In February 2015 Robert Llewellyn drove a Tesla Model S P85 from Oslo, Norway to London, England, a distance of 2,095 km (1,309 miles), using free Tesla superchargers virtually the entire distance.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Magnesium ion battery shows potential for Electric Vehicles
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have taken a significant step toward the development of a battery that could outperform the lithium-ion technology used in electric cars.
They have shown they can replace the lithium ions, each of which carries a single positive charge, with magnesium ions, which have a plus-two charge, in battery-like chemical reactions, using an electrode with a structure like those in many of today's devices.
"Because magnesium is an ion that carries two positive charges, every time we introduce a magnesium ion in the structure of the battery material we can move twice as many electrons," says Jordi Cabana, UIC assistant professor of chemistry and principal investigator on the study.
"We hope that this work will open a credible design path for a new class of high-voltage, high-energy batteries," Cabana said.
The research is part of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, a Department of Energy Innovation Hub led by Argonne National Laboratory, that aims to achieve revolutionary advances in battery performance. The study is online in advance of print in the journal Advanced Materials.
Every battery consists of a positive and negative electrode and an electrolyte. The electrodes exchange electrons and ions, which are usually of positive charge. Only the ions flow through the electrolyte, which is an electric insulator so as to force the electrons to flow through the external circuit to power the vehicle or device.
To recharge the battery, the exchange is reversed. But the chemical reaction is not perfectly efficient, which limits how many times the battery can be recharged.
"The more times you can do this back and forth, the more times you will be able to recharge your battery and still get the use of it between charges," Cabana said.
"In our case, we want to maximize the number of electrons moved per ion, because ions distort the structure of the electrode material when they go in or leave. The more the structure is distorted, the greater the energy cost of moving the ions back, the harder it becomes to recharge the battery."
"Like a parking garage, there are only so many spaces for the cars," Cabana said. "But you can put a car in each space with more people inside without distorting the structure."
Having established that magnesium can be reversibly inserted into electrode material's structure brings us one step closer to a prototype, said Cabana.
"It's not a battery yet, it's piece of a battery, but with the same reaction you would find in the final device," said Cabana.
Friday, April 24, 2015
VW Looking to Reduce Battery Costs by 66% with Singe Cell Design
Volkswagen Group may shift to a single lithium ion battery cell design for all of its electrified vehicles.
Heinz-Jakob Neusser, VW's board member in charge of development, says the group is targeting a 66 percent cost reduction with a design that would be packaged into modules customized for each vehicle.
"We have a clear understanding in the group of a common cell," Neusser said during a roundtable at the auto show here. "That means each member of the group, each brand, uses the same cell. Otherwise, we cannot get the synergies out of this development."
Volkswagen currently uses multiple types of lithium ion cells. For example, Panasonic supplies cells for the e-Golf, Golf GTE plug-in hybrid and Audi A3 e-tron, while Samsung supplies cells for the upcoming Passat GTE and Audi electrified vehicles.
A single design would enable greater utilization of the group's battery module assembly plant in Braunschweig, Germany. Multiple suppliers could be used to source the single cell design, a spokesman said.
Volkswagen plans to decide in the first half of this year whether new battery technology under development at U.S. startup QuantumScape Corp. is ready for use in its electric cars.
Source: ANE
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Japan's maglev train sets new world record with 603 km/h test run
Japan’s state-of-the-art Maglev train set a world speed record Tuesday during a test run near Mount Fuji, clocking more than 600 km/h.
The seven-car Maglev — short for magnetic levitation — train, hit a top speed of 603 km/h (377 Mph), and managed nearly 11 seconds over 600 km/h Central Japan Railway (JR Tokai) said.
The new record came less than a week after the train clocked 590 km/h, by breaking its own 2003 record of 581 km/h.
The Maglev hovers 10 cm above the tracks and is propelled by electrically charged magnets.
JR Tokai wants to have a train in service in 2027 plying the route between Tokyo and Nagoya, a distance of 286 km.
The service, which will run at a top speed of 500 km/h, is expected to connect the two cities in only 40 minutes, less than half the time it takes by shinkansen.
By 2045 Maglev trains are expected to link Tokyo and Osaka in just 67 minutes, slashing the journey time in half.
However, construction costs for the dedicated lines are astronomical — estimated at nearly ¥11.9 trillion just for the stretch to Nagoya, with more than 80 percent of the route expected to go through costly tunnels.
Are Tesla and Bosch working together on vehicle automation? [VIDEO]
The Bosch concept vehicle (a Tesla Model S) shows how the interaction between an automated vehicle and its driver could work.
The most obvious question this corporate video throws up is: How much collaboration is going on between Tesla and Bosch on vehicle automation?
Monday, April 20, 2015
Chevrolet-FNR autonomous EV concept
Chevrolet has created a vision of what it thinks a full autonomous all-electric vehicle of the future might look like.
Created by GM’s Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center the Chevrolet-FNR is an autonomous electric concept vehicle that boasts a futuristic capsule design. It has crystal laser headlights and taillights and dragonfly dual swing doors.
The Chevrolet-FNR features an extreme aero design optimised for low drag with braking and propulsion provided by all-wheel-drive magnetic hubless electric wheel motors along with autonomous wireless charging. A laundry list of imaginary range and power output specifications have not been provided.
The Chevrolet-FNR is loaded with a range of sensors like roof-mounted radar that can map out the environment to enable driverless operation, Chevy Intelligent Assistant and iris recognition start. The Chevrolet-FNR can also serve as a “personal assistant” to map out the best route to the driver’s preferred destination.
In self-driving mode, the vehicle's front seats can swivel 180 degrees to face the rear seats, creating a more intimate setting. The driver can switch to manual mode through the gesture control feature.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
ELMOFO Electric Radical maiden quarter mile pass [VIDEO]
In a demonstration run during the Mighty Car Mods Nationals at Sydney Dragway the ELMOFO Electric Radical made it's maiden run down the quarter mile achieveing at time of 10.922 seconds @ 131.25 Mph (211.24 km/h).
The EV Radical SR8 is designed for circuit racing and has the distinction of being the first electric car to win a race against petrol vehicles in a sanctioned event. The ELMOFO Racer has a peak output of 280 Kw / 570 Nm from twin sequential Remy based BLDC permanent magnet motors with energy fed from a 37 kWh KoKam Li-Po battery pack via two Rinehart Motion Systems inverters.
This was the cars first run down a quarter mile and the 10s time was achieved with worn rain tires and gearing better suited to circuit racing (top speed of 265 km/h). With lower gearing and heated slick tires ELMOFO could be knocking on the door of a 9 second pass. Even with the current set-up, ANDRA officials started to warn the team the car is close to requiring a parachute if it runs much faster.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Toroidion Launch 1MW AWD electric supercar in Monaco [VIDEO]
Finnish startup Toroidion has launched their all-electric megacar at the Top Marque show in Monaco. The Toroidion has 1341 hp total and a swappable battery.
With 2x 200 kw at the front and 2x 300 kw direct drive in-board wheel motors at the rear, the Toroidion 1MW Concept, built by designer Pasi Pennanen, was created to be an electric car that can compete in the GT classes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Source: Toroidion
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Peugeot 308 R Hybrid 500 hp AWD hot hatch [VIDEO]
Feast your eyes on the ultimate 308. PEUGEOT has unveiled a stunning new version of the compact family hatchback – with a combined 500 bhp and four-wheel drive.
Badged the PEUGEOT 308 R HYbrid, it has been developed by PEUGEOT Sport, the brand’s famous in-house engineering and racing division, which last year unveiled the critically acclaimed RCZ R. The car’s plug-in petrol hybrid powertrain results in a car capable of hitting 62mph (100km/h) in 4.0 seconds, yet still has astonishingly low CO2 emissions of 70g/km.
At the heart of the PEUGEOT 308 R HYbrid is a plug-in powertrain with four-wheel drive that develops 500hp. The unit combines three sources of power, each capable of moving the vehicle independently of the others. They are a four-cylinder 1.6-litre THP 270 S&S petrol engine, plus two electric motors – each with power of 85kW/115hp – mounted one on each axle. The front one is linked to the six-speed gearbox.
The result is a family hatchback which is capable of supercar performance. The PEUGEOT 308 R HYbrid can hit 62mph (100km/h) from a standing start in only 4.0 seconds, with top speed electronically limited to 155mph. In spite of such astonishing performance, CO2 emissions are just 70g/km.
“If we were able to reach this kind of performance on a C-segment, it is all down to our passion for a challenge and our desire for excellence. PEUGEOT 308 R HYbrid is part of a very select club of cars reaching 0-62mph in four seconds” says Jean-Philippe Delaire, PEUGEOT Sport Head of Development, 308 R HYbrid powertrain.
PEUGEOT Sport has been involved in every stage of development of the 308 R HYbrid, using its technical expertise and successful racing record to define the specifications of each component. For impeccable dynamic handling, the car’s weight has been optimised and placed as low as possible. The lithium-ion 3kWh battery has an excellent ratio between power and size, and is housed under the rear seats in place of the fuel tank. In turn, the 50-litre tank has been placed in the boot above the rear electric motor and two transformers.
The PEUGEOT Sport engineers have equipped the car with four driving modes:
The all-wheel drive system of the 308 R HYbrid makes for formidable handling, especially when coming out of the corners. The braking system is on a par with the car's performance, with 380mm ventilated discs at the front, gripped by four pistons, and 290mm discs to the rear. However, they are not used every time the brakes are applied, because PEUGEOT Sport has designed the powertrain to decelerate using the electric motors throughout the full speed range, starting at 155mph. Not only does this preserve the discs and pads, but uses regenerative braking to recharge the battery.
It is one of three recharging strategies. The second uses the front electric motor as a generator, driven by the petrol engine, while the third solution is a rapid recharging terminal restoring the battery to its maximum power in just 45 minutes.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
NASA's new Wheel Motor AWD Electric Robotic Car [VIDEO]
The Modular Robotic Vehicle, or MRV, was developed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in order to advance technologies that have applications for future vehicles both in space and on Earth. With seating for two people, MRV is a fully electric vehicle well-suited for busy urban environments.
One of NASA’s key purposes for the project was to have access to a technology development platform. “This work allowed us to develop some technologies we felt were needed for our future rovers,” said Justin Ridley, Johnson Space Flight Center. “These include redundant by-wire systems, liquid cooling, motor technology, advanced vehicle control algorithms. We were able to learn a lot about these and other technologies by building this vehicle.”
Just as NASA helped pioneer fly-by-wire technology in aircraft in the 1970s, MRV is an attempt to bring that technology to the ground in modern automobiles. With no mechanical linkages to the propulsion, steering, or brake actuators, the driver of an MRV relies completely on control inputs being converted to electrical signals and then transmitted by wires to the vehicle’s motors. A turn of the steering wheel, for instance, is recorded by sensors and sent to computers at the rear of the vehicle. These computers interpret that signal and instruct motors at one or all four of the wheels to move at the appropriate rate, causing the vehicle to turn as commanded. Due to a force feedback system in the steering wheel, the driver feels the same resistance and sensations as a typical automobile.
Not having a mechanical linkage between the driver and the steering wheel introduces new risks not seen on conventional automobiles. A failed computer, or cut wire, could cause a loss of steering and the driver to lose control. Because of this, a fully redundant, fail-operational architecture was developed for the MRV. Should the steer-ing motor fail, the computer system responds immediately by sending signals to a second, redundant motor. Should that computer fail, a second computer is ready to take over vehicle control. This redundancy is paramount to safe operations of a by-wire system.
MRV’s redundant drive-by-wire architecture allows for advanced safety and dynamic control schemes. These can be implemented with a driver operating either within the vehicle or by remote interface. In the future this system can be expanded to allow for autonomous driving
MRV is driven by four independent wheel modules called e-corners. Each e-corner consists of a redundant steering actuator, a passive trailing arm suspension, an in-wheel pro-pulsion motor, and a motor-driven friction braking system.
Each e-corner can be controlled independently and rotated ±180 degrees about its axis. This allows for a suite of driving modes allowing MRV to maneuver unlike any traditional vehicle on the road. In addition to conventional front two wheel steering, the back wheels can also articulate allowing for turning radiuses as tight as zero. The driving mode can be switched so that all four wheels point and move in the same direction achieving an omni-directional, crab-like motion. This makes a maneuver such as parallel parking as easy as driving next to an available spot, stopping, and then operating sideways to slip directly in between two cars.
“This two-seater vehicle was designed to meet the growing challenges and demands of urban transportation,” said Mason Markee, also with Johnson. “The MRV would be ideal for daily transportation in an urban environment with a designed top speed of 70 km/hr and range of 100 km of city driving on a single charge of the battery. The size and maneuverability of MRV gives it an advantage in navigating and parking in tight quarters.”
The driver controls MRV with a conventional looking steering wheel and accelerator/brake pedal assembly. Both of these interfaces were specially designed to mimic the feel of the mechanical/hydraulic systems that people are used to feeling when driving their own cars. Each device includes its own redundancy to protect for electrical failures within the systems. A multi-axis joystick is available to allow additional control in some of the more advanced drive modes. A configurable display allows for changing of drive modes and gives the user critical vehicle information and health and status indicators.
Each propulsion motor is located inside the wheel and capable of producing 190 ft-lbs of torque. An active thermal control loop maintains temperatures of these high powered motors. A separate thermal loop cools the avionics, includ-ing custom lithium-ion battery packs.
“While the vehicle as a whole is designed around oper-ating in an urban environment, the core technologies are advancements used in many of our robotic systems and rovers,” explained Mason. “Actuators, motor controllers, sensors, batteries, BMS, component cooling, sealing, and software are all examples of technologies that are being devel oped and tested in MRV that will be used in next generation rover systems.”
The technologies developed in MRV have direct appli-cation in future manned vehicles undertaking missions on the surface of Earth’s moon, on Mars, or even an asteroid. Additionally, MRV provides a platform to learn lessons that could drive the next generation of automobiles.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
NZ Rocket startup unveils battery-powered engine [VIDEO]
Rocket Lab, a privately-held company on Tuesday said its low-cost Electron launch system for small satellites will be the first rocket powered by batteries.
Chief Executive Peter Beck said the company founded in 2008 to help commercialize the space business, expected to carry out the first flight of its all-composite Electron launch vehicle and the new Rutherford engine before the end of the year.
Beck said the engine was also the first to use 3D printing for all primary components, including its engine chamber, injector, pumps and main propellant valves, all mostly made of titanium and other alloys.
The lightweight engine can be "printed" in three days, compared to about a month if it were built using traditional manufacturing.
Rocket Lab, which is based in Los Angeles and has a launch site in New Zealand, says the two-stage Electron rocket will make it cheaper and quicker to launch small 100-kilogram payloads into low-earth orbit.
The company expects to start launching satellites for customers in 2016, and eventually aims to launch a satellite a week. It says its launch cost will be less than $5 million, half the price that Virgin Galactic is charging for rides on its air-launched satellite booster, LauncherOne.
The heart of a typical rocket motor are it's turbopumps. A turbopump is a very high-pressure propellant pump that spin up to 30,000 rpm to generate the pressure required for propellant combustion. The compression stage of a turbopump is typically driven by a gas turbine combustion stage.
The Rocket Lab motor replaces the gas turbine with lithium polymer battery powered high-performance brushless DC electric motors to drive its liquid oxygen and kerosene, boosting efficiency from 50% for a typical gas generator cycle to 95%. Beck said the batteries on the new launcher would produce just shy of one megawatt of power, enough to power a whole city block.
“For us it was really about decoupling that thermodynamic problem,” Beck says. “And the beauty with an electric turbopump is that it takes that really complicated problem and turns it into software.”
Each Rutherford engine has two electric motors the size of a soda can, Beck says, one for each propellant. The small motors generate 50 hp while spinning at 40,000 rpm, “not a trivial problem,” he says.
“The battery technology is also a little bit special,” Beck says. “We’re drawing huge currents and huge energies from those batteries to provide the energy, but really it just provides such a simplified and efficient system.”
Rocket Lab aims to help companies that want to launch hundreds and thousands of small satellites into low-earth orbit to provide space-based access to the Internet, respond to natural disasters and improve crop yields.
Beck said the company had been working on the Rutherford engine for the past year and a half, racing to meet growing demand from companies ranging from Google Inc to small Silicon Valley startups.
"There's a lot of payload ready to go," Beck said. "The missing piece is a responsive and cost-effective launch capability."
The company's investors include Khosla Ventures, K1W1 and Bessemer Venture Partners.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Google X research lab working on new battery technology
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google’s X research lab is working on a project to improve battery technology. This group is led by Dr Ramesh Bhardwaj, a former Apple employee who worked on batteries there, too.
WSJ is reporting that Bhardwaj and his 4-member team reportedly originally tested batteries that were developed by others for use in Google devices, but have since switched gears and may even develop the new battery tech themselves. Apparently their focus area is improving Li-Ion technology and solid state batteries.
Dr. Bhardwaj has told industry executives that Google has at least 20 battery-dependent projects including the company’s latest self-driving car. “Google wants to control more of their own destiny in various places along the hardware supply chain,” said Lior Susan, head of hardware strategy at venture-capital firm Formation 8. “Their moves into drones, cars and other hardware all require better batteries.”
Google joins many technology companies trying to improve batteries, including Apple, Tesla Motors Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. These efforts have so far produced only incremental gains, a contrast for tech companies accustomed to regular, dramatic leaps in the efficiency of semiconductors.
Emerging battery technologies promise bigger gains. Solid-state, thin-film batteries use a solid, rather than liquid, making them smaller and safer. Such batteries can be produced in thin, flexible layers, useful for small mobile devices. But it isn’t clear whether they can be mass produced cheaply, said Venkat Srinivasan, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
Source: WSJ
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Tesla launch AWD 70 kWh Model S70D
Tesla Motors introduces the All-wheel drive Model S 70D. Uniting exceptional performance and drive experience features, the newest Model S offers great value at a compelling price. Starting at AUD$102,400 RRP plus luxury car tax, on-road costs and stamp duty, Model S 70D includes dual motor all-wheel drive technology, a NEDC-rated 440 km of range, and a 0-100 time of 5.4 seconds.
In addition to dual motor, 70D comes standard with Autopilot Hardware, Navigation, and Supercharging. And, as with every Model S, 70D will run on the new software 6.2 and owners will continue to receive free over-the-air updates that will add additional functionality, enhanced performance, and improved user experience over time.
To make room for the 70D, Tesla is eliminating the 60, which had been its cheapest Model S since the sedan’s 2012 launch. Starting at US$76,170 before any government incentives, the 70D will cost $5,000 more than a basic 60, though it includes use of Tesla's proprietary Superchargers, which was previously a $2,000 option.
Model S70D will be able to travel 440 km (275 miles) between charges and deliver 380 kw (514 hp) to all four wheels from two electric motors -- up from 375 km (233 miles) of range and 280 kw (380 hp) for today’s basic rear-drive Model S, called the 60.
Road & Track are quoting a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 for the 70D but taking into consideration the slightly heavier (15 kWh more batteries on-board) standard 85D with 188 hp motors front and rear (total 376 hp) also records 5.2 sec, I think we can expect significantly-sub-5 sec times from the new 514 hp Model S 70D.
Watch this space once road test data becomes available!
[UPDATED] In something of a PR cock-up, Tesla has now re-stated the peak power output for the Model S 70D @ 328 hp (245 kw)
Model S 70 D standard features include:
- All-wheel drive Dual Motor
- 70 kWh battery with NEDC-rated 440 km range
- 0-100 km/h acceleration in 5.4 seconds
- 225 km/h top speed
- Autopilot Hardware
- Navigation
- Supercharging
- Trip planner and range assurance
- Lane departure warning
- Parking sensors
- Automatic emergency braking
- Automatic Keyless Entry
376hp 85D and 514hp 70D both hit 60mph in 5.2 sec??
Mitsubishi to Launch Outlander Sport Plug-In Hybrid in 2016
Mitsubishi is planning to bring to the US a plug-in hybrid version of its smaller Outlander Sport model – a segment of the market where previous to this week no automaker offered any hybrid, but to which both Toyota and Nissan have now thrown their hat in the ring.
Mitsubishi says of its baby PHEV: 'The system is estimated to achieve very low CO2 emissions of below 40g/km while also delivering gutsy and smooth performance with its 163bhp electric motor.' It adds that it is developing plug-in electric hybrid systems best suited to each model in its line-up with a view to introducing them in the near future.
"We are committed to huge investments in capital as well as huge investments in R&D," Mitsubishi's Don Swearingen, executive vice president for sales and fixed operations at Mitsubishi Motors North America said.
"With the way our company was structured and the financial conditions that we were in, we had to get ourselves (back) on solid ground" before making this commitment,
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Nissan Launch X-Trail Hybrid in Japan
Nissan has introduced the X-Trail Hybrid in Japan, equipped with a 2-liter MR20DD four-cylinder engine and an electric motor.
Nissan says the hybrid powertrain “delivers a comfortable driving experience with its powerful acceleration and remarkable quietness, which eclipse those of typical 2.5-liter gasoline engines.”
The 2.0-liter gasoline engine delivers 147PS (145hp) at 6,000 rpm and 207Nm (153lb-ft) of torque from 4,400 rpm, while the RM31 electric motor has a maximum power output of 30 kW (40hp) and a maximum torque of 160Nm (118lb-ft). The hybrid system also includes a high-output lithium-ion battery which is able to charge/discharge quickly.
In combination with an XTronic CVT, the hybrid powertrain achieves a fuel economy of 20.6 km/l (4.8 l/100 km or 48.5 mpg US) in the JC08 mode and meets Japan’s 2020 fuel economy standards, which means all grades are eligible for tax exemptions.
Furthermore, the X-Trail Hybrid achieves a 75 percent reduction of NOx (nitrogen oxide) and NMHC (non-methane hydrocarbons) in exhaust emissions over 2005 standards and SU-LEV certification.
The Nissan X-Trail Hybrid features Intelligent Dual Clutch Control, which is a two-clutch parallel hybrid system that delivers engine and motor energy mechanically to the transmission without having a motor assist or a torque converter, thus favoring responsive starts and acceleration.
In terms of equipment, the Nissan X-Trail Hybrid gets Forward Emergency Braking as a standard feature, as well as the NissanConnect Navigation System, the latest generation in-car navigation, information and entertainment system with smartphone link application. Nissan is planning to also introduce Forward Emergency Braking as standard on major models in Japan, by the end of autumn 2015. The X-Trail Hybrid is priced from 2,804,760 yen ($23,415).
Toyota unveil 2016 RAV4 Hybrid [VIDEO]
Toyota unveiled the new RAV4 Hybrid at the New York International Auto Show. The eighth hybrid in the Toyota lineup, the RAV4 Hybrid offers more power as well as better fuel economy than the conventional RAV4, according to Toyota Group Vice President and General Manager Bill Fay.
The hybrid system consists of a 4-cylinder, 2.5-liter petrol engine and eCVT transmission along with an All-Wheel-Drive System with Intelligence (AWDi) featuring a rear motor that operates independently from the front motor. This additional electric motor delivers instant torque to the rear wheels only when additional traction is needed, thereby automatically helping prevent wheel spin.
AWDi adapts to the angle or condition of the road, with no driver input needed. The electronic AWD provides increased safety and stability on slippery surfaces and enables a towing capacity of 1,650 kg (3,634 lbs). Easy and safe towing is ensured thanks to Trailer Sway Control system.
RAV4 will also offer a new Bird’s Eye View Monitor. This Toyota-first technology utilizes four cameras that are mounted on the front, side mirrors and rear of the vehicle to give the driver a panoramic view of their surroundings. The system offers drivers assistance when parallel parking, and when pulling in and out of parking spaces.
The Bird’s Eye View Monitor system also has an industry-first feature called Perimeter Scan, that gives drivers a live rotating 360-degree view of what is around the vehicle, helping them see objects that could be in the way.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Aluminium battery from Stanford offers Fast Charge and Low Cost
Stanford University scientists have invented the first high-performance aluminium battery that's fast-charging, long-lasting and inexpensive. Researchers say the new technology offers a safe alternative to many commercial batteries in wide use today.
"We have developed a rechargeable aluminium battery that may replace existing storage devices, such as alkaline batteries, which are bad for the environment, and lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally burst into flames," said Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford. "Our new battery won't catch fire, even if you drill through it."
Dai and his colleagues describe their novel aluminium-ion battery in "An ultrafast rechargeable aluminium-ion battery," which will be published in the April 6 advance online edition of the journal Nature.
Aluminium has long been an attractive material for batteries, mainly because of its low cost, low flammability and high-charge storage capacity. For decades, researchers have tried unsuccessfully to develop a commercially viable aluminium-ion battery. A key challenge has been finding materials capable of producing sufficient voltage after repeated cycles of charging and discharging.
Graphite cathode
An aluminium-ion battery consists of two electrodes: a negatively charged anode made of aluminium and a positively charged cathode.
"People have tried different kinds of materials for the cathode," Dai said. "We accidentally discovered that a simple solution is to use graphite, which is basically carbon. In our study, we identified a few types of graphite material that give us very good performance."
For the experimental battery, the Stanford team placed the aluminium anode and graphite cathode, along with an ionic liquid electrolyte, inside a flexible polymer- coated pouch.
"The electrolyte is basically a salt that's liquid at room temperature, so it's very safe," said Stanford graduate student Ming Gong, co-lead author of the Nature study.
Aluminium batteries are safer than conventional lithium-ion batteries used in millions of laptops and cell phones today, Dai added.
"Lithium-ion batteries can be a fire hazard," he said.
As an example, he pointed to recent decisions by United and Delta airlines to ban bulk lithium-battery shipments on passenger planes.
"In our study, we have videos showing that you can drill through the aluminium battery pouch, and it will continue working for a while longer without catching fire," Dai said. "But lithium batteries can go off in an unpredictable manner – in the air, the car or in your pocket. Besides safety, we have achieved major breakthroughs in aluminium battery performance."
One example is ultra-fast charging. Smartphone owners know that it can take hours to charge a lithium-ion battery. But the Stanford team reported "unprecedented charging times" of down to one minute with the aluminum prototype.
Durability is another important factor. Aluminium batteries developed at other laboratories usually died after just 100 charge-discharge cycles. But the Stanford battery was able to withstand more than 7,500 cycles without any loss of capacity. "This was the first time an ultra-fast aluminium-ion battery was constructed with stability over thousands of cycles," the authors wrote.
By comparison, a typical lithium-ion battery lasts about 1,000 cycles.
"Another feature of the aluminium battery is flexibility," Gong said. "You can bend it and fold it, so it has the potential for use in flexible electronic devices. Aluminium is also a cheaper metal than lithium."
Applications
In addition to small electronic devices, aluminium batteries could be used to store renewable energy on the electrical grid, Dai said.
"The grid needs a battery with a long cycle life that can rapidly store and release energy," he explained. "Our latest unpublished data suggest that an aluminium battery can be recharged tens of thousands of times. It's hard to imagine building a huge lithium-ion battery for grid storage."
Aluminium-ion technology also offers an environmentally friendly alternative to disposable alkaline batteries, Dai said.
"Millions of consumers use 1.5-volt AA and AAA batteries," he said. "Our rechargeable aluminium battery generates about two volts of electricity. That's higher than anyone has achieved with aluminium."
But more improvements will be needed to match the voltage of lithium-ion batteries, Dai added.
"Our battery produces about half the voltage of a typical lithium battery," he said. "But improving the cathode material could eventually increase the voltage and energy density. Otherwise, our battery has everything else you'd dream that a battery should have: inexpensive electrodes, good safety, high-speed charging, flexibility and long cycle life. I see this as a new battery in its early days. It's quite exciting."
Korean researchers develop ten times faster super capacitor battery
Korean researchers have developed a super capacitor battery with double the capacity and ten times faster charge speed than conventional batteries by controlling two dimensional nanomaterial structure and composition. The technology is widely expected to facilitate the development of ultra super capacitor material utilized in next generation energy industry such as electric vehicles and smart grids.
The electric double layer capacitors (EDLC) boasts high power output, faster recharge and discharge, and semi-permanent battery life. However, low energy density can restrict the application. EDLC is a type of super capacitor that stores or discharges energy within seconds by absorbing ion electrically pulled from the electrode surface.
A series of research has been conducted in advanced countries including the US to enhance the energy density by developing super capacitor electrode material. The research team found secondary nanosheet by chemically exfoliating the bulk layered compound made of transitional metal and sulfur as they would to retrieve graphene shedding off a layer of graphite before they build the two dimensional nanosheet into a three dimensional structure.
The result was published in a science magazine ‘Nano Letters’ on March 3, titled as ‘Unveiling Surface Redox Charge Storage of Interacting Two-Dimensional Heteronanosheets in Hierarchical Architectures.’
Sunday, April 5, 2015
BMW doubles i8 production to meet demand
Although BMW has doubled the production capacity for the plug-in hybrid i8, the order backlog is, according to Production Director Harald Krüger still at 4.5 months.
"We are really proud to see how this demands develops for a completely new car," Kruger said at the BMW Financial News Conference. Pride partly because of the spectacular E-athletes have been accepted even better than expected in the market, and secondly because the production team at the Leipzig plant has got a handle on the production processes of the vehicle with a high carbon fibre content faster than expected.
Since launch in summer 2014 a total of 1,741 i8 were delivered. Given the high demand BMW have doubled the production number. Currently 20 cars per day will be built. Nevertheless, demand is still rising.
Overall, BMW sold 17,793 i models last year including 16,052 i3. Norbert Reithofer acknowledged that BMW are satisfied with the development because of the valuable experience developed through the i-series with Reithofer emphasizing the goal of electrification power trains through all series.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Laguna Seca Shoot-Out: McLaren P1 vs Porsche 918 Spyder [VIDEO]
Two 900 hp plug-in hybrids, the McLaren P1 versus the Porsche 918 Spyder.
Both of these cars have carbon fiber tubs and body panels. Both have small displacement, high revving V-8s packed between their passenger compartments and rear axles. Both use twin-clutch transmissions, carbon ceramic brakes, and active aerodynamics. Both have roughly 900 hp.
With the help of pro racing driver Randy Pobst, Motor Trend find out which one is fastest around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca!
Tesla sells record 10,030 cars in Q1, up 55% year over year
Tesla Motors delivered a record 10,030 cars in the first quarter of 2015, a 55% increase compared with the number of deliveries in the first quarter of last year.
The company said going forward it will publish the number of new car deliveries within three days of quarter end as inaccurate sources of information have sometimes been used by others in publishing the number of vehicle deliveries.
The company expects to deliver about 55,000 cars globally in 2015, an increase of about 74 percent.
Tesla Motors is also set to offer upgrades including hands-free steering on its Model S sedan in three months, about a year ahead of other automakers.
Up to Thursday's close of $191, the stock had fallen 14.1 percent this year.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Torque Vector Steering Improves Electric Vehicle Energy Efficiency
Germany's Karlsruhe Institute for Technology along with industry partner Schaeffler are researching improvements in electric vehicle energy efficiency by using brake steer or torque vector control of wheel motors to assist power steering.
The project "Intelligent Assisted Steering System with Optimum Energy Efficiency for Electric Vehicles (e²-Lenk)" subsidized by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) focuses on a new assisted steering concept. In conventional vehicles, the internal combustion engine not only accelerates the car but also supplies on-board assist systems with energy; such as the assisted steering system, which reduces the strain on the driver at the wheel.
In electric vehicles, this energy comes from the battery and also reduces the range as a result. In this research project by the collaborating partners, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) and Schaeffler, the steering system is assisted in an energy-efficient manner by intelligent control of the drive torques transmitted to the individual wheels. The project is being sponsored by BMBF with a sum of around 0.6 million euros over 3 years and was started in January 2015.
"The new assisted steering system would require less system components in an electric vehicle, this would mean savings in terms of weight and energy in an electric vehicle", explain project managers Dr. Marcel Mayer, Schaeffler, and Dr. Michael Frey, KIT. "This would mean that an electric car would be cheaper and have a greater range." Materials and production steps can be saved due to the potential optimization of the design and weight.
The basic idea of the e²-Lenk project is simple: The wheels in an electric car will be driven individually by electric motors in contrast to a car with an internal combustion engine where all the wheels are provided with equal force. If the wheels on the left side transmit more drive torque to the road than those on the right side, this will result in acceleration of the vehicle to the right without the need to turn the front wheels or consume additional energy for steering.
Tracked vehicles or quadrocopters steer using the same principle. "Steering assistance can be provided while driving by means of an intelligent control system and suitable wheel suspension", says Schaeffler engineer Mayer, Manager of the Automatic Driving Working Group, which is carrying out research as part of the collaborative research project SHARE (Schaeffler Hub for Automotive Research in E-Mobility) at KIT. "Only steering when stationary remains a challenge with conventional designs."
"The assisted steering system is part of the drive train with our approach", explains Frey who is researching at KIT's Institute of Vehicle Systems Technology. Steering the front wheels is carried out without using additional energy. "We also want to significantly increase the quality of driving. Customer benefit, comfort, safety and reliability go hand in hand here."
As part of the project, functional demonstrators are being built, with which the concepts can be validated and optimized in experiments. It is also planned to implement the system in last year's Formula Student racing car KIT built by the university group KA-RaceIng with the participation of the students.
e²-Lenk is the first publicly subsidized joint project as part of the collaborative re-search project SHARE at KIT between Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG and KIT. This joint project is being managed at KIT's East Campus in a joint project management office run by SHARE at KIT and the Institute of Vehicle Systems Technology (FAST).
Schaeffler and KIT are partners in the Leading Edge Cluster Electric Mobility South-West (ESW), which connects over 80 stakeholders from science and economics in the region Karlsruhe – Mannheim – Stuttgart – Ulm. The cluster strategy of the ESW cluster aims to achieve intensive regional collaboration in the field of electric mobility by means of new approaches and forms of cooperation. As a result, knowledge is developed, consolidated and ultimately advantages are achieved in international competition.
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