Posted on 12/29/2014 10:14:10 AM PST by Red Badger
Startup Seeo has developed batteries that store far more energy than conventional ones, which could extend the range of electric cars.
An experimental lithium-ion battery based on materials developed at a U.S. Department of Energy lab stores twice as much energy as the batteries used in most electric cars.
If the technology can be commercialized, it could give affordable electric cars a range of over 200 miles per charge, says Hal Zarem, CEO of Seeo, a startup that’s working on the technology. Today the cheapest electric cars, which cost around $30,000, typically have a range of less than 100 miles.
Alternatively, the improved storage capacity could be used to cut the size of battery packs in half while maintaining the current driving range, making electric vehicles considerably cheaper. A conventional battery pack with a range of 100 miles costs roughly $10,000.
Seeo, which is based in Hayward, California, recently raised $17 million from investors, including Samsung Ventures. It plans to start shipping batteries to potential customers for evaluation next year.
Seeo’s prototype is what’s known as a solid-state battery, meaning the liquid electrolyte used in conventional lithium-ion batteries is replaced with a solid one. Solid electrolytes have a number of potential advantages; the one Seeo has developed uses pure lithium, which allows it to store more energy. Other companies have developed batteries with solid electrolytes and pure lithium, but their energy storage capacity—at least for the large batteries needed in electric cars–has typically been less than what Seeo has achieved.
Normally, solid electrolytes don’t conduct ions as well as liquid electrolytes. Also, pure lithium tends to form metal filaments, or dendrites, that cause short circuits. That problem is usually prevented by incorporating the lithium into another material, such as graphite.
Seeo’s solid electrolyte, however, contains two polymer layers. One is soft and conducts ions; the other is hard and forms a physical barrier between the electrodes, to prevent dendrites from causing short circuits.
Other companies that have developed solid-state batteries with pure lithium have been forced to make changes elsewhere in the battery that decreased storage capacity, largely as a result of the voltage limitations of solid electrolytes. Seeo has been able to avoid that problem, though it’s not giving details.
Zarem says the batteries can be made using conventional equipment for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries, which could help keep costs down.
Some key questions remain. Seeo doesn’t yet know how many times the batteries can be recharged, for example. In an ongoing test, prototype cells have so far survived more than 100 charges, but to be practical they will need to last over 1,000 cycles.
Another challenge is that existing lithium-ion batteries are quickly getting cheaper and better. By scaling up production of conventional batteries, Tesla Motors and Panasonic aim to produce electric cars that cost $35,000 and have a 200-mile range.
A flat, high-energy battery cell from Seeo, in front of a battery pack that contains many cells.
Seeo manufactures its batteries on conventional equipment.
Forever, if your electrical power is out. Last week during a storm, we lost power for several hours while the utility company repaired the problem for the neighborhood. That could suck if you only had so many hours to recharge your car for your morning commute - you won't make it to work and back on a partial charge. No problem if you have a gasoline-powered vehicle.
A breakthrough, or an exaggeration designed to attract more government funding?
Then I obviously was not talking about you.
I was talking about the religious zealots who mock scientific advances in battery and electric car technology, as though all other technological growth went from start to fruition in one step.
OneWingedShark said it well in post 25.
“mock scientific advances in battery and electric car technology”
We mock not actual scientific advances but these pseudo-advances. The idea that our tax money is being used to prop up commercial enterprises in electric cars, yet, they are no better off than they were before. Their range isn’t that much different. Their charge times are not that much different. Their energy output is not that much different. Not to mention the condescending tone that says electric cars are better than gas or diesel in any way. They have not advanced much at all in 100 years.
Anyone familiar with science, and not the liberal arts idiot that reads headlines and thinks she’s got it all figured out, knows all about energy through their knowledge of chemistry and physics. We don’t get suckered into thinking some magic formula has somehow created energy out of thin air, or that some magic bean can hold infinite energy to propel a vehicle. We know the equations, the mass and energy equations. Actual discoveries of new chemistry are amazing, but these near daily announcements that electric car technology has finally broken through some sort of barrier when it hasn’t is nothing short of religious beliefs and damned annoying.
We saw this crap with FReeper kevmo and his Rossi nuclear cold fusion scam. Daily we got his “announcements” that a new breakthrough has happened and that Rossi would be showing the world a production unit in mere moments, only to never have a real display of any technology. Kevmo continued to announce the “sale” of the Rossi device; “Hundreds of thousands!”, he once proclaimed.
I think the world is tired of scam artists and useless “discoveries”, especially at taxpayer expense.
“exaggeration designed to attract more government funding”
There ya go. Well said.
If every battery ‘breakthrough’ materialized, they would be the size of a dime and power a car for 1000 miles.
The idea that battery propulsion for automobiles has never been investigated is ludicrous. Edison almost went broke trying to invent a better battery. Gasoline engines won out over electric 100 years ago because gasoline power works much better. Until someone comes up with a battery car that works as well as the equivalent gas powered car, I think the mocking is appropriate.
Tesla has been talking about selling a car in the 30k range. If that ever happens, it would still not be anything to brag about. You can go out right now and buy a brand new 2015 Honda Fit for 16k at full sticker price. If you are willing to buy Korean, you can get a new car for even less. The electric car cheerleaders like to engage in false equivalency by comparing their cars to BMW's and other pricy vehicles.
Range is an important factor.
So is recharge time, and so is the number of recharges that can be made before the battery degrades and you have to spend thousands of $ to replace it.
A HUGE factor that most proponents of electric cars fail to consider is the impact on the electrical grid (both from the standpoint of literally being able to charge all of these vehicles AND our A/C, lights, refrigerators, industry, etc., AS WELL AS the pollution caused by oil/coal/natural gas (and the drilling/mining necessary to obtain them). Not folks here, mind you (we’re conservative, and actually THINK instead of emoting), but the proponents in general.
My suggestion is to stop hoping for an electrical vehicle that can compete with a gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicle on price, range, fill-up/recharge time and durability - at least for the next 10-20 years or so. Also keep in mind that gas and diesel technology won’t stand still (and we have yet to see any diesel hybrids - which should get 20% -25% better mileage than gas hybrids with NO improvements in technology needed, only access to what is sold in Europe already)...so it is going to be a while before electric cars will take over a large percentage of the national fleet.
(and we have yet to see any diesel hybrids....................
http://www.gizmag.com/kia-diesel-electric-supercharger-hybrid/34231/
http://design-engine.com/the-undiscovered-option-the-diesel-electric-hybrid/
They offer a lot of “could’s” and “ifs.” They don’t even know how many charging cycles the battery design can survive.
No wonder they survive on government grants rather than private investment!
As soon as you add heat or Air conditioning to one of these things then your range will probably drop to 10 miles...LOL And you sure don’t want to get stuck in traffic with the heater running.
Just existing in a hot, humid environment will shorten the battery’s lifespan even if you’re not using the air conditioner.
Actually, we understand science. Many of us are engineers and scientists. Those touting electric cars are not. They operate at the same religious level as liberals spouting global warming.
The 200 mile range is only part of it. If charging technology gets you recharged in less than 30 minutes (safely) each cycle then we have something. If it’s six to eight hours in the garage outlet, that’s something else.
We have yet to see any diesel hybrids HERE - IN THE USA - as I mentioned in my post. These are Europe-only vehicles, as the 2nd article made abundantly clear several times.
This, in my mind, tells me that hybrid-cars [in the US] are not about efficiency, but about the green agenda
and the elites playing their Kronie games.
They’re coming.............as soon as we get rid of the enviro nazis in charge of the EPA............
I think the cold-fusion threads were the worst. ‘Kevmo’ even had money riding on the issue and was spamming FR with bogus press releases.
I presume you mocked early computers too.
Are these all pseudo advances?
What make the news in this article false?
It seems to me that battery technology has made significant advances in the last decade.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.