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles to Approach $8 Billion in Sales by 2015


As the global market for electric vehicles grows rapidly over the next several years, lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries in a variety of chemistries will be the technology of choice for auto manufacturers. Read More...

Will ‘fun factor’ or mandates drive electric car sales?

BOSTON–If the green-tech industry had its equivalent of the iPhone, it would be the electric car, a product that has cachet with consumers. But it’s still unclear what will drive sales of plug-ins: will it be consumers willing to pay more for a greener ride or government mandates for fuel efficiency? Read More...

Japan: Panasonic’s New Battery Technology Could Yield 30% More Capacity


Panasonic is going to be rolling out production of Li-ion batteries that use a silicon alloy anode soon, according to Nikkei. The result? A whopping 30 per cent increase in capacity. Panasonic’s not the only company working on the technology, but they’re the first to yield any kind of spec detail. Read More...

USA: UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA RESEARCHERS CONFIRM BATTERY BREAKTHROUGH DEVELOPED BY PLANAR ENERGY


Tests validate company’s findings demonstrating cost savings, materials and efficiency
advantages that could take automotive industry a step closer to practical electric vehicles Read More...

Unveiled largest solar powered boat PlanetSolar might visit Miami as part of tour around the world

An international team of scientists, engineers and boat builders from Germany and Switzerland has developed the world’s largest solar powered boat designed to circumnavigate the world. The PlanetSolar multihull vessel, built by Knierim Yatch Club, was unveiled on February 25, 2010 at the HDW Shipyard in Kiel, Germany. Read More...

Japan: GS Yuasa to Lift Lithium-Ion Cell Production 10-Fold by 2012


By Mariko Yasu and Maki Shiraki
March 1 (Bloomberg) — GS Yuasa Corp. plans to boost annual production of lithium-ion batteries 10-fold over two years to meet demand for alternative-fuel vehicles. Read More...

Battery evolution overwhelms mass production


New chips come out every year, always faster and more cost-effective. So do new devices using those chips, and new servers, and new technologies combining servers in new configurations. Not to mention new software at every level. Read More...

USA: BREAKING: GM Battery Czar Denise Gray Leaves Volt Team For California Startup

A key member of the small team brought together four years ago to create the 2011 Chevrolet Volt electric car is unexpectedly leaving General Motors. Read More...

Is Lithium the 21st Century's Oil? Part III


There are three main types of rechargeable batteries: Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion). The main advantage of using lithium batteries over the others is higher charge density. Lithium batteries are smaller than equivalents such as nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH), and much lighter. In layman’s terms they “punch above their weight.” And unlike nickel cadmium batteries, lithium ion batteries do not suffer from “memory effect.” They also have a low self-discharge rate of approximately 5% per month, compared with over 30% per month in common Ni-MH batteries, 10% per month in nickel cadmium batteries. Read More...

UK: Automotive suppliers urged to join £29m low carbon vehicles project

The West Midlands’ fast-developing low-carbon automotive sector has called for like-minded suppliers to get involved in a £29 million project aimed at reshaping the future of passenger transport. Read More...

USA: Researchers Develop New Solid-State Polymer Electrolyte for Fuel Cells and Batteries


A team of researchers at MIT and Pennsylvania State University, which has been working on a new layer-by-layer (LbL) method for producing novel kinds of membranes, has developed a new solid-state polymer electrolyte for use in electrochemical devices such as fuel cells and batteries using that method. Read More...

USA: Intel explores Li-ion battery alternatives


Intel researchers are exploring nanoscale materials as an alternative to create ultracapacitors with a greater energy density than today’s Li-ion batteries. If successful, the new materials could be mass produced in volumes to power systems ranging from mobile devices to electric vehicles—even smart grid storage units. Read More...

USA: Nanotechnology Boosts Efficiency of Lithium Ion Batteries


In 2009, the Recovery Grant Act made about $2.4 billion available for projects surrounding battery technology and electric vehicles. Lithium ion batteries continue to grow in popularity as an energy source, and manufacturers, engineers and OEMs continue in the quest for higher quality energy sources. Many factors impact the efficiency of a li-ion battery, and some begin early on in the manufacturing process. Nano World News had the opportunity to speak with John Hill, application and process advisor for NETZSCH Fine Particle Technology, about how nanotechnology is improving the quality of today’s li-ion batteries. Read More...

USA: Boston Power to expand into green transport


Ambitious lithium-ion manufacturer Boston Power Inc has set its sights on the battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle market after appointing former GM executive Robert C Purcell Jr to its board of directors. Read More...

USA: GE and Juice Technologies Team for Electric Car Charging Devices

The future of automobiles is looking more and more green as time goes by and technology improves. There is a huge amount of research being put in on electric and hybrid vehicles and fully electric cars have come a long way in the last few years. Read More...

In a Hurry? New Battery Recharging System Promises Quicker Turnaround for Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles

When plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) start hitting the road later this year, most drivers will plug into a normal 110-volt outlet when not driving in order to trickle charge life back into their car’s battery. Whether this is a feasible model is an open question, with some consumers concerned that trickle charging may not be fast enough to sufficiently recharge batteries between trips. Without a charged battery, PHEVs rely on their internal combustion engines, something hybrid drivers aim to avoid. Read More...

Canada: Electrovaya Reports Q1 2010 Financial Results

Second Consecutive Quarter of Net Operating Profit Business Expands to Utility Storage Market in addition to Electric Vehicle Market Read More...

The Future of Electric Vehicle Batteries: Lithium Ion & China


As the automotive industry transitions to electric vehicles, companies developing lithium-ion battery technology will be in the driver’s seat – and they’ll be carrying Chinese driver’s licenses. Li-ion technology is quickly replacing nickel-metal hydride batteries in hybrid electric vehicles, and the advanced battery market for emerging plug-in hybrid vehicles will be worth billions of dollars within a decade, according to a new report by market research firm GBI Research. But while Japanese manufacturers currently control a majority of the global advanced battery market, South Korean and especially Chinese firms are nipping at their heels. Read More...