April 10, 2009 (World News Trust) -- Moving from the internal combustion gas engine to both the European-quality diesel and either the electric car or the hybrid electric where the internal combustion engine is used solely as a generator makes a lot of sense.
Despite massive energy loss
because of an aged electric power line system, central power production
nets massive savings in the nations energy use. Euro-quality diesel is
a 50+ mpg future, while electric is a 150+ mpg future. But we risk
moving our dependence on terrorist funding oil exporting states, to
similar Asian battery producing states, unless we develop a home-grown
battery industry.
LG Chem of South Korea will be
selling its manganese lithium battery cells to GM for building the
battery packs for the Volt. Lithium manganese is safer than lithium
cobalt and denser than lithium phosphates, and is the choice of Nissan,
as designed with NEC, for its electric car coming next year. Safe
lithium-ion car batteries have only a small edge in weight over
lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride batteries, and they cost several
times as much, so much research is needed if we are to go with the
electric car option.
Lithium batteries are a 1970s
U.S. invention by M.S. Whittingham of New York State's Binghamton
University, with follow on research by many with the basic inhibited
thermal runaway, providing much greater safety, lithium ferrophosphate
technology coming from the University of Texas in 1996, albeit their
battery had neither the high power levels needed for automotive uses
nor the long battery lives. But again it was the United States that solved the
problem when MIT scientists found that nanoscale patterning and doping
with carbon and metals overcame these limitations, Indeed BYD of China
has tried to avoid the MIT patents in its new electric autos, but the
resultant batteries are just a version of the original Texas technology
that continue to lack the power output and durability needed in a car.
Lithium cobalt batteries are today's "standard" in terms of sales
despite their occasional "thermal runaway reactions" -- but not in cars
for the obvious reason of safety.
The start up company
A123Systems in Watertown, Massachusetts, proposed cylindrical batteries
based on lithium phosphate for the Chevy Volt but GM chose the Korean
lithium manganese batteries (whatever happen to "Buy American"?).
Chrysler went with A123Systems when A123Systems proposed batteries that
were prismatic, i.e., rectangular, rather than cylindrical, as this
cuts down volume, helping with car design.
Today's world of lithium ion
car batteries appears to consist of the Korean option (soon to be
joined by NEC and Samsung), or the American option of A123Systems whose
battery, while having a slightly lower energy density than other
competing Lithium Ion technologies, comes as a 2 Ahr cell that can
provide a peak of 70 amps without damage and operate at temperatures
above 60 degrees C -- rather impressive for something out of the lab and
in production, but that lower energy density means a car
manufacturer has to sell a car that goes fewer miles on a single charge
or put in more battery cells, adding to cost and weight.
Will Obama
support the development of the American option? A123Systems has
committed to building a Michigan facility, assuming the Chrysler
contract survives the car maker's current financial problems. Given the
long lead time to the introduction of the Volt, and the government's
effective ownership of GM, perhaps that contract could be moved to
A123Systems? Then there are new American battery startups like Imara
in Menlo Park, Calif., which is opting for lithium manganese development.
There is an amazing amount of good research going on in U.S. universities
-- will the United States fund that research in return for ownership of the results
for use in U.S. cars?
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William Chirolas brings 40 years of real-world business experience in
local, state, national, and international tax, pensions, and finance to
the world of blogging. A graduate of MIT, he calls the Boston area
home, except when visiting kids and grandkids.