something new i saw .....

[roadie]

Nano Titanate batteries

see linky Nano also at here

great to power HIDs ......

 

[monkeyboy]

Hey good find.

These are ideally suited to Electric vehicles (EV) due to the 20 years+ life. If you take a look at current EV's, half the cost of the EV goes into the Li-ion battery. If these have to be replaced every 5 years, this is just not economically feasible. i.e. No one wants to spend that much money on a 5 year old car. Ideally, the battery should last the lifetime of the car.

The only downside is the reduced energy density.

This has an energy density of around 70 Wh/kg compared to e.g. Saft's EV Li-ion module with 110 Wh/kg.

 

[Mark_Paulus]

These also look very nice for UPS batteries. I wonder if they will work as a retrofit in some that I have laying around, or if the SLA charging circuitry is just too different. Hmmm. A circuit board adapter on top to change the SLA charger output into a nano-safe/friendly input????

 

[TorchBoy]

Fast recharging batteries will be a necessity for EVs to have the convenience for long distance travel we take for granted now. It'll mean the duration of a recharging stop is about the same as that of a fuel stop these days. And having to stop for a few minutes every couple of hours is safer than guys who drive for hours on end.

 

[Szemhazai]

200g battery will have only about 1Ah
88Ah / 17000 * 200 = 1,035 Ah

Using 18650 Cells you will have 2,2-2,4 Ah - twice more capacity, only the charging time will be 2 hours instead of 2 minutes. But still for everyday use it is very promising – does anybody know something about the price ?

 

[TorchBoy]

I guess it depends on how you'll use the vehicle, eg if overnight charging is OK.

 

[roadie]

as i poke further into the technology, its actually a Li ion , somehow, being made better .... the downside, i dont think anyone can jus walk in and buy one for now ...

 

[jtr1962]

With the 20+ year life of these cells it would finally make sense to design vehicles which last that long in daily, heavy use. Nowadays if you put 25K miles a year on an average vehicle, you'll be lucky if it lasts 7 or 8 years, let alone 20 or 30. Ideally, it would be nice if buying a new vehicle becomes a once or twice a lifetime thing since it's the second biggest expense most people face. You can even design a vehicle to last 50 years, just like subway cars. EVs are simple enough that the drivetrain components can last that long. A possible battery change halfway through the vehicle's life in this case would make economic sense, and likely give more range than before due to the improved technology.

If the average EV requires about 30 kW-hr then at 70 Wh/kg the battery pack will weigh about 430 kg, or 950 pounds. This is no heavier than the ICE and transmission combined. Using motors built into the hubs can basically mean a car no heavier than today's vehicles, perhaps even lighter. With good aerodynamics 30 kW-hr can give 300 miles range. In an SUV a double-size battery pack would probably be tolerable given the heavier engines/drivetrains, thus still giving a 300 mile range. The 10 minute recharge will require 408VAC, 3-phase power but the magnitudes of power required (on the order of a few hundred kilowatts) shouldn't present a problem. After all, we design power systems which can cope with a subway train accelerating out of a station. This is a few megawatts. Charging an EV pack in 5 or 10 minutes is child's play by comparison. You can even have variable charge rates so that a driver can choose a 30 minute charge if they're stopping to eat, for example.

 

[TorchBoy]

Ideally, it would be nice if buying a new vehicle becomes a once or twice a lifetime thing since it's the second biggest expense most people face. You can even design a vehicle to last 50 years, just like subway cars.

Some great points in there. I like the variable charge rate idea especially and look forward to the day when I can do that. I'm one of the minority who holds onto a car for ages. I'm not sure that the general populace would want to have just one or two cars in a lifetime - they've been taught they must have something new and "better" even if it impractically shares no body panels with the previous version. Also there are safety improvements that makes getting a newer car a good idea. I suppose cars should be modular (panels and interior) and just refit them every so often but that idea isn't new and it hasn't happened.

 

[ltiu]

If cars are designed to last 50 years, a vast majority of folks could still be driving cars WITHOUT seat belts, driver and passenger airbags, traction control, anti-lock brakes, all-wheel drive, 5/6 speed transmissions, disc brakes, crumple zones, side impact beams, curtain airbags, child seat latch attachments, alternators, low pollutant emissions, improved fuel economy, high horsepower in a small engine and engines that use unleaded gas TODAY!

Having parts that can be upgraded would mean the total cost of the sum of the parts would be greater than the whole. So it's cheaper to buy a totally new car rather than slowly replace pieces of it as new technology comes along.

Cars should last no longer than 15 years max IMHO.