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Lithium-Ion Battery Breakthrough For Electric Vehicles At Australian University
The Motor Report ^ | 06-04-2013 | Trevor Collett

Posted on 06/04/2013 2:09:53 PM PDT by Red Badger

The University of Wollongong has reached a breakthrough with its research on lithium-ion batteries which could make electric vehicles (EVs) more viable in the near future.

The university’s Institute for Superconducting & Electronic Materials (ISEM) has used a new Germanium-based material, capable of storing five times more energy than a ‘conventional’ lithium-ion battery.

Researchers at the university believe this new technology to EVs could at the very least double the distance that the car can travel on a single charge.

And the benefits don’t end there, with the new batteries bringing a significant reduction in charging times, and a relatively inexpensive manufacturing technique.

The price of Germanium is higher than materials currently used to make batteries, but Professor Zaiping Guo from ISEM is confident that prices could fall under mass production.

“The novel anode materials are very simple to synthesize and cost-effective,” Ms Guo said.

“They can be fabricated in large-scale by industry and therefore have great commercial potential.”

“We’re truly excited about this breakthrough and are looking forward to transitioning this technology to the commercial marketplace.”

As well as improvements to EVs, the new battery technology could also be used in consumer electronics - such as mobile phones and laptops - and is even capable of grid-scale energy storage.


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Business/Economy; Technical
KEYWORDS: auto; battery; car; energy
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1 posted on 06/04/2013 2:09:53 PM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

I`ll believ it when I see it, in the meantime, “Drill baby, drill!”


2 posted on 06/04/2013 2:11:58 PM PDT by nomad
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To: Red Badger

This is how Tesla is going to make a affordable version of it’s model S that can travel cross country on a single charge.


3 posted on 06/04/2013 2:13:17 PM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama lied .. the economy died.)
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To: Red Badger

I’m all for competition between energy sources.
I’ll be ecstatic to drive a vehicle powered by American coal when the price is right.


4 posted on 06/04/2013 2:14:38 PM PDT by nascarnation (Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
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To: nascarnation

I’m all for competition between energy sources.
I’ll be ecstatic to drive a vehicle powered by American coal when the price is right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me too. But ONLY between free market companies. I believe technology will soon be available to power a full size car to run 500 miles (not 50 miles) and recharge in 15 minutes (not 15 hours).

But what burns me up is Obama throwing trillions of dollars at green energy boondoggles only to have these companies go bankrupt.


5 posted on 06/04/2013 2:21:21 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: Red Badger

Gotta love it, car batteries made out of recycled CK722s ;-)


6 posted on 06/04/2013 2:22:52 PM PDT by bigbob
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To: nascarnation
CleanCar photo IDriveACleanCar.jpg
7 posted on 06/04/2013 2:23:35 PM PDT by preacher (Communism has only killed 100 million people: Let's give it another chance!)
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To: Red Badger

Can someone with a science background help me- is this a break through for lithium batteries or discovery of Germanium batteries....


8 posted on 06/04/2013 2:24:21 PM PDT by 11th Commandment (http://www.thirty-thousand.org/)
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To: Red Badger

If the new material can store 5 times the energy of current Li-ion batteries, why would it only about double the range of electric cars using it?

Anyway, sounds like good stuff. I’m not opposed to electric vehicles in principle, it’s just that so far their practicality, due to range, charging times, charging infrastructure, electrical supplies (all this electrical power will have to come from somewhere), etc have made me skeptical of their utility and “greenness.”


9 posted on 06/04/2013 2:26:17 PM PDT by -YYZ- (Strong like bull, smart like tractor.)
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To: 11th Commandment

Yes.


10 posted on 06/04/2013 2:26:41 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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To: 11th Commandment

The anode of the battery is a germanium based material.........


11 posted on 06/04/2013 2:27:03 PM PDT by Red Badger (Want to be surprised? Google your own name......Want to have fun? Google your friend's names........)
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To: -YYZ-

‘Power’ is a logarithmic function.

30 dBm of power is 1 Watt, 33 dBm of power is 2 Watts, 36 dBm is 4 Watts, etc.


12 posted on 06/04/2013 2:31:03 PM PDT by Red Badger (Want to be surprised? Google your own name......Want to have fun? Google your friend's names........)
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To: Red Badger
this new technology to EVs could at the very least double the distance that the car can travel

I have a substance that can send cars even farther. Most vehicles are already capable of using it without ANY modifications. It's called gasoline.

13 posted on 06/04/2013 2:32:16 PM PDT by ElkGroveDan (My tagline is in the shop.)
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To: ElkGroveDan

That stuff is evil devils piss..........


14 posted on 06/04/2013 2:36:22 PM PDT by Red Badger (Want to be surprised? Google your own name......Want to have fun? Google your friend's names........)
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To: 11th Commandment

Hype. Or at least premature. Little practical gain after a few years work.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/12/wang-20111217.html

Note the comments at the bottom.


15 posted on 06/04/2013 2:36:36 PM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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To: -YYZ-
-YYZ- said: "...why would it only about double the range of electric cars using it?"

One possibility might be that the new design is significantly heavier than the old design and can't be scaled down. You might end up with additional range but carrying a much heavier payload.

16 posted on 06/04/2013 2:41:31 PM PDT by William Tell
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To: Red Badger

Superconductivity and cold fusion, the if only technologies.


17 posted on 06/04/2013 2:42:17 PM PDT by Cyman
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To: Red Badger

What you stated would be absolutely correct for sound but for HP in electric motors.

796 Watts = 1 HP
1492 Watts = 2 HP
3184 Watts = 4 HP... all quite linear.

Torque

T = HP 5252 / RPM
where
T= Torque In Ft/Lbs
HP = horsepower
RPM = revolutions per minute (rpm)

Again, a linear equation.

To know why 5X power storage only relates to 2X range we would need to know 1) Is this typical reporter math? or 2) Is the discharge rate of the battery limiting the range?

I think #1 is the most likely answer but will not discount #2


18 posted on 06/04/2013 2:47:22 PM PDT by Wurlitzer (Nothing says "ignorance" like Islam! 969)
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To: Red Badger
The problem is in the relative abundance of these elements in the earth's crust: Lithium is present at 20 parts per million and Germanium at 1.5 ppm; 37,000 tons of Lithium were mined in 2012 compared to only 128 tons of Germanium. Abundance of Elements
19 posted on 06/04/2013 3:01:55 PM PDT by 45Auto (Big holes are (almost) always better.)
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To: 11th Commandment

You had to know the Germans were somehow involved.


20 posted on 06/04/2013 3:31:03 PM PDT by katana (Just my opinions)
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