Nissan’s electric car LEAF has been named Car of the Year at the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show, which runs until Sunday, December 11th.

The model has been successful thanks to its efficient lithium-ion batteries and high performance motor. It also features an on-board IT system that can be accesses by remote control via mobile phones.

Nissan has sold more than 20,000 units of the LEAF, which makes it the most popular electric car model. Nissan LEAF was also won the 2012 RJC Car of the Year award, presented by the Automotive Researchers’ & Journalists’ Conference of Japan. It also won the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame’s 2011-2012 Car of the Year and the 2011 European Car of the Year and the 2011 World Car awards.

“All these accolades show that zero-emission vehicles can clearly be competitive alternatives to conventional ones,” said Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere these days. From cellphones to electric cars, they dominate the market for rechargeable devices. One of the main challenges faced by the electric vehicle industry is related to the energy density of electric car batteries.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say they have found a way to improve the energy density of a type of battery known as lithium-air or lithium-oxygen. The promise is that it could pack several times more energy per pound than lithium-ion batteries that currently dominate the market.

Last year, researchers had demonstrated that lithium-air batteries showed improved efficiency with catalysts based on noble metal. Now they have found they can further improve it by creating carbon-fiber-based electrodes that are substantially more porous than other carbon electrodes.

This means they can store the solid oxidized lithium that fills the pores more efficiently as the battery discharges.

“We grow vertically aligned arrays of carbon nanofibers using a chemical vapor deposition process. These carpet-like arrays provide a highly conductive, low-density scaffold for energy storage,” explained Robert Mitchell, co-author of the paper. “We were able to create a novel carpet-like material – composed of more than 90 percent void space – that can be filled by the reactive material during battery operation,” said Yang Shao-Horn, a senior author of the paper.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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Electric cars are not a new concept in the automotive industry. They were around before the pre-eminence of the internal combustion engine in the 1890s. They were introduced again in the United States in the 1990s with GM’s EV1, but were dropped when GM decided they are unprofitable. Now the Chevy Volt is out and several more models will be hitting the market soon. Automakers must figure out how to avoid having their electric vehicles suffer an agonizing death in the niche market, and instead, figure out how to get 100 million EVs on the road.

The single biggest complaint against electric vehicles is their lack of range, so the batteries must be addressed. They must be cheaper, safer, last longer, and contain higher levels of energy. Scientific laboratories around the country are studying how to make these improvements. In particular, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), which is recognized as a top lab in the country for battery research, is working to make incremental improvements to batteries as well as come up with breakthrough technologies.

Researchers hope to make electric vehicles as common place as electrical handheld devices and computers. “I think with incremental improvements in batteries, engineering advances in the car and support from the government, these are all things that will make it a reality,” says Berkeley Lab scientist Marca Doeff. “And there’s considerable enthusiasm among the population as a whole, so I think it’s going to happen.”

Battery technology is extremely complex, filled with trade-offs. For example, by increasing the energy density so it contains more charge, the life of the battery will be shorter. Also, if you wanted to make a safer battery, the energy density will be lower. These are among the many issues facing the development of lithium-ion batteries.

The researchers are striving to reach the goal of the Department of Energy’s FreedomCAR: a plug-in hybrid electric with a range of 40 miles and a battery life of 15 years. One reason why the government is pushing this research is to bring battery manufacturing back to the United States. About 20 years ago, nearly all lithium-ion battery production moved to Asia. In order to beat China, Japan, and Korea, the US needs a big breakthrough.

Another prohibitive factor which may keep electric vehicles from the mass market is that they are costly. The batteries are currently $1,000/kilowatt hour and the DOE’s goal is to bring that cost down to $150/kilowatt hour. Many researchers are skeptical of the DOE’s goal; it would be like all-electric vehicles having the same range as typical cars, about 300 miles.

To cut costs, battery makers need new sources of raw materials. For example, the cobalt oxide used for cathodes in lithium-ion batteries is expensive and comes from politically unstable regions. Options being explored for cathode material include lithium iron phosphate, lithium manganese oxide spinel, titanium, and aluminum.

Sixty percent of the batteries cost comes from the raw materials and forty percent from the manufacturing process which can have up to sixty steps. If cheaper materials can be secured and the manufacturing process streamlined, real cost savings can be realized. Then, perhaps, electric vehicles will be widely adopted. At this moment, too many people are invested in making sure EVs make it. The United States does not want them to suffer another agonizing death.

Click here for more information on Berkeley Lab’s battery research.

Article by David A. Gabel, appearing courtesy Environmental News Network.

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The global market for electric motorcycles and scooters is expected to surge, with the number of vehicles projected to jump from 17 million in 2011 to more than 138 million by 2017, according to a new report.

The two-wheel electric vehicles, which are already popular across Asia, will become increasingly common elsewhere as the rising cost of petroleum-based fuels and government incentives will drive market growth, according to the report by Pike Research. “They are relatively low cost to own, do not take a lot of space, and are easy to maintain, therefore making them attractive for city dwellers,” said Dave Hurst, a senior analyst for the Colorado-based clean-technology research firm.

While the market for electric scooters will be six times greater than electric motorcycles in most markets, e-motorcycles are expected to be the more popular choice in some parts of the world, including North America, because of their higher speed and greater range.

According to the analysis, the growth of electric vehicles will spur an increased demand for batteries, with the market for lithium ion batteries for e-motorcycles expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 24 percent from 2011 to 2017, and the market for lithium ion batteries for e-scooters predicted to increase at 19 percent.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

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I recently learned of a compelling instance of U.S. government-funded clean tech research translating into widely commercialized technology through green patent licensing.

Argonne National Laboratory announced last month that LG Chem and General Motors had completed licensing agreements to use Argonne’s patented composite cathode material in the lithium-ion batteries that power the Chevy Volt (see the press release about the Argonne-LG Chem agreement here and the press release about the Argonne-GM agreement here).

Though perhaps old news, as pointed out in this Ceramic Tech Today piece, it still points up the power of green patent licensing and strategic tech transfer.

The licensed technology stemmed from early lithium-ion battery research funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the late 1990s and subsequent development supported by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

The technology relates to a two component layered composite structure used as material for a cathode, the positively charged part of a battery.

A lithium-ion battery has a cathode and a negatively charged anode. When the battery is fully charged, all of the lithium ions are in the anode. When the battery is in use, the lithium ions flow from the anode through a thin membrane to react with the cathode, thereby creating an electrical current.

The new cathode materials are rich in manganese and provide increased stability through a layered composite structure with one component for energy storage and another component to stabilize the structure. The material also yields high charge-storage capacities and is cheaper to produce because manganese is a relatively cheap raw material.

The cathode technology is protected by a family of patents issued between 2004 and 2008, including U.S. Patents Nos. 6,677,082 (’082 Patent), 6,680,143, 7,135,252, and 7,468,223.

According to the ’082 Patent, a major problem of layered lithium electrode compounds is that the transition metal cations commonly used tend to suffer from structural instability and chemical degradation.

The’082 Patent describes its solution this way:

This invention addresses the stability of LiMO2 electrode structures [where M is a trivalent transition metal cation], particularly LiMnO2, and makes use of a Li2M’O3 component to improve stability.

According to an Argonne press release, the patented cathode technology is now mass produced in the battery of the Chevy Volt.

Argonne’s director, Eric Isaacs, said the “licensing agreement with LG Chem concretely illustrates the key role that DOE national laboratories like Argonne play in the manufacturing supply chain in the United States.”

More than that, this story demonstrates the confluence of funding, research, IP, and commercial risk-taking that is necessary to bring new clean technologies to market.

Eric Lane is a patent attorney at Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps in San Diego and the author of Green Patent Blog. Mr. Lane can be reached at elane@luce.com.

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Electric vehicle batteries don’t deal well with heat. Like the Lithium-ion battery in your laptop, if the battery in your EV overheats, it can shorten its lifespan or even cause it to simply stop working. While there haven’t been as many examples of spontaneous combustion in Li-ion batteries in electric vehicles as there have been in laptops, the EV industry is looking for ways to improve battery performance under all kinds conditions and real world environments, including under extreme heat, where batteries are so heavily taxed by vehicle air conditioners. And there may be no better place test EV performance under hot, urban environments than in the extreme heat of Abu Dhabi, where summertime temperatures can reach 120 degrees, and there just happens to be a graduate research institute and technology research platform built for precisely this kind of testing.

Launched in late January, Masdar, the multi-faceted clean energy company backed by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is conducting a pilot project with Mitsubishi to test a fleet of 10 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs in Masdar City, the planned sustainable city and cleantech hub. During the pilot, Masdar will test and validate the performance of EVs and various charging solutions in the context of the region’s severe climate conditions. The pilot will also test the feasibility of integrating EV technology as a point-to-point solution into the city’s zero-carbon transportation network, a network that includes planned light rail and passenger trains, as well as Personal Rapid Transit, the automated, single-cabin electric vehicles already operational in the Masdar City.

“This project will provide regional reference to the car-manufacturers, battery and other technology providers,” said Buthaina Al Mazrui, Project Manager in Strategic Partnerships at Masdar.

As an open technology platform where testing of clean technologies from renewables to advanced energy management systems has already begun, Masdar City has plans to work with several electric car manufacturers and related technology and hardware providers to find new ways to integrate sustainable transportation systems. In the case of the EV test platform, not only is the Mitsubishi i-MiEV the first car to partner with Masdar, Mitsubishi’s intelligent IT infrastructure system will act as the pilot’s platform from which the vehicles will be managed.

“Masdar City provides a real-life setting for residents to use our new vehicle technology, and to begin to rely on electric-powered forms of transportation – as the future will depend on it,” said Mr. Kinya Watanabe, of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Abu Dhabi office.

The i-MiEV has a range of about 85 miles and is being billed as the first mass-produced, 100% electric vehicle on the market. Masdar is testing ten i-MiEVs over the first three months of the one-year pilot with Mitsubishi.

Article by Timothy B. Hurst, appearing courtesy Earth & Industry.
Disclosure: My recent trip to Abu Dhabi was paid for by Masdar.

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The 2012 Department of Energy budget submitted to Congress on Monday includes a 20-page section on Vehicle Technologies (VT), and nearly every word of it refers to vehicle electrification. In language of funding dollars, the VT budget jumps by 80 percent from $325 million to $588 million.

The majority ($229 million) of the VT budget increase goes towards the expansion of the EV deployment and infrastructure rollout. This is a $200 increase in the program that will largely benefit the Clean Cities program where metropolitan areas provide grants for purchasing of EVs and charging equipment.

This is welcome news for EV charging equipment (EVCE) companies who are likely to see increased orders for 2011-12 by local transit agencies and fleets. Pike Research projects that $61 million will be spent across the U.S. on EVCE during 2011.

The other significant area of increased VT funding is in energy storage technology, which doubles from 2010 spending to $188 million. The cost of lithium ion batteries for PEVs is slowly coming down, but the government wants to accelerate the cost-reducing technologies through more material science research and manufacturing funding.

Lithium ion batteries are the primary recipient of funds, although a surprising amount of text is spent on the potential for ultracapacitors. Funding for ultracapacitors isn’t spelled out, but given the ample gushing about the technology, it is likely to be in the multiple millions. The budget report states that while ultracapacitors have poor energy density today and won’t challenge batteries as primary energy storage, they “offer the possibility of improved vehicle performance in a battery-plus-ultra-capacitor hybrid configuration and a 10 to 20 percent fuel economy improvement in city driving if used in a start/stop application.” This reflects the findings in Pike Research’s recent Ultracapacitors report, which projects the market for ultracapacitors in stop-start vehicles will grow from less than a quarter of a million dollars to nearly $50 million by 2015.

The budget more than doubles the funding from 2010 for power electronics and motors to $46.6 million. This area doesn’t get nearly as much attention as vehicle batteries or charging, but improvements in electric drive technology will improve overall vehicle efficiency.

The budget was released just days after the Obama administration hyped the success to date for its plan for 1 million plug-in vehicles to be on the road by 2015. The investments in infrastructure and rollout of EVs will help, but not enough to sway consumer adoption to get to the levels needed to reach its target. Pike Research estimates that 841,000 PEVs will be sold by 2015.

The VT budget contains zero dollars for alternative fuels such as biofuels, natural gas or hydrogen. Biomass and hydrogen/fuel cells have their own sections of the budget where the feedstocks and the efficiency of the fuels are looked at instead of their use transportation. Natural gas as a transportation fuel is not referred to at all in the budget which isn’t good news for Pickens Plan backers. The budget for fossil energy research is slashed by $418 million.

The overall budget for DOE increases by 12 percent in 2012, which won’t please folks who are prioritizing debt reduction. However, the administration’s plan to reduce oil subsides by $43 billion over 10 years will more than offset the increase in the DOE budget.

As my esteemed colleague Lisa points out, ending the oil subsidies would be politically courageous with uncertain results. But it’s sure worth trying.

Article by John Gartner.

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Tomorrow, the automobile industry will have yet another chance to roll out their latest and greatest concepts when the annual Qatar Motor Show kicks off in the nation’s capital of Doha. While there is no doubt that the show will feature some very interesting automobile concepts, one of the more exciting to debut on the showroom floor is what automobile enthusiasts have taken to hailing as the most fuel efficient car in the entire world.

The vehicle in question is Volkswagen’s XL1 plug-in hybrid concept car. According to the German automaker, the latest XL1 model is the third they have made after working for some time now to create a vehicle that would have the highest fuel efficiency possible. To this end, Volkswagen believes that have come even closer to realizing this dream with the XL1’s estimated fuel mileage of roughly one liter of fuel for every 100 kilometers traveled. Once the figures are converted, that leaves the automobile world looking at the astounding figure of approximately 235 miles per gallon.

To achieve the incredible fuel efficiency that the XL1 is supposed to be capable of creating, Volkswagen has married together the ideas found in both electric vehicles and highly efficient gasoline cars. The XL1, in its current state, sports a forty eight horsepower engine with an electric motor that is powered by electricity stored in a bank of lithium-ion batteries. While fully charged, the vehicle will be able to travel a little over twenty miles in all electric mode and will be able to achieve zero to sixty two miles per hour in around 11.9 seconds. Although the XL1 may not appeal immediately to those looking for speed and raw power, it must be remembered that it has designed with maximum fuel efficiency in mind.

While the XL1’s technical aspects are certainly interesting considering what they are capable of, the current concept design for the vehicle is impressive in its own right. Featuring sweeping lines and smooth curves, the XL1’s body appears as if it was molded to slide right through the air in order to ensure minimum resistance. Volkswagen has also mentioned that the vehicle will feature a variety of weight reducing features, including carbon fiber materials, in order to ensure the vehicle is light enough to allow maximum fuel efficiency.

Overall, the Volkswagen XL1 is one of the more exciting plug-in hybrids announced in recent memory. While there is no set date for when this vehicle could be hitting the roads, a working prototype will be debuted during the Qatar Motor Show in the next couple of days.

Article by Richard Cooke, appearing courtesy Justmeans.

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There has been considerable buzz about electric vehicles this week. So let’s have a look at the latest EV-related news.

BMW
The German auto manufacturer announced an investment of 400 million Euros (or US$560 million) in the production of its first electric vehicle, the MegaCity. The car will be produced in the iconic company’s site in Leipzig, Germany. BMW anticipates its EV production will generate about 800 jobs. MegaCity is slated for a 2013 release.

“By producing the Megacity Vehicle in Germany the BMW Group is demonstrating a clear commitment to Germany as a high-tech location. With this vehicle we are revolutionising automotive design and production, and offering our customers the first purpose-built electric vehicle for urban areas. This will be the world’s first volume-produced car with a passenger compartment made from lightweight CFRP, as less weight enables a longer range,” said Dr. Norbert Reithofer, BMW’s management board chairman.

American batteries in Chinese EV model

Elsewhere, Massachusetts-based lithium ion batteries and systems developer A123 Systems announced it will be developing battery packs for a new passenger car due out in 2012 to be made by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), the largest automaker in China. The move is part of a joint venture betweenA123 and SAIC called Advanced Traction Battery Systems (ATBS).

SAIC said it chose A123’s battery technology because of its “increased safety, extended life and exceptional overall performance”. According to a report in the New York Times, the new electric vehicle model will offer a “20-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a 100-mile range”.

Recycled EV

Finally, RMD Technologies announced it has completed its first State of the Art Electric Utility Vehicle called Utility Terrain Electric (UTE). RMD says the vehicle is built with a 72 volt ADC motor controller and transaxle combination. The company claims UTE is “the first electric vehicle built using a high percentage of recycled materials, primarily recycled electronic waste.”

“With the ability to utilize recycled electronic waste in the manufacture of the Utility Terrain Electric, we are able to keep the price extremely competitive, with a base price of only $9,995″, said RMD’s CEO, Patrick Galliher.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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The advanced battery market is about to get much busier thanks to demand from electric vehicles, and an innovative program to capture energy from subway cars could cause a further surge. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) won a federal grant to install an energy storage system that can capture regenerative braking energy when the subway approaches a station.

SEPTA will use the energy storage system, for which batteries similar to those used in EVs are a leading contender, to enhance the quality of power at the company’s substation in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Some of the excess energy will be used for other purposes at the substation, while other energy will be stored and made available to the wholesale power market for grid services such as frequency regulation.

The $900,000 project is expected to have a three-year payback, and if successful could be spread to most of SEPTA’s 38 subway substations. Most of the substations were built in the 1930’s and have ample room for batteries, according to SEPTA’s Erik Johanson. He said that subway cars on the Broad Street and Frankford-Market lines have the capability to capture energy from regenerative braking.

Viridity Energy of Conshohocken will manage the project and has developed software that calculates how energy assets can be optimized to participate in grid services.

Before long, SEPTA could join a growing number of small companies looking to leverage batteries in the power market. According to Ken Huber of PJM, a regional transmission organization (RTO) operating in several eastern states, more than 40 megawatts of batteries are “in the queue” for grid applications in his company’s area.

Cumulative Installation of Lithium Ion Batteries in North America for Ancilliary Services, 2010-2015

Frequency regulation is an appropriate market for lithium ion batteries because only a small amount of energy is taken out at a time. This minimizes the impact on battery life when compared to applications that nearly fully charge or discharge a battery, such as powering a vehicle or to store wind energy produced off-peak for later use.

Huber said that a two-year trial using batteries from Altair Nanotechnologies for frequency regulation has shown less than a one percent reduction in the capacity of the batteries.

Vehicle batteries are currently being used for frequency regulation services in a project developed by the University of Delaware. Vehicle fleets maintained by organizations such as the postal service and delivery vehicles are expected to be the first participants making lithium ion batteries available for ancillary services. A successful trial in the Philadelphia subway could prompt other mass transit operators to adopt the technology to generate revenue.

Article appearing courtesy Matter Network.

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