The element of the lithium ion battery is the technology that will shape the future of the electric car in terms of distance performance and we are just at the beginning stages of what's possible. Lithium is the lightest of all the metals and often used in heat transfer applications, as an alloying agent agent and is often added to glasses and ceramics. The high electrochemical potential makes useful for in batteries.
Nissan just announced they will build a factory with NEC to make the lithium batteries for use in electric cars. The new battery they are developing is expected to be half the size of a nickel hydride battery while having twice the power, but lithium can be unstable so there are safety concerns that need to be worked out.
In the WSJ, head of Nissan research said that by 2015, lithium ion batteries will increase the range of electric vehicles to 250 miles on one charge. Current lithium batteries only offer a range of a quarter of that but about every two years those ranges are expected to nearly double.. ah there's the 'ol Murphy's Law kicking in again!
Toyota has announced a partnership of its own to develop the battery with Matsushita Elecetrical and the battery is expected to power the first plug in hybrid Toyota in 2010.
Filed under Lithium Ion Battery by on Jun 13th, 2008. Comment. 
Ever thought about building your own electric powered car that runs entirely on the power of the sun? It's the ultimate clean transportation solution and I've been curious about it myself so did a bit of digging around.
One company I found called SUNN EV offers a do it yourself kit with the total cost of components costing around $5K and has around a 30 mile range. Of course, it's no speed demon topping out at around 25mph. The car was designed by Art Haines with the help of high school students in Maine. Very cool!
This is one of the few solar electric power car kits I've been able to find.. check it out! Good luck with the business Art!
Here's a pic of the pickup:
A nice video on YouTube as well:
Filed under Electric Cars by on Jun 12th, 2008. Comment.
Soon after becoming available in the US in January of this year, the European Smart Car fortwo manufactured by Mercedes Benz has been a smash hit and you currently have to get on a 9 month waiting list for one… or get it on EBAY! (but you'll pay up to a 35% premium)
It's ranked the highest fuel efficiency car in the US (besides hybrids) and gets 33/41 mpg. Not exactly impressive for a car of this size in my opinion.. this is probably more a case of the cool factor rather than saving as much fuel as possible. Adding to the surging demand is the price, which at 11590 MSRP, is much more affordable than traditional fuel efficient cars such as the Toyota Prius. The good crash test rating have also added to its popularity.
It's not without it's critics however. Outside of the mediocre gas mileage, they say the car is noisy at fast speeds, lurches when shifting and doesn't provide a real smooth ride. I haven't driven one but would have to agree that it does seem to be more of a fad, then a practical solution to our growing need for efficient transportation. If you need a car just for city driving, there are cheaper, better fuel efficiency options such as the Zap which relies solely on battery power and gets up to 40 mph. If you need better fuel efficiency for highway driving as well, the Honda Fit appears to be the best value (just a bit less fuel efficient with much twice the room).
Filed under Smart Cars by on May 22nd, 2008. Comment.
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