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These appears to be painstakingly created golden samples. Once these components can be created through inexpensive bulk processes then they should be ready for commercialization.
UC Berkeley/Berkeley Lab teams develops high-rate, long-life Li-S battery with Li2S-graphene cathode
Li2S/GO@C Nanosphere. Credit: ACS, Hwa et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers with appointments at both UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a high-rate and long-life Li-sulfur battery cell. The cathode material is a core–shell nanostructure comprising Li2S nano...
These reported ionic conductivity numbers are quite bad. Not sure why this composition is being promoted as a promising candidate.
Dilithium sodium phosphate as promising inorganic solid electrolyte for Li-ion batteries
Researchers in Spain are proposing the use of a dilithium sodium phosphate as an inorganic solid electrolyte. As reported in the ACS journal Inorganic Chemistry, the Li2NaPO4 material showed ionic conductivity values of 6.5 × 10−6 and 1.5 × 10−5 S cm−1 at 25 and 70 °C, respectively. The conduct...
New York Governor Cuomo appointed commission is investigating Navigant for possible fraud to Federal Prosecutors in Brooklyn.
$$$ are involved.
Navigant forecasts 18.6% CAGR for plug-ins in North America to 2022; 2.4% new vehicle share in US
Annual light duty PEV Sales, top 5 states, 2013-2022. Source: Navigant. Click to enlarge. In an update to its 2012 geographic breakdown of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales in North America, Navigant Research now forecasts that overall sales of will grow at a compound annual growth rate ...
Heavy Earth mining can be easily restarted if our federal government is willing to treat Thorium by-products in a more reasonable way. It is barely radioactive; we would get more radiation by sun-tanning for example.
Paper suggests rare earth supplies likely to be disrupted in near future
In a paper in the journal ChemSusChem, a team from the VU University Amsterdam suggests that with increasing demand from green and high-tech applications, the supply of rare earth elements (REEs) is likely to be disrupted (the degree of disruption depends on the REE) in the near future. Altho...
Diesel has more carbons per liter compared to gasoline, and more pollution emitting than conventional vehicles.
Really dismayed they dared to go through this pollution emitting trip; if one more people had to sit behind a diesel smelling car that is one such car too many.
“Truth in 48” Audi diesel rally embarks from LA to NYC
Hypermiler Wayne Gerdes is leading a team of 12 drivers in Audi TDI diesel vehicles on “Truth in 48,” a bid to drive 2,800-plus miles from the Los Angeles area to New York in 48 hours or less with only 4 refueling stops. The team is driving the 2014 Audi A6 TDI and 2014 Audi A7 TDI sedans (earl...
This study is a head scratchier. Almost everyone knows the auto-manufacturers intend to increase their fuel economy by electrification, be it hybrid, PHEV, or EV. If the EPA is estimating electrical miles in a biased way then surely fixing it is going to easier than this unlinking business.
There is a niche for a 3 cylinder supercharged econo-box, but requiring such eco-boxes to do all the heavy lifting of fuel economy is unrealistic.
Georgia Tech study suggests unlinking EVs from CAFE and coordinating with power sector for low-cost benefits
Change in total consumer expenditure for EVs and conventional vehicles (CVs) purchased in 2030 over the vehicle lifetime for 20% and 100% EV adoption scenarios. A negative value means the case has a lower TCE than the reference case. Credit: ACS, Choi et al. Click to enlarge. A team from Ge...
The B shift mode in Prius enables engine based breaking, so it reduces regen. I think it can be used to reduce break-pad wear in a long descent when the battery is already full.
Toyota goes all hybrid for Frankfurt Motor Show; Yaris Hybrid-R concept, fuel cell update
Teaser sketch of Yaris Hybrid-R concept. Click to enlarge. At the upcoming 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Toyota stand will be devoted entirely to hybrids, the company says. Toyota’s hybrid portfolio, built over the past 16 years, comprises 23 models sold in 80 countries. As of the end of J...
Permanent magnet motors are more suitable for low powered applications, while AC induction motors are more suitable for high powered applications.
Permanent magnet motors are susceptible to overheating; over-cooking the neodym can ruin it.
BMW’s hybrid motor design seeks to deliver high efficiency and power density with lower rare earth use
Drawing from a 2012 BMW patent application showing one embodiment of a proposed method to increase the efficiency of an electric motor. In addition to magnetic layers, the rotor has two magnetic flux influencing groups comprising a number of air-filled recesses. Source: BMW patent applicatio...
His progress on the Gen3 model is gated by the improvement on battery technologies. I would peg its roll-out year to 2018, plus or minus 2 years.
Dave D may be right on his estimate after all.
Obviously the Model X is also very important to Tesla. It is unclear if Model X's Falcon Wing Door design will be a success, definitely a 10 on style point though.
Tesla sold 5,150 Model S units in North America in Q2; non-GAAP profit $26M, GAAP loss $31M
Tesla Motors reported strong sales results for the second quarter, posting 5,150 units of the battery-electric Model S in North America, along with a significant improvement in automotive non-GAAP gross margin. Tesla had projected deliveries of 4,500 units. Q2 revenues were $551 million on a ...
I have spent one hour looking over this study in details. I think one of the primary problem with this study is the mislabeling of the chart column "Average Gasoline" that was represented by the red color. That column should be properly named "Light Duty Vehicle".
For example, in year 2020 they projected an improvement of MPG for light duty vehicles. This is all well and good, but the improvements can be traced to hybridization and electrification. Then they compound the error by attributing all of the improvements under "Average Gasoline".
There might be other mistakes I have not spotted, but this one is pretty significant.
Lifecycle analysis of energy use and pollution from gasoline, CNG and electric vehicles in 6 southwestern states highlights variability of benefits
Comparison of greenhouse gas emissions from new vehicles in 2020, EVs by state power mix. Percentages are relative to gasoline baseline. Click to enlarge. A report for policymakers issued by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) has found that in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada, elect...
There is one thing that stood out like a sore thumb; the state of Wyoming is not even an official Southwest state. I wonder how did Wyoming buy representation in this organization?
Lifecycle analysis of energy use and pollution from gasoline, CNG and electric vehicles in 6 southwestern states highlights variability of benefits
Comparison of greenhouse gas emissions from new vehicles in 2020, EVs by state power mix. Percentages are relative to gasoline baseline. Click to enlarge. A report for policymakers issued by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) has found that in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada, elect...
How about opening up the development of domestic heavy earth mineral resources?
President Obama launches $500M Advanced Manufacturing Partnership; Ford involved as an initial partner
US President Barack Obama today launched the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), a national effort bringing together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies such as information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. The President’s plan...
I would be skeptical of a process where CO2 does not end up locked away, but merely re-leased later. If we call this "renewable" it would be questionable as well.
New inexpensive catalyst for conversion of CO2 to CO could help with storage of renewable energy
Researchers at the University of Delaware have developed an inexpensive bismuth−carbon monoxide evolving catalyst (Bi-CMEC) that can be used in conjunction with ionic liquids to convert CO2 to carbon monoxide (CO) using electricity. CO can then be reacted with H2O via the water−gas shift to gen...
Tesla will only push this battery swap technology to the extent that it makes financial sense. There are still many barriers to a successful roll-out. Let's see how many owners are willing to swap first.
Tesla Motors demonstrates battery swap in the Model S
As promised, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk demonstrated a battery swap option for the Model S. The swap, which, similar to the Better Place approach, has the target vehicle drive over a pit for removal of the old and insertion of a new pack, takes about 90 seconds. The scenario, said Musk, is th...
I saw a news item today that Navigant received a referral for federal prosecution of wrong-doings. Frackingly good news...
Navigant forecasts global natural gas fleet of 34.9M by 2020
Cumulative natural gas vehicles in use by segment, world markets: 2013-2020. Source: Navigant Research. Click to enlarge. In a new report, Navigant Research forecasts that the number of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) on roads worldwide will reach 34.9 million by 2020. The increase is largely d...
Tesla uses NCA type of cell in 18650 format. This could mean that this type of cell has a good future road-map.
ZSW develops process for Li-ion batteries with extended cycle life; 10,000 charge cycles
Scientists at the Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) (Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg) have developed Li-ion batteries that have already demonstrated a very high cycle life of more than 10,000 full cycles with retention o...
A Lithium Sulfur battery with very little capacity fade would be a good development.
Oxis Energy polymer Li-S pouch cell surpasses 450 cycles
Oxis’ standard polymer Li-S pouch cell has surpassed 450 cycles. Click to enlarge. Oxis Energy, a UK-based developer of lithium-sulfur batteries, reported via Twitter that one of its standard polymer Li-S pouch cells surpassed 450 cycles this week. Oxis has developed a patented polymer lith...
I am waiting for a "I met my significant-other at a Supercharger station" story any days now!
Tesla expanding Supercharger network; boosting charging to 120 kW
Tesla’s vision of the Supercharger network in 2015. Click to enlarge. Tesla Motors announced an accelerated rollout of its Tesla Supercharger network, which delivers quick charging for Tesla Model S drivers over long distances (i.e., city-to-city travel), for free. The company also said tha...
Navigant Consulting is a for-profit management consulting company that is traded on the NYSE. They have previously published promotional materials for natural gas interests. In this piece they call themselves Navigant Research, but they are just Navigant Consulting.
If fuel cells get deployed, then natural gas is likely the energy source to be tapped. This would be very profitable for natural gas companies, but not so good for us who use natural gas for cooking, heating, or electricity.
Navigant forecasts global light-duty fuel-cell-vehicle sales to surpass 2M annually by 2030
Annual light-duty fuel cell vehicle sales through 2030. Source: Navigant Research. Click to enlarge. In a newly published research report (“Fuel Cell Vehicles”), Navigant Research forecasts that worldwide sales of light-duty fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) will reach the 1,000 mark in 2015 and th...
I am less optimistic about fuel cell vehicles. The capacities of automobile batteries are increasing at a rate of 8-10% per year. There are only a few years of opportunity before the window closes for fuel cell vehicles.
There are also developments in non-rechargeable batteries that reduce the need for range extenders. These non-rechargeable automobile batteries might become available by 2017. Also closes out fuel cells as range extenders.
Navigant forecasts global light-duty fuel-cell-vehicle sales to surpass 2M annually by 2030
Annual light-duty fuel cell vehicle sales through 2030. Source: Navigant Research. Click to enlarge. In a newly published research report (“Fuel Cell Vehicles”), Navigant Research forecasts that worldwide sales of light-duty fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) will reach the 1,000 mark in 2015 and th...
For one thing both the SAE and CHADEMO charging standards are at risk of becoming obsolete in year 2013 because of their low rate of charge.
ANSI releases version 2 of EV Standardization Roadmap
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) released Version 2.0 of the Standardization Roadmap for Electric Vehicles, developed by the Institute’s Electric Vehicles Standards Panel (EVSP). The document tracks progress to implement recommendations made in the roadmap version 1.0, release...
It boggles my mind how they can claim this patent since in all stationary flow batteries the electrolyte are always pumped.
Univ. of Missouri team progressing with convection battery; enabling rechargeable lithium-metal batteries
Masses of dry components of the indicated electrodes. The lower part of each bar is the active component and the upper part of each bar graph is the required additive to the electrode. The Li / Support is the electrode made possible with the convection battery technology. Lower mass often tr...
The trend is toward smart charging circuit. The charger would have to be able to handle AC or DC charging, and accommodate adapters to SAE or Chademo plugs. There are also European and pending Chinese standards to worry about.
Chalmers team developing new high-power integrated motor and battery charger; “rotating transformer”
Model of the integrated motor drive and battery charger. The image shows a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, which also has a fuel tank and a combustion engine, but the technology system works equally well with a purely electric vehicle. Source: Chalmers. Click to enlarge. Researchers at Cha...
The 18650 form factor is popular. I doubt the chemistry could be standardized because new variations are being worked on constantly. Maybe they could research why certain car makers pick specific form factors for their batteries.
California Energy Commission awards $750K to Electricore to study standardization of plug-in vehicle batteries
The California Energy Commission has awarded Electricore, Inc. $750,000 to research value-based design options for the standardization of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) batteries. The project survey will include identifying barriers to standardizing, researching methods to implement battery sys...
They produced a ribbon worth of the material. That means they have produced something interesting, but not ready for production.
Researchers at Rice University develop vanadium oxide-graphene materials for high power-density Li-ion batteries with ultrafast charging and discharging
Rate capacities of VO2-graphene architectures with different VO2 contents, measured for 30 cycles at each selected rate from 1C to 190C. Credit: ACS, Yang et al. Click to enlarge. A team from Rice University has developed vanadium oxide (VO2)-graphene ribbon materials that, when used as cat...
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