Some day, the world may rely solely on electric transportation. While that day is pretty far off in the future, when it happens it will likely be because the lithium ion battery which led the way. Currently, a large number of vehicles in the product-pipeline are scheduled to be released with batteries that are not yet in production. The Chevy Volt looms large as the number one example of a company putting a huge amount of faith into the lithium ion battery. Tesla's exciting Roadster literally uses thousands of little lithium ion batteries which usually find their way into laptop computers. There's truly a great deal riding on the future of lithium ion, and we expect that it will be these batteries which power our upcoming electric cars. Let's move.
Click on the image to view high-res shots of the Mercedes F700 concept
As part of an annual meeting held in Berlin, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche says that the company will increase its R&D spending to $21 billion for the year 2010. A major part of those expenses will go towards alternative powerplants. Hydrogen and lithium ion batteries will make up a good chunk of these charges, and Zetsche claims that Daimler has made "a major breakthrough in battery technology." Regarding the heat generated by lithium ion batteries, Zetsche adds, "Daimler has solved the problem. Thanks to the integration of the vehicle's cooling system, the batteries can now operate continually at optimal system temperatures. This maximizes their power output; extends their service life, and make it possible to use this high-performance technology in automotive applications. We've protected this innovation with 25 patents."
Mercedes-Benz will continue to offer large, powerful and luxurious vehicles in each of the market segments in which it competes. What's more, Dr. Z adds, the company "aims to offer at least one model in each of the Mercedes-Benz core model series that is a leader in fuel consumption." We're reminded of the F700 concept that the company recently introduced. We would add that DiesOtto, or HCCI engines, could make a dent in Mercedes' overall fuel consumption statistics.
About a month ago, we spoke with Dr. Prabhakar Patil of Compact Power, Inc. about CPI's lithium-ion battery technology. We didn't want to miss the chance to chat in person during the SAE Congress this week, so we stopped by the CPI booth. The reason most AutoblogGreen readers would be following the fortunes of CPI is the company's work with GM on the Chevy Volt (CPI, along with A123 Systems, are supplying the test battery packs for the Volt. BTW, the Volt/Malibu mules are on the track) but Dr. Patil again mentioned that CPI is working with other, unnamed OEMs. We're anxious to learn more about that.
But let's talk about the battery deal we do know about. Based on the packs currently being tested in the Volt, Dr. Patil estimated that a li-ion battery that could move an electric car 100 miles between charges would weigh about 800 pounds. This is double what the Volt's batteries weigh, but would get you 2.5 times the Volt's EV-only distance, because the Volt's batteries reserve some power for the hybrid operations. Regenerative braking can get you the rest of the way. Considering all the studies that show that most people drive well-under 50 miles a day, carrying around all that extra weight for capacity that won't often get used doesn't make a lot of sense, he said. Patil also sees the benefits of the recent CARB ZEV mandate decision. Give a listen.
In the CPI booth was the company's ER2 racer which was setting speed records back in 2002. The ER2 uses an 11 kWh li-ion battery pack and a 165 kW AC induction motor to go from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. More details here.
The thing that strikes you when you enter GM's Battery Systems Lab (BSL) is the EV1. On the hallway walls are the promo images of the Chevy Volt. For our visit, GM also set up two of the T-shaped batteries that powered these vehicles. The older one that moved the EV1 weighed around 1,200 kg lbs. whereas the Volt's powerpack will weigh "just" 400 kg lbs. Standing side-by-side, the batteries are impressive. It's as true to GM today as it was in the '90s that the T-shape is the best way to have a lot of room for the cells without eating into the trunk space.
Micky Bly, director of Global Hybrid Vehicle Integration and Controls, spoke to us for a little bit (sorry for the background noise in the recording, but he was speaking in the BSL while testing was going on) about the tests that GM is running on the batteries - from A123 Systems and Compact Power Inc. - in the lab and on the road.
In the BSL, GM can simulate any possible condition that the batteries might encounter when they're plugged into the grid - high loads, brownouts, etc. While these tests provide good information, the real challenge comes on the road. This month, the li-ion batteries will move out of the lab and into a 2005 Chevy Malibu mule vehicles for runs out at the Milford Proving Grounds. The Malibu has been running on the proving grounds since about October with a lot of the E-Flex control software, including the regen-braking, the small ICE and so on. One thing that the battery tests have discovered already is that at least 20 percent of the 40-mile electric-only range that the Volt will have will come from capturing the braking energy.
Listen to Micky Bly:
A big challenge for the Volt team is figuring out how to pack two years of testing so full they will yield ten years of data. This is being done, in part, by Lance Turner, engineering specialist-battery integration and test, and his team in the BSL. Turner explained that the packs are being tested 24/7 in a way that simulates how they will be used in real life. Some packs are being tested in large thermal chambers that simulate different ambient temperatures and seasons. The heat also accelerates battery aging. Turner would not tell us how many cells are in the packs, just that we'd find out soon enough. If you're hoping for insight into which supplier GM is leaning towards, all Turner would say is that both packs are performing quite similarly right now. As I wrote in my initial post, the Volt will only use half (that is, 8 kWH) of the 16 kWh of power in the pack. The operating range will probably be between 80 and 30 percent or 90 and 40 percent, with the latter being preferred. Roland Matthe, GM's engineering group manager, E-Flex rechargeable energy storage system, was also on hand. Listen to Turner and Matthe:
In an attempt to keep our readers up to date on the very latest developments in technology as it pertains to transportation and the lessening of our carbon footprints, we often burn the midnight oil and labor to understand technical papers until our brains cramp and ears bleed. OK, maybe I'm the only one with the ear thing but what I'm trying to get across is that we are not slackers (Not that there is anything wrong with that.) And it is in that spirit of brain-crampedness (and sore ears) we present you now with some of the latest news of breakthroughs in the batteries that may one day power your hybrid or electric car.
We all know that our modern batteries do their thing (charge and discharge) by sending lithium ions back and forth between the anode (where the current comes in) and cathode (where the current goes out). This action is what eventually degrades your electrodes (anodes and cathodes). By improving the materials that bear this beating, scientists aim to increase the amount of energy batteries hold as well as the number of times you can recharge them. Hear about a couple of these efforts after the break.
The recent Tibetan independence demonstrations and the Chinese response have, in this Olympic year, turned the eyes of the world towards the "roof of the world." There have been some who have called for the boycott of the Olympic games and Chinese products as a result of the harshness of the "crackdown". Our own president has even gotten involved and has asked the Chinese Premier, Hu-Jintao, to hold talks between the the Dali Lama's representatives and the Chinese government, though I suspect even the suggestion of such a rapproachment wasn't warmly received.
What does any of this have to do with more-environmentally-sensitive transportation? Well, I came across this article recently that informed me that the source of much of the lithium in the batteries that power our laptops, cell phones and soon, our hybrid and electric cars, is mined at the Chabyer Salt Lake in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. This is the largest source of known lithium reserves in the world, according to the China-Tibet Information Center, and it has helped China become the largest producer and user of lithium ion batteries. Yes, we mine a lot of lithium here in the U.S. but that is used mostly for a host of other products.
In the process of mulling all this over during the past week I have read about the history of Tibet and its entanglements with other countries and contemplated the stances of the various "sides" involved. I haven't reached anything approaching a firm conclusion but the process has been a beneficial learning experience.
In the end, I can only offer this information as an example of how our actions in this modern, tightly-connected world might affect people living in distant lands and how "treading lightly" might prevent that boomerang of karma from sneaking up behind us.
We've been hearing about electric Smart cars for ages now and although some have been made and even test driven, these EVs haven't seemed to have the full weight of Daimler AG behind them. Of course, considering they are headed by CEO Dieter Zetsche who was once quoted as saying, "buyers don't really want electric cars," it's little wonder. Thankfully, the tide may be turning.
According to USA Today, Mercedes-Benz says it will have a demonstration fleet of practical, if small, electric vehicles on the road in two to three years." No, these have nothing to do with the 100 Smart eds being shipped to Britain with the Zebra sodium-nickel chloride battery. It seems these babies will be equipped with modern lithium ion batteries Mercedes has described as "breakthrough".
One of the reasons given by Vice President Herbert Kohler for building this Smart flotilla, according to the article, is "to be sure the setup is right for mass production." Whoa! For a minute there I thought he said something about mass producing electric Smart cars. Hopefully, it won't take the electric Smarts ten years to reach America like the gas version.
While many other car-makers (with the notable exception of Toyota) are jumping on the lithium ion bandwagon for new hybrid models, Honda will stick with nickel metal hydride for now. Honda President Takeo Fukui told Automotive News that lithium ion batteries are not yet reliable or durable enough for high volume applications. When Honda debuts a new dedicated hybrid model early next year to take on the Prius, it will continue to use nickel metal hydride batteries.
Honda hopes to top 200,000 annual sales with its new hybrid model, a car that is expected to be priced below the current Civic hybrid. Honda has chosen to use a lithium battery in its FCX Clarity fuel cell car, but those will be very low volume initially and much more expensive. The continued use of nickel probably has as much to do with cost as anything else at this point. Given Honda's price and volume targets, there is probably no lithium battery available right now to the meet the need. According to Fukui, the new model is being engineered to allow for a running change to lithium when the batteries do meet the company's specifications.
The other day, Dr. Prabhakar Patil of Compact Power, Inc. was up in Vancouver, BC for the Auto FutureTech Summit. While AutoblogGreen wasn't able to attend the show, we did get a hold of Dr. Patil on the phone for about 15 minutes to talk about CPI's lithium ion batteries and get Dr. Patil's perspective on what the future holds for electric drive cars. As many readers probably know, CPI is one of the companies delivering batteries to GM for the Chevy Volt, so Dr. Patil is in the center of the lithium ion world. CPI is also working with other automakers (details are still secret, unfortunately).
You can listen to Dr. Patil using the audio widget below and we'll have there is a transcript of the discussion pasted after the jump later today now.
The hybrid technology agreement between Daimler and BMW means that the world's (likely) first lithium-ion battery to go into a production vehicle - the S400 BlueHybrid (pictured) - will also probably make its way into BMW models. According to the Wall Street Journal and Just-Auto (reg req'd)], BMW paid some of the development costs of this battery, developed by Continental AG, in order to have access not long after Daimler does. The li-ion S400 should be out in 2009 and other companies will be able to get similar batteries from Continental, the WSJ reported.
Just as I thought I was recovering from the shock of the new Th!nk Ox concept announcement, today's press release from GE made me feel like I was caught up in a Ronco commercial, "But wait, there's more!" No, GE is not getting into Super Bass o' Matics. It sights are set on no less than the "global electrification of transportation". Toward this noble and glorious end they have announced a $4 million investment in Th!nk Global.
GE knows that good battery tech will be an integral part of the success of its transportation market objectives and its taking a decidedly synergistic approach. From the ongoing Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIRC) they disclosed that not only will A123Systems, producer of the patented Nanophosphate(TM) lithium-ion batteries, be able to draw on the research and technology development expertise of GE Global Research in Niskayuna, New York, but GE will sink a further $20 million to become the company's largest single investor.
$24 million may seem like a lot to you or I but it is still only part of the $100 million financial commitment GE has made to different companies in the past 18 months through its ecomagination(SM) initiative. For more on all the in and outs of the initiative and GE's investment arrangements check out the press release after the jump.
Recently Bill Kozyra, the CEO of Continental Automotive Systems - North America, had a chat with BusinessWeek where he revealed some interesting information about the Chevy Volt. Continental has gotten into the battery business recently and will be supplying lithium ion batteries to Mercedes-Benz for their mild hybrid system beginning in 2009. The company is also partnered with A123 Systems as the pack integrator for A123 cells for the Chevy Volt.
The first prototype Conti/A123 pack for the Volt program that was delivered to GM at the end of January has been undergoing testing since then. Kozyra told BusinessWeek that Continental would have Volt lithium ion batteries in production at the end of 2009. Asked if the batteries were going into production vehicles, Kozyra replied " Yeah. Specifically in the Chevrolet Volt in late 2009." Considering that GM has stated a target of late 2010 for Volt production, this seems highly optimistic.
I checked with GM spokesman Rob Peterson, and according to him the target for the Volt is still late 2010. We're still waiting for a follow up comment from Continental on this one.
Following the publication of our earlier story on the new generation GM Hybrid system this morning we got some more details from General Motors during their Geneva press conference. Prior to the show, GM declined to say who was supplying the lithium ion batteries for the system. We now know that Hitachi Vehicle Energy Ltd. will be supplying the batteries, a first for a GM system. The second-generation hybrid system will debut on North American models in 2010 and quickly spread globally, including in the production version of the Saab 9-X that is appearing as a concept in Geneva.
The Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid that was announced Friday, will likely be the first production lithium ion hybrid in the world. The important milestone here is the lithium ion battery chemistry, something that Reuters is giving us more information about. The S-class' li-ion cell will be supplied by Continental, which the tea leaves kind of predicted a few months ago. The S400 installs could give the battery maker a potential head start in its effort to beat Korea's LG Chem to produce the batteries for the Chevy Volt. A GM spokesperson told Reuters that both LG and Conti's batteries look encouraging to the automaker, so the advantage of being first on the market may not be as powerful as I suspect.
Hybrid Technologies, the company that will bring some of its newly re-named LiV line of electric vehicles to the New York Auto Show next month, has announced that its new type of lithium ion polymer battery has passed tests and should allow electric cars to go 200 miles per charge once they're mass produced. The improvement in the li-ion batteries is a new cathode material with what Hybrid Technologies calls a "superlattice structure" where some of the transition metal is replaced by lithium. This new material allows batteries to operate anywhere between 4.3V to 2V. Successful industrial-scale synthesis means that Hybrid Technologies expects these batteries to be used not only in EVs but also UPS power back-up systems. There's lots more at the Hybrid Technologies website. Thanks to Scott S. for the tip!
About a month ago, we spoke with Dr. Prabhakar Patil of Compact Power, Inc. 
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