lithium-ion

Fluidic Energy Bets on Next-Gen Metal-Air Batteries

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:06:01 -0500

Lithium-ion batteries will most likely power the next generation of electric vehicles, but Arizona-based startup Fluidic Energy is already looking further into the future. The company, which is betting on a metal-air ionic liquid battery, has received a $5.13 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to kickstart its plan.

Coming Soon: A Lithium-Air Battery with Storage Capacity to Spare

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:17:16 -0400

Lithium-air batteries are a strong candidate for electric car energy storage, but they face a major hurdle: internal clogging due to solid byproducts. It's an issue that has prevented li-air batteries, which offer 10 times the storage capacity of lithium ion batteries, from hitting the bigtime. But researchers at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) have a solution.

Renault Unveils Prototype Be Bop Z.E. Electric Car: The Shape of Things to Come?

Kit Eaton — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:01:37 -0400

Renault just pulled the covers off its technology demonstrator Be Bop Z.E. all-electric car. It's going to tour Europe to show off its cleverness, and its drive train will actually end up in future Renault EVs from 2011 onwards.

Is The MacBook's New Super-Battery Actually Cutting Edge?

Chris Dannen — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:10:09 -0500

The best new feature in Apple's [AAPL] new MacBook Pro is the 8-hour, ultra-durable battery that Apple says it custom-designed. But is it really the advanced powerplant it claims to be?

Japanese Private $1 Billion Li-Ion Battery Investment Shames US

Kit Eaton — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:49:15 -0500

While Li-ion battery makers in the US are going cap-in-hand to the government in search of federal aid to keep up with foreign companies, it's been rumored that Nissan and NEC are about to invest around $1 billion of their own capital into making batteries for electric cars.

US Li-Ion Battery Makers Want $1Billion Federal Aid

Kit Eaton — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:14:15 -0500

Battery technology progresses on a daily basis, but lithium-ion tech still has a place in many consumer electronic gadgets and electric-powered cars. And that's why a consortium of fourteen US companies is lobbying for a billion-dollar aid package to help them build new factories.