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With the push for electric cars the emphasis seems to be primarily on range. And that would be a mistake. Battery cost is also very important, but most critical factor is battery longevity. It is potentially the Achilles heel for electric vehicles. The battery of choice for EV applications is the lithium ion battery, a true breakthrough in lightweight electric energy storage. With 3 to 4 times the energy density of

Indianapolis-based EnerDel is seeking $480 million in federal loans under a program designed to develop the next generation of fuel efficient vehicles. If the money is granted, EnerDel will be able to double its manufacturing capacity to 600,000 lithium-ion battery electric vehicle packs per year at its existing plant. It will also be able build a second manufacturing facility that could produce 1.2 million packs by 2015. The company believes the production increases could lead to more than 1,300 new jobs. Advanced lithium-ion battery manufacturer Ener1, Inc. (Nasdaq: HEV) has applied for $480 million in low-interest loans under a new...

Interesting video of a guy that converted his 1972 Datsun 210 to run on batteries. He takes it to the track and smokes a late model Corvette as well as a BMW. It broke several speed and time records for an electric vehicle that particular day. It is a must watch kind of video. Enjoy it.

Now a start-up called ZPower says it's come up with a battery technology breakthrough which it claims will result in 40 percent longer laptop life than lithium-ion on a single charge. The company says it has struck a deal with "one of the major" PC makers to use its silver-zinc batteries in a notebook line slated for 2009. The CEO, Ross Dueber, declined to get more specific than that. Commercial lithium-ion batteries have been around since 1991, courtesy of Sony and an upgrade would be very welcome.

Tokyo, Japan, Sept 28, 2006 - (JCN Newswire) - Sony Corporation will initiate a global replacement program for certain battery packs that utilize Sony-manufactured lithium ion cells used by notebook computer manufacturers in order to address concern related to recent over-heating incidents. Sony always strives to deliver the highest level of satisfaction to its customers and all consumers. We believe that this program is in the best interest of both our customers and all consumers. Sony is discussing this plan with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and will coordinate with other government authorities as required. We will announce...

(CBS 11 News) DALLAS CBS 11 has uncovered a danger with laptop computers that the manufacturers may not want you to know. There are dozens of reports nationwide of laptops erupting into flames. CBS 11 has the pictures, research and recalls to prove it. And despite all that, the major computer manufacturers would not comment. Nick Brown is an 11-year-old who was playing on his Apple iBook about one month ago when, like most children, he got distracted and left the room. His mom, Cindy Brown, explains what happened next. “My husband and I were in the other room, heard...