Electric-vehicle batteries
Abstract
Electric vehicles that can't reach trolley wires need batteries. In the early 1900's electric cars disappeared when owners found that replacing the car's worn-out lead-acid battery costs more than a new gasoline-powered car. Most of today's electric cars are still propelled by lead-acid batteries. General Motors in their prototype Impact, for example, used starting-lighting-ignition batteries, which deliver lots of power for demonstrations, but have a life of less than 100 deep discharges. Now promising alternative technology has challenged the world-wide lead miners, refiners, and battery makers into forming a consortium that sponsors research into making better lead-acid batteries. Horizon's new bipolar battery delivered 50 watt-hours per kg (Wh/kg), compared with 20 for ordinary transport-vehicle batteries. The alternatives are delivering from 80 Wh/kg (nickel-metal hydride) up to 200 Wh/kg (zinc-bromine). A Fiat Panda traveled 260 km on a single charge of its zinc-bromine battery. A German 3.5-ton postal truck traveled 300 km with a single charge in its 650-kg (146 Wh/kg) zinc-air battery. Its top speed was 110 km per hour.
- Publication:
-
IEEE Aerospace Electronic Systems Magazine
- Pub Date:
- February 1995
- Bibcode:
- 1995IAESM..10...29O
- Keywords:
-
- Electric Energy Storage;
- Electric Motor Vehicles;
- Energy Technology;
- Storage Batteries;
- Technology Assessment;
- Bipolarity;
- Lead Acid Batteries;
- Metal Air Batteries;
- Metal Hydrides;
- Recharging;
- Service Life;
- Silver Zinc Batteries;
- Zinc-Bromide Batteries;
- Electronics and Electrical Engineering