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.