Still interested in the Oasis batteries from Firefly Energy? As far as we know, the summer release date is still on, especially with all that venture funding. Firefly has figured out how to deal with the corrosion problem that plagued standard lead acids by swapping out the standard lead grid in the batteries withthe Microcell™ composite graphite foam grid. It's this grid that really makes the battery so exciting to a lot of EV enthusiasts, and has been on our radar at least since we spoke with Firefly's co-founder Mil Ovan back in late 2006. Now, Tech Blorge reminds us about the battery and how it will be coming first to heavy trucks, but - hopefully sooner rather than later - for PHEVs and electric cars as well.

[Source: Tech Blorge via EVWorld]

With all the money going into gas these days, is it any surprise that companies in the business of making gas alternatives are seeing increased financial interest as well? Mascoma was obviously one of the recent big winners, but the list is long and we can now add Firefly Energy. Firefly recently closed its third round of funding, which brought the company $16m. Firefly has been on our scope for a while, especially with their Oasis Group 31 batteries. The U.S. Army is also interested, to the tune of $5m, in the company's lead acid 3D and 3D2 batteries.

Khosla Ventures, known for its investments in various ethanol start-ups, is one of the new investors in Firefly Energy, as is Infield Capital. The DOE has also given Firefly $3.2m to develop the 3D batteries, according to VentureBeat. For the 2006 scoop on the 3D2 batteries, check out our interview with Firefly Energy co-founder Mil Ovan. And, if you have a few million to throw around, it seems to be the thing to do to fork it over to green auto tech companies. In case you were curious.

[Source: VentureBeat via EV World]

One of Firefly's newest batteries, called the Oasis Group 31, is on target for a summer release date. These batteries were unveiled in October, and AutoblogGreen reader Sean says that he's been paying attention this deep-discharge battery and that, " All of us with EVs are quite interested as these promise to double the range, quadruple the life, and weigh a bit less to boot!" Don't worry, Sean's quite aware that there's a real good chance that the Oasis Group 31 batteries will bring with them a substantial price increase, but when is that not the case when we're talking about new high-power vehicle batteries?

Firefly has named the foam technology inside the batteries Microcell™, and says they are:

changing the rules of the road [...] Compared to lead plates - one of the main components of most conventional truck batteries – patented Microcell technology delivers longer service life, increased energy efficiency and better performance under extreme conditions. [...] Oasis' unique design resists sulfation and corrosion (two of the primary causes of failure in lead-acid batteries), while dramatically increasing the surface area within the battery, resulting in greater energy capacity, faster recharges, and deeper discharge capability...

Looks like we only have a half year or so to see for ourselves.

Related:

• AutoblogGreen Q&A with Firefly Energy co-founder Mil Ovan on new lead-acid battery tech: 3D2
• Firefly Energy batteries headed for the trucking market
• Firefly announces agreement to produce carbon-graphite foam lead acid batteries
• Firefly Energy gets $5 million from U.S. Army for advanced battery tech

[Source: Firefly h/t to Sean]

A new California law that goes into effect on the first day of 2008 will limit to five minutes a diesel truck's legal idling time. But truckers love to idle their massive vehicles, as the diesel engine provides power for all sorts of applications that run in the cabin when the truck is parked. In the business it's called discretionary idling (or "hotel loads"), and you can read this post for a more in-depth look at the issue.

Over in Peoria, Illinois, the Firefly Energy company is getting ready for the California law. Firefly thinks the solution is for truck drivers to run their cabin loads off of batteries, so Firefly is developing a truck-specific version of the company's carbon-graphite foam ledad battery through a new Battery Council International (BCI) Group 31 battery development program. All the technical details (and things like the name) of the battery are not yet available, but in a lot of ways, it sounds similar to Firefly's 3D battery and the battery Firefly is developing for the U.S. Army.

Related:

• AutoblogGreen Q&A with Firefly Energy co-founder Mil Ovan on new lead-acid battery tech: 3D2

[Source: Firefly via The Energy Blog]