The 63rd Frankfurt International Motor Show (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung) on September 16, 2009 saw the world launch of the REVA NXR (NeXt Reva), a new lithium-ion powered electric car from REVA Electric Car Company (REVA), which is scheduled to go into production early 2010. Also unveiled for the first time was REVA’s showcar, the REVA NXG (NeXt Generation), which is the company’s 2011 model.

REVA NXR is an M1 category three-door, four-seater hatchback family car that is suitable for urban driving. Top speed is 104 kph (65 mph) with a range of 160 kms (100 miles) per charge. If using the 90 minute fast charge (normal charging is eight hours), the REVA NXR offers an effective range of 320km a day. A fast charge for 15 minutes will provide a 40 km (25 mile) range.

The REVA NXR has keyless entry and operation, dual charge ports, intelligent digital display and a range of telematics. These include SMS alerts and commands such as distance-to-empty and time-to- full charge, remote cabin heat/cool, a monthly eco-drive check by email, service and insurance alerts, remote diagnostics and healing and REVive remote emergency charge. REVive is exclusive to REVA and acts like an invisible reserve fuel tank and addresses “range anxiety.” If a customer runs out of charge, they can telephone or SMS REVA’s customer support center. The advanced telematics will assess the car’s batteries remotely and activate a reserve amount of energy while protecting the battery life. Within minutes, a few extra miles of range are made available via the telematics and the driver can continue home or to a place where the NXR can be charged.

REVA NXR

Prices of the NXR will vary across Europe depending on taxes and subsidies. Customers will be offered the option of purchasing the car and batteries separately, or at an all-inclusive price. If bought separately, the benefit will be a lower purchase price, with the batteries paid for on a monthly basis – just like gasoline – as part of a monthly mobility fee, which could also include electricity, telematics and other services. Average prices in Europe, excluding batteries, will be around 14,995 euros (US$ 21,820) for the lithium-ion NXR Intercity version. The REVA NXR City, with lead acid batteries that has an 80 km (50 mile) range and a speed of 80 kph (50 mph) is also available from 9,995 euros (US$ 14,545) and a small monthly mobility fee.

Chetan Maini, deputy chairman and chief technology officer of REVA said during the Frankfurt show: “The NXR is a stylish city car packed full of user-friendly technology. You can order one from today and production will start early next year, so you can be one of the first to own the latest generation of electric cars.” Styled by Dilip Chhabria, the REVA NXG is a M1 category, two-door, two-seater car with a targa top. The REVA NXG has a range of 200km (125 miles) per charge and a top speed of 130 kph (80 miles per hour). It features the same telematics as the REVA NXR, including REVive and, using the fast charge, it has an effective range of 400 kms (250 miles) a day. This showcar, the REVA NXG, is REVA’s 2011 model and its first showing is at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) between Sep. 17 – 27, 2009. Pricing in Europe excluding batteries is from 23,000 euros (US$ 33,470) plus a monthly mobility fee.

REVA NXG

REVA is committed to mitigating climate change with the creation of ultra low carbon cars – it has only ever made EVs. Every REVA NXR and REVA NXG will be Born Green, meaning they will have one of the lowest dust-to-dirt carbon footprints of any car in mass production. The REVA NXR has been designed to use approximately 80% fewer parts than a conventional or hybrid car and will be assembled in REVA’s new ultra low-carbon assembly plant in Bangalore powered by solar energy and using natural light and ventilation and rainwater harvesting. Preparations have begun to create a ‘second life’ for the lithium batteries to optimize energy efficiency and reduce the cost to consumers via the creation of guaranteed residual values. From 2010 REVA will publish the carbon emissions for the assembly and lifetime operation of both these new cars and by this environmental disclosure, customers can make an informed buying decision.

REVA’s new website, www.revaglobal.com, launched the same time as the new cars and customers can register their interest in either vehicle on the online priority list today by paying a refundable 500 euro (US$ 727) fee. While Indian-made cars have sold in Europe and elsewhere, cars made in India have not targeted the U.S. market, and it is not expected that the REVA will be brought here either.

REVA NXR and REVA NXG All-Electric Cars Available For Europe Reservation is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Elkhart, Indiana – Further accelerating the manufacturing and deployment of electric vehicles, batteries, and components here in America, and creating tens of thousands of new jobs, President Obama today announced 48 new advanced battery and electric drive projects that will receive $2.4 billion in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These projects, selected through a highly competitive process by the Department of Energy, will accelerate the development of U.S. manufacturing capacity for batteries and electric drive components as well as the deployment of electric drive vehicles, helping to establish American leadership in creating the next generation of advanced vehicles.

View listing of award recipients. View map showing award recipients.

“If we want to reduce our dependence on oil, put Americans back to work and reassert our manufacturing sector as one of the greatest in the world, we must produce the advanced, efficient vehicles of the future,” said President Obama.

“For our nation and our economy to recover, we must have a vision for what can be built here in the future – and then we need to invest in that vision,” said Vice President Biden. “That’s what we’re doing today and that’s what this Recovery Act is about.”

The announcement marks the single largest investment in advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric-drive vehicles ever made. Industry officials expect that this $2.4 billion investment, coupled with another $2.4 billion in cost share from the award winners, will result directly in the creation tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. battery and auto industries.

The new awards cover the following areas:

• $1.5 billion in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce batteries and their components and to expand battery recycling capacity;
• $500 million in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce electric drive components for vehicles, including electric motors, power electronics, and other drive train components; and
• $400 million in grants to purchase thousands of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles for test demonstrations in several dozen locations; to deploy them and evaluate their performance; to install electric charging infrastructure; and to provide education and workforce training to support the transition to advanced electric transportation systems.

Today, President Obama visited Navistar International Corporation, in Elkhart, Ind., to make the announcement. Navistar will receive a $39 million grant to manufacture electric trucks which the company reports will ultimately will create or save hundreds of jobs when full scale manufacturing at the site commences. Overall, seven projects in Indiana will receive grants totaling more than $400 million. The applications from the companies and from one university engaged in this technology research anticipate that these awards will create or save thousands of jobs.

Vice President Joe Biden and four Members of the Cabinet, also fanned out across the country to discuss the historic announcement.

Vice President Biden was in Detroit to announce over $1 billion in grants to companies and universities based in Michigan. Reflecting the state’s leadership in clean energy manufacturing, Michigan companies and institutions are receiving the largest share of grant funding of any state. Two companies, A123 and Johnson Controls, will receive a total of approximately $550 million to establish a manufacturing base in the state for advanced batteries, and two others, Compact Power and Dow Kokam, will receive a total of over $300 million for manufacturing battery cells and materials. Large automakers based in Michigan, including GM, Chrysler, and Ford, will receive a total of more than $400 million to manufacture thousands of advanced hybrid and electric vehicles as well as batteries and electric drive components. And three educational institutions in Michigan, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University in Detroit, and Michigan Technological University in Houghton in the Upper Peninsula, will receive a total of more than $10 million for education and workforce training programs to train researchers, technicians and service providers, and to conduct consumer research to accelerate the transition towards advanced vehicles and batteries.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu, whose Department selected the 48 award winners, visited Celgard, in Charlotte, NC, to announce a $49 million grant for the company to expand its separator production capacity to serve the expected increased demand for lithium-ion batteries from manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Celgard will be expanding its manufacturing capacity in Charlotte, NC and nearby Aiken, SC, and the company expects the new separator production to come online in 2010. Celgard expects that approximately hundreds of jobs could be created, with the first of those jobs beginning as early as Fall 2009.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson was in St. Petersburg, FL, to announce a $95.5 million grant for Saft America, Inc. to construct a new plant in Jacksonville on the site of the former Cecil Field military base, to manufacture lithium-ion cells, modules and battery packs for military, industrial, and agricultural vehicles.

Deputy Secretary of the Department of Transportation John Porcari visited East Penn Manufacturing Co., in Lyon Station, Penn., to award the company a $32.5 million grant to increase production capacity for their valve regulated lead-acid batteries and the UltraBattery, a lead-acid battery combined with a carbon supercapacitor, for micro and mild hybrid applications. East Penn Manufacturing is a third-generation family business with over 63 years in battery manufacturing.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke visited Kansas City, Missouri, to announce a $10 million grant for Smith Electric to build and deploy up to 100 electric vehicles, including vans, pickups, and their “Newton” brand medium duty trucks. In addition, Secretary Locke announced three other grants supporting manufacturing and educational programs in Missouri: a $30 million grant to Ford Motor Company supporting the manufacturing of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Kansas City and in Michigan; a $73 million grant to Chrysler, for the manufacturing of 220 plug-in hybrid and electric pickup trucks and minivans in St. Louis and in Michigan; and a $5 million grant to Missouri University of Science and Technology, in Rolla, Missouri, to fund educational and workforce training programs on advanced vehicles technologies.

President Obama Announces $2.4 Billion in Grants to Accelerate the Manufacturing and Deployment of the Next Generation of U.S. Batteries and Electric Vehicles is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Battery pack technology is all about managing the temperature of the cells and low resistance of the interconnecting conductors, connectors, and switches. Battery pack technology is not the same as battery chemistry technology. The latter is about building functional individual battery units, while the former is about making those units work together effectively and safely to provide much higher capacities.

There is still a lot of room for creative pack designs in electric and hybrid-electric vehicles with different form, fit and function topologies and connection schemes. The most common requirement is the need for temperature management for high power performance and operational life of a pack. High current charging and discharging through parasitic resistances in the cells, connections, switches, and wire cables generate heat that must be dissipated without damaging the surrounding materials.

Here are some key factors governing good battery pack design.

Internal Heating Factor

Knowing where the heat originates is the first step in designing a cooling system. Just like ultracapacitors, cylindrical cells are rolled up like a jelly roll with an outside cover and dissipate the most heat through the electrode connections in the center at either end of the cylinder. Again just like ultracapacitors, prismatic cells are in the form of flat sheets and dissipate the most heat through the sides of the cell. Cells in the middle of the pack and at the end of the circulating air or coolant stream will be the hottest and deserve the most attention. The most stress on a cell occurs at high temperature and high voltage such as immediately after braking regeneration charging while going down a hill.

Quick, low cost, low resistance connections between cells are a challenge. One bad or corroded high resistance connection can create enough heat to destroy an entire pack very quickly during high current charging or discharging operations. Even if the cell chemistry can accept high current “quick” charging and discharging, resistive heating losses in the connections and wires can easily drop the stored energy efficiency to 50% from the 80%-90% efficiency of more moderate power operations.

MES-DEA Zebra Z5 battery pack Courtesy MES-DEA.

The challenge is to keep all the cells at a uniform cool temperature to prevent uneven cell aging and premature pack failure. It would be clever if the cooling system would start early in anticipation of high current downhill charging and startup accelerations. Today’s position locations systems make this a real possibility.

Low Ambient Temperature Factor

Keeping a pack warm is generally not a problem except during cold weather startups. Some batteries lose a significant amount of capacity at extremely low temperatures. Using part of the stored energy to power a heating blanket could work nicely prior to startup.

The “Zebra” Nickel Sodium Chloride (NiNaCl) battery requires an internal temperature of 300 °C (572 °F) to keep the NaCl electrolyte melted. Using the stored energy of the battery pack and excellent insulation, the temperature can be maintained over a number of days from the stored energy alone. The downside is that the battery must be preheated before use. Prematurely charging a cold Zebra will destroy an expensive pack.

Lithium Ion Factor

Lithium ion (Li ion) titanate is a unique battery chemistry that is endothermic (cools by absorbing heat from the environment) during moderate to low operational power currents. However, at high currents and with corroding connections over time a Li ion titanate pack has the same heat dissipation problems.

Tesla Roadster battery system – Courtesy TeslaMotors.com

The Tesla electric sports car battery pack uses an older Li ion battery chemistry that is more susceptible to thermal runaway. Even when passively sitting fully charged in a garage the Tesla pack uses the equivalent of two refrigerators power to continuously keep the pack cool.

Electromagnetic Radiation Factor

Often ignored, one final consideration in pack design is the high magnetic field surrounding the high current carrying conductors. The high current DC power of the battery leads to an inverter controller for control of the AC induction motor used in most electric vehicles. The high current AC coming out of the inverter creates enough electromagnetic radiation to drown out any nearby AM radio, so good shielding practices have to be followed in the wire and cable installation. Alternatively, this problem can be ignored if functioning AM radio reception is not a priority.

The Bottom Line

Very few battery pack manufacturers have successfully integrated all the pack thermal and electrical requirements into a mechanical structure that has to withstand the shock and vibration environment of transportation applications. With at least five new plug-in battery cars coming on the market within the next two years, resulting in thousands of electric cars driving on our roads, let’s hope the manufacturers are successful with their battery pack integration.

Design Considerations For Good Battery Pack Design & Integration is a post from: CleanCarTalk

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and others periodically publish magazine articles that provide update summaries on the leading candidate energy storage technologies. Research and Development (R&D) and production is on the upswing getting a kick from increased funding and tax credit support for electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce oil consumption and the generation of CO2 and other air quality contaminants. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA 09) has designated $400 million for electric transportation technology and $2 billion for advanced car battery manufacturing.

Batteries or battery packs can make or break a hybrid or electric car. Here’s a look at the different battery options and their characteristics together with notes on key manufacturers. The list is in no particular order.

Lead-acid or valve regulated lead-acid (VRLA)

• Most widely used for starting engines.
• Cheapest option.
• Good power capability.
• Low energy density making it too heavy or too low capacity for some applications.
• Reduced capacity at low and high temperatures.
• Lead must be recycled.
• Good shelf life.
• Poor cycle life unless SOC (state of charge) range is limited during operation.
• Improvements are still being developed, look for various “hybrid” energy cells.
• Requires desulfation charge to extend the life an extra 25 to 50%.
• Deep cycle versions are used for electric vehicles to keep the cost down.

Nickel Cadmium (NiCad)

• Is going away because the biggest problem is the recycling of heavy metal cadmium.
• Has a memory problem without deep cycling.
• Requires watering maintenance.
• Average cycle and shelf lives, power and energy densities, with reasonable temperature performance and cost.

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH)

• Today’s standard for power and energy capacities and densities.
• Millions of packs in use.
• Shelf life requires charge maintenance.
• Cycle life several times better than lead-acid, but SOC range must be limited during cycles to attain HEV and EV life goals.
• Performance falls off at low temperature.
• Cooling is required for high current charge and discharge cycles.
• Panasonic is dominant producer and Toyota Prius dominant user.
• U.S. producer Cobasys has yet to prove it can supply good reliable packs.

Lithium Ion (Li Ion)

• High energy and power capacities and densities (lightweight) ideal for hybrid and EV applications. Ten-year shelf life and extremely high cycle life if SOC range is limited (40% to 70% or tighter); some low temperature performance drop off. Look for widespread production use by the middle of 2010.
• Most of the world supply of lithium carbonate source material is located in Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Early abundance reports suggested the supply was insufficient to supply the potential global demand. Later reports suggest otherwise.
• Widely used in small electronics, early chemistries had a potential thermal runaway problem that led to a few explosions. More recent recipes must pass rigorous cell testing and have all but eliminated the problem, however there remains some residual concern about heat generated in pack designs.
• Nissan now in partnership with NEC to develop and produce an in house pack design for an EV starting with fleet deliveries in 2010 and the general public in 2012. A 26-minute “quickie” is one of the charging options. Nissan and others will offer pack leasing to control fears about the cost of replacing a failed battery pack.
• Magna Steyr in Austria is in volume pack production using A123 batteries for some European vehicle manufacturers. A123 is also developing some of its own pack designs.
• Toyota delayed introducing Li Ion packs, but may do so in their new plug-in Prius.
• Valence Technology Inc in Texas is in high volume production for electric bikes and scooters and has supplied larger packs to a limited number of plug-in hybrid school buses. The one negative is that these batteries tend to be a bit pricey. But I guess for extended EV range you get what you pay for at least for now.
• ThunderStruck, a Chinese company, is in high volume low cost cell production with limited quality control; about 10% of delivered cells are bad.
• Altairnano is leading the way in fast rechargeable cells with the lithium titanate chemistry. They give up some energy density to gain fast charging and high cycle life.

Nickel Zinc (NiZ)

• Powergenix, headquarters in San Diego and production in China, offers AA and sub C size cylindrical cells with D size in preproduction testing.
• The primary application so far is hand held power tools where they are a less expensive alternative to Li Ion and NiMH cells.
• Higher energy density than NiMH because of higher cell voltage of the chemistry.
• Easy recycle handling.
• Apparently good shelf life.
• Good efficiency (low cell resistance).
• Good lower temperature performance.
• Powergenix built a Prius replacement pack (it needs more R&D) and may find a niche market as a less expensive replacement pack supplier.

Ultracapacitors

• These devices have extremely low internal resistance (~0.2 milliohm) per cell and extremely high capacitance (~3000 Farads) per cell, making them ideal high power devices.
• However, they are generally low energy and need to work with a battery to achieve any driving range.
• Ideally the combination of batteries and ultracapacitors offer the best of both worlds, but the voltage versus SOC profiles don’t match and there has been very little development of large pack combinations.
• Hybrid cells may offer a way out.

This list represents a snapshot of various energy storage technologies available for upcoming hybrid and electric cars. Development in the industry is expected to move quickly in the next few years due to demands of the market and with the help of government regulations and financial stimulus packages. There are several major battery conferences on battery technology every year, both in the United States and around the world. For additional details, your favorite Internet search engine may be your best window into this fast moving, and critical, industry.

Battery Options for Hybrid Vehicles and Electric Vehicles is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Electric cars with an electric motor and rechargeable batteries developed quite early. However, the first person that experienced a dead battery before returning to the charging port realized that battery capacity and vehicle running range could be a problem. 

Top: U.S. Army Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) courtesy my.barackobama.com; Center: Light rail photo courtesy Sound Transit; Bottom: EnerDel Lithium-Ion Battery courtesy transportation.anl.gov

The Rechargeable Car Battery

So, the gasoline powered “buggy” was much more accepted and the historical development of rechargeable car batteries satisfied the need for having a way to start the engine without having to rely on a “gorilla” companion to turn the engine crank. Thus, was born the battery, the starter motor, and the generator to recharge the battery. 

Batteries were designed for rapid discharge (turning the starter motor) and slow charge from an engine driven generator. Once someone discovered that on-board electric power was available, they added electric accessories such as lights, radio, dashboard gauges and windshield wipers. Except for the accidental occurrence of someone leaving on an accessory (like headlights or vacuum tube radios) without the engine running, batteries were not slowly discharged during normal use. 

Deep Discharge Batteries

Pushed by boats and RVs, eventually the lead electrode plates in lead-acid batteries were designed to be more tolerant of slow discharge deep cycle operation.  These relatively cheap deep discharge batteries became the choice for electric cars and experimental hybrid-electric cars in the 1980s and early 1990s. The cost of electric energy compared to gasoline was starting to look more attractive, but battery range and replacement cost was still an issue.

Electric Golf Carts

The most successful relatively low power electric vehicles developed and still in operation today are electric golf carts. Golf carts worked very well for what they were designed to do, but they wrongly gave newly developed, road-going electric cars a reputation for being sluggish and slow. The number of miles a cart could be driven around a golf course on a single daily charge was not a problem. On the other hand, charge/discharge cycle life and replacement cost became the primary concerns.

Electric Street and Rail Cars

The very successful non-battery electric vehicles developed and still in use today are the self-powered electric street car and light rail cars with overhead electric power lines. The electric rail cars were efficient, but quite heavy and needed high power levels that could only be supplied by overhead high-voltage heavy-duty wires. 

Neither the electric rail cars nor the battery electric cars addressed the capture of braking energy during deceleration because it was not yet realistic or deemed of any importance. With more attention given to fuel efficiency and obtaining higher miles per gallon of fuel, capturing of previously wasted braking energy now becomes much more important. It is in fact one of he major factors allowing modern hybrid and electric cars to increase their mileage performance.

Batteries for Electric Cars

This leads us to the modern electric cars and how they are shaping the development of batteries chemistries and battery packs. The challenge is and will continue to be designing hybrid and electric cars to function just like the fossil fuel-powered vehicles they replace, but with better fuel economy, lower emissions, and at affordable price points. Progress in battery development continues toward recharging a battery in the same time it takes to fill up a car, but can the infrastructure handle it?

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Rechargeable Car Battery Development: From Buggies to Hybrids and Electric Cars is a post from: CleanCarTalk

A word about battery “power” and “energy“: Batteries store energy and supply power. It’s that simple.

But in casual conversation both words are tossed around to mean just about the same thing. Here is a primer to help keep your powers and energies straight. Warning: you’ll exercise your brain in this post, so read on at your own risk.

Electrical Power and Energy

First let’s look at units of measurement and how to convert from one unit to another.

In physics, power is strength; and energy is how long the power keeps going or, simply, energy equals power times time. Power and energy are both units useful to describing the performance and capability of batteries. Power is expressed in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW, or 1,000 W) and energy is expressed watt-hours (Wh) or kilowatt-hours (kWh, or 1,000 Wh).

To help explain power and energy in context, here’s an illustration. The San Diego Gas & Electric company (SDG&E) provides power to my home in San Diego and on my electric bill I am usually charged between $.13 and $.15/kWh of energy used. For comparison, typical amounts charged for electric energy in the U.S. range from about $.02 to $.20 per kWh with a surcharge if the power exceeds a threshold level. The national average is reportedly about $.08/kWh. The City of San Francisco pays about $.024/kWh because they own the hydroelectric dam. And Disneyland pays the City of Anaheim about $.04/kWh in the middle of the night when power demands are low.

So that’s how we quantify electrical power and energy. To compare energy from batteries with other sources of energy (natural gas or gasoline, for example), we need to know how to express energy in these fuels.

Energy in Fuels

Fuel combustion chemists like to use energy units of calories (cal) and British Thermal Units (Btus). Natural gas (CH4) is sold by the Btu and liquid fuels are sold by the gallon (or liter) with a specification of Btus per gallon. Again SDG&E provides my gas in San Diego and on my gas bill the average charge is about $.88/therm, where a therm is equal to 100,000 Btus, which is a little less than the energy content of a gallon of gasoline (about 114,100 Btus). To relate natural gas and electricity, 1 kWh = 3,414 Btus or 0.034 therms and 1 therm = 29.3 kWh.

Are you confused yet? Then forget what you just read above. Here’s a summary:

• 1 therm = 100,000 Btus
• 1 gallon of gasoline = 114,100 Btus
• 1 kWh = 3,414 Btus or 0.034 therms
• 1 therm = 29.3 KWh

Feeling smart yet? Then here’s a question: which is cheaper for me to use, my gas (natural gas) or my electricity? As you might expect, the answer is: My gas is cheaper (at $.03/kWh), because most of my electricity is generated by burning that same natural gas to convert to electricity and there are always energy losses in the process.

Energy of a Moving Car

Car designers like to talk about power and gallons of gasoline rather than energy. They like to use units of horsepower (Hp) where 1 Hp = 746 W. The basic energy content of gasoline is 114,100 Btus or 33.4 kWh before conversion to mechanical energy (by burning in an engine). Because of engine efficiency losses and other factors, less than 1/3 of the fuel energy is actually available as mechanical energy at the engine output with the rest being lost as heat energy.

The energy of a moving car can be calculated using the formula below. The letter x is used as the multiplication sign.

Energy = (Weight/64) x (Speed)²
where Weight is the weight of the car and Speed is its speed at a given time.

As you can probably guess, we’re really looking at a supply and demand situation. On the supply side we have energy provided by the fuel (gasoline energy through the engine or battery energy through the electric drive motor). On the demand side we have the car with a certain mass/weight required to go at a certain speed. As mentioned above, there is always efficiency or loss of energy involved when converting from the energy supply to what the car demands.

So knowing the energy of the moving car and how long it took to get to that speed, and the energy of the battery or gasoline engine expended to get there, we can start to understand the energy efficiencies of the car’s propulsion and the acceptable performance provided by the available power level.

To keep this analysis simple and easy to understand, I have ignored various other elements that need to be considered such as discussion on the weight and speed as related to the units of power (kW or Hp) and energy (KWh or Hph). However, to play in the intelligent bantering about of power and energy in transportation and vehicle efficiency issues requires a ready reference book of conversion factors between units and a reliable associate to check the calculations. (Even the most experienced professional can occasionally be caught forgetting that a pound force = 32 x pound mass.) I sometimes use the Internet and reliable websites for a quick source of reference conversions.

Using Batteries to Power the Cars

I hope you now have good background basics on gasoline and battery power and energy, and their relationship as applied to all kinds of vehicles, including cars. With the proper relationship and conversion factors in place, we can begin analyzing and comparing gasoline and battery electricity in plug-in and hybrid vehicles.

The next step is an exciting one. We’ll discuss how batteries, as the primary energy source, are put in cars and look at characteristics that determine range, operating cost, and battery replacement.

Converting Fossil Fuel Energy to Battery Energy: Understanding Your Electric Car is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Ever wonder what battery packs really are? Here’s a little bit of an introduction to help ease the mind into the pondering of batteries with hopefully painless acquisition of the required jargon.

What is a Battery?

In general terms (not scientific), a battery is a hunk of something that has some stored energy that can be accessed to convert into some other energy. Energy can come in a variety of forms, such as gravitational, heat, light, sound, motion, pressure, and electromagnetic fields. For practical purposes Newtonian physics is all you need to understand the principles and operations of batteries. Energy cannot be destroyed, but can only be converted into some other form.

I can argue that a rock held up in the air, just like the water behind a dam is a battery with potential energy (gravitational) waiting to be converted into kinetic energy (motion). Similarly, a rotating flywheel or a moving vehicle has kinetic energy that can be converted into other energy forms. Even a wound up spring or a pulled back catapult could be thought of as a battery with stored energy.

In electric circuits energy is stored as an electric field in capacitors and as a magnetic field in inductors. Batteries, as commonly referred to, store and release electrical energy by a chemical reaction of compounds inside the batteries. Batteries are either primary (single use) or secondary (rechargeable).

Harnessing the Energy

In today’s society almost everyone is familiar with the small button, small flat module, and cylindrical shapes for batteries that power all kinds of electric gadgets including, toys, watches, phones, cameras, radios, flashlights, computers, and model vehicles (air, surface and water). Larger battery packs start and run cars, trucks, boats and airplanes. Even larger packs provide backup power for communications, control systems, buildings, and transportation systems, or in smoothing out load and generation power spikes.

Looking from a different perspective, batteries can be considered a time buffer between the generation and the eventual use of energy. A perfect example is solar and wind energy that may be collected and stored for energy load usage at a later time. Or hydrogen could be thought of as a battery (though somewhat inefficient). First hydrogen is separated out from water through the electrolysis using electrical power. Then the hydrogen can be used at a later time in a machine such as a fuel cell or engine-generator set to deliver power and energy.

So again, a battery is a hunk of something that has some stored energy that can be accessed to convert into some other energy. And since energy cannot be converted with 100% efficiency from one form to another, the final form of energy you get will always be less than what you started with. Obviously the more times you convert, the more losses you’ll have, and the less you’ll have left to use.

So What Are Car Batteries Then?

Car batteries are electrochemical batteries for cars and trucks. Primary batteries (single use) are out of the question for this application and are appropriately limited to devices like flashlights and toys.

In car batteries the energy is stored as electrochemical potential energy in the battery materials that make up the battery electrodes and the electrolyte that provides a path for electrically charged particles moving between the electrodes. We refer to this as “the battery chemistry.” A chemical reaction occurs to store energy and the reverse chemical reaction occurs to release that energy.

I have attended conferences where electrochemists speak a jargon all their own to describe combinations of new electrodes and electrolytes that have various voltage potentials and other characteristic tradeoffs. For car batteries, there are multitudes of desirable characteristics, many of which can conflict with one another. Here are a few:

• Safety,
• Light weight (high energy density, high power density),
• Quick charging,
• High power,
• Extended use (high energy storage capacity),
• Operation over a wide temperature range,
• Inexpensive,
• Long shelf and operation cycle life,
• Easily manufactured, and
• Easily recycled.

This reminds me of something that I used to tell customers, “You want high quality, fast delivery, and cheap?  Pick two!”

So what do you do when higher energy and/or power is needed? It’s actually pretty simple. Batteries can be assembled as multi-cell battery packs and packs of packs. In fact with all the buzz about hybrid and electric cars, battery packs are the hot devices (no pun intended) that currently propel the whole high-voltage, high-energy storage system industry. A battery pack manufacturer must follow an expensive process to bring its products to the consuming market. It has to spend time, money and effort in research, development, testing, production, distribution, charging, and salvaging/recycling. With many consumers still on the fence about buying hybrids and electric cars, the real question is, “where’s the money?”

If I’m thinking about buying a hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) or electric vehicle (EV) what do I need to know about batteries? If I am converting a car or building a battery pack what else do I need to know? What is my current level of confusion? (Confusion is a prerequisite to understanding.)

All comments are welcome.

Harnessing Electrical Energy: Batteries and Battery Packs Explained is a post from: CleanCarTalk

It’s all about buzz, so here’s another interesting one. A Youtube video has surfaced for a week now, describing a fast charge concept by Awesome Mobility to allow electric vehicles (EVs) to recharge quickly and affordably.

Awesome Mobility claims to have designed a recharging system that can charge your EV in the time it takes to do your shopping. According to the video, which has no source nor a referenced website, Awesome Mobility “has developed a specially constructed fast charging module that is optimized for public scale application of fast charging and electric driving. The basic module is designed to withstand the harsh environments it will be exposed due to the weather, vandalism and heavy duty of every day life. The simple exterior look modular design allows for future interior technical hardware and software improvements. Combined with the increase in use of electric vehicles, the need for fast charging units will increase hence production will get cheaper from economies of scale. The time of charging using Awesome Mobility Recharge Unit is much quicker than regular charging.”

The recharging system claims to have solved a major problem of consumer adoption of EVs by allowing trips beyond typical current EV range of about 150 miles. With fast charging, drivers merely have to pull in to recharging stations much like refueling your internal combustion-engined cars, charge up the batteries, pay for the charge, and continue on their trips.

Below is the video by Awesome Mobility for the faculty Industrial Design at the TUDelft, Holland, showing the fast charging concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-4vnNL7dzk

The video claims, “all the freedom that you’re accustomed to from your petrol vehicle is now easily achievable in an electric one.” It’s possible that we’ll get there eventually but the near-term scenario and technology may be more limiting at best. At the most basic level, fast charging of battery packs requires reliable battery heat management system, large cables and reliable contacts. Heat is always a serious enemy of fast charging. Additionally electromagnetic interference will need to be understood and designed for.

But assuming heat and other technical issues have been worked out for all components (batteries, cabling, hardware, software, management system design, etc.), the solution offered here is still too complex to implement with any reliability and operational confidence. Sometime I wonder why they don’t keep it simple. Why add all the bells and whistles and try to sell on the wow factor, when more reliable solutions will do?

Here’s what I mean. Again assuming the technical issues of fast charging have been solved, the cool looking and interesting sounding under-vehicle recharging mechanism is just too complex! Why not just make a free-standing charging station, much like a gasoline refueling station, and recharging the car from the side like a petrol car? A driver just plugs in to charge.

The system as described not only requires a complicated charging station, but also a completely different design of car battery system that all manufacturers must follow. The complexity level increases even more when such car must provide a receptacle on the side somewhere for the owner to recharge at home, while recharging will be done from underneath during trips.

I’m a skeptic on this one. Interesting idea, but I just wish they spend their time and effort on something more realistic and worthwhile. All we want is a working and reliable infrastructure to support our new EVs. Is that too much to ask?

What’s your view on the Awesome Mobility recharging concept? Have you seen another concept that has better and more sensible design and operational considerations? Share your views and comments below.

Awesome Mobility ReCharge: Fast Charging Solution for Electric Vehicles? is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Here’s something cool going on in electric vehicle (EV) education in Seattle. According to the West Seattle Herald, South Seattle Community College, in partnership with the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association (SEVA), is offering a number of non-credit electric vehicle classes, including a six-day Electric Vehicle Conversion workshop.

To be taught by a group of experienced instructors who have converted over two dozen vehicles, the six-day workshop guides students through the complete process of converting a vehicle from a gasoline engine to electric power. By the end of the workshop, the group will have completed one running electric car conversion capable of highway speeds, with a 30-60 mile range on one charge. According to South Seattle Community College‘s website, this class will run between Monday 3/30/09 to Saturday 4/4/09 and will cost $899, which may be a little steep but I think it’s worth it for the experience. If you’ll be in the area during this time, this is one fun thing to do for sure.

Here is a sample of other classes, all in evenings and spread over February and March 2009.

• An overview on current best practices in electric vehicle technology, tooling used in conversions, etc.
• A couple of sessions on introduction on electric vehicles, which will discuss advantages and disadvantages of different forms of EVs, including neighborhood vehicles, freeway-capable vehicles, electric racing, electric boats, electric assisted bicycles and scooters.
• A couple of sessions on electric vehicle batteries, with topics covering suitable batteries for EVs, cost comparisons, kWhr rating calculation, how to extend battery life, charging and recycling.
• A session on EV safety systems, concentrating on the DC system, its components and why they’re important.

More details about SEVA sponsored classes and workshop visit the SEVA education page.

Considering anyone can sign up for these classes and workshops, I think both SEVA and South Seattle Community College are doing a great public service.

Gas to Electric Vehicle Conversion in Six Days at South Seattle Community College is a post from: CleanCarTalk

What do hybrid cars and electric cars have in common beside rubber tires, steering wheels and small, cute looks? Their energy storage systems, or batteries, of course.

However you look at it, hybrid and electric cars cannot succeed without advanced batteries or electric energy storage systems. It’s the single most important element that allows them to achieve higher miles per gallon (mpg) than conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) powered cars.

Recently there’s no shortage of buzz in hybrid and electric cars due to high and fluctuating gas prices and the general state of the automobile industry. When an international auto show rolls around (like the recent Detroit and Los Angeles international auto shows), the buzz is especially loud as companies are positioning themselves for a better buzz then the next guy. It seems every car manufacturer has a concept car in development that requires advanced battery technology.

But where are they getting their batteries from? It’s not quite clear at best. Big players already in the game include BYD Motors, Panasonic Corp (which supplies the Prius’ hybrid batteries) and Sanyo Electric Co Ltd. They are wisely positioning themselves in top positions in this rapidly developing industry and will most likely come out ahead as the industry matures. In the mean time, Intel is weighing its options. The company has been urged by a former chairman to manufacture advanced technology batteries for hybrid electric cars. Intel already has investments in battery-related companies, but it would be a fundamental step if the chip maker shifted into the electric car business. But Intel executives have indicated they won’t commit to anything at this time, meaning it’s unlikely.

Advanced batteries technology development and manufacturing are all risky bets. According to Ford executive chairman William C. Ford Jr., “There are no guarantees that consumers — for all their stated concerns about global warming, dependence on foreign oil and unpredictable gas prices — will buy enough of them.” He explained, “They may balk, for example, at the limits on how far they can drive on a single charge.”

Some help may come from commitment from President-elect Barack Obama. He has said he is committed to promoting cleaner cars, and may propose incentives to encourage consumers and businesses to buy them. What we need is batteries with more storage capacity, quicker charging time, lower cost, higher reliability and durability. For now, the advanced car batteries industry is wide open.

What’s your opinion on the current state of advanced batteries for hybrid and electric cars? Who may come out ahead of the competition and why? What about Lithium-Ion? How much longer do we have to wait? Share your views and opinions.

Advanced Car Batteries Industry Still Wide Open? is a post from: CleanCarTalk