Among the problems with using batteries as the energy storage medium for vehicles are two big convenience-killers: recharging is not anywhere close to as fast as pumping gasoline into a tank, and the batteries themselves don't store sufficient power to go reasonable distances. If Altair Nanotechnology is correct, however, those problems may soon be less of an issue. According to a press release picked up on Yahoo! business (among others), Altair has developed a technology for allowing Lithium-Ion batteries to recharge in a matter of minutes, not hours, and to hold "three times the power" for the same price.
Press releases are well and good, but let's see the technology in action. It's probably still years away from commercial application, yadda yadda yadda, but the implications are clear. If what Altair Nanotechnology claims is true, the battery vs. fuel cell "format war" for tomorrow's cars may just be heating up.
Comments (2)
Brilliant! The step from hybrids to electric vehicles seems far more likely than the 'hydrogen future' being endlessly hyped
Posted by Daniel Johnston | February 23, 2005 1:36 PM
Posted on February 23, 2005 13:36
Beware the false dichotomy - hydrogen fuel cells are a fantastic way to generate power on-site [high efficiency and virtually no emissions] and hydrogen requires only easy adaptations for current "town-gas" pipelines [town gas is a CO - H2 mix anyway.] That fuel-cells are way too heavy for cars, and hydrogen tanks likewise, could be a non-problem with these claimed super-batteries being used in electric cars recharged at stations by fuel-cell generated power. Makes sense.
Posted by Adam | February 23, 2005 4:28 PM
Posted on February 23, 2005 16:28