This is very exciting & I hope you do brag about the batteries! Please keep us updated on whether the cells are living up to published specs and how performance differs from NiCads and other lithium batteries. Does lithium phosphate represent as much of an advance over conventional Li-Ion as Li-Ion was over Ni-Cad?

A123 Systems features a pretty amazing story about an electric motorcycle. Zero to 60 in 1.9 seconds -- how many gees is that? Also, about the nanoscale particles -- they are bonded to the electrode, are they not? Is there any possibility of a health hazard in that configuration?

Sunflower:

It would not surprise me that nanoparticles may turn out to cause a problem. That is what environmentalists are for. Raise the alarm bell and set researchers off on a quest for glory and fame. I am also wondering about the supply of lithium and where it will come from.

Amazingdrx:

These particular cells are only 2.3 amphours each. There are higher power batteries out there but none are as safe, light, rechargeable and inexpensive. You can't have it all I guess. The new packs are 36 volts x 2.3 amphour = 82.8. The old packs were 12 volts x 7 amphour = 84. Also, the voltage does not fall off until the very end of your charge on Lithium, whereas with lead-acid, your voltage drops and drops and you get slower and slower until your motor quits working.

Mr. Aurbach,

I will keep you posted. They really do charge fast, that much I know already.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2006/08/paratra...

Dodge involved in these plugin taxis?  It looks like it.  But without nanotech (1 to 8 hour charge time).  Still the weight is 100 pounds less than the comparable car powered by gasoline.

I'm looking into zinc air batteries d.  The low tech do it yourself alternative?  Maybe?

I can't afford a nano-tech lithium ion vehicle.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/us/13gates.html?hp&...

The Gate's foundation faces a giveaway emergency.  Will it fund ethanol or renewable electric transportation, so far it's funding ethanol.

A big mass production scale purchase of these nano-tech batteries to be given to car conversion experimenters for demo projects would be a great choice.  Any of you Seattlites know a Gates trustee?  Hehey.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

the Discovery Institue, based here in Seattle (for transportation studies, or so the story goes) which is the organization behind Intelligent Design. I do personally know one person who works for the Gates foundation. Competent, yes, a rocket scientist, he is not.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

Gate's cash diverted to Intelliegent Design?  Nothing intelligent about that d!

But here's one along Dave's new fear series.  Fear of lithium ion batteries!

Haaalp!

Your laptop maybe a firebomb.  Will terrorists shun liquid explosives in favor of laptops?

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9075-2313541...

This may rush the introduction of nano tech fire proof lithium batteries?  Or will it be the death knell of lithium ion?  

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

http://www.valence.com/SafetyVideo.asp

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/technology/16battery.ht...

This NYT article on batteries predicts the death knell for lithium ion and says Altair does not even care to compete with it's safer nano tech batteries.  It says methanol fuel cells will win over batteries.  Making liquid fuel the choice and that means  CO 2.

It's mainly due to safety and energy density.  No mention of charge time is made.

Pretty pessimistic.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

There is new electrical storage under development.  Electric green cars are coming to a future near you.

We have found that synthesis of nanostructured vanadium nitride and controlled oxidation of the surface at the nanoscale is key to creating the next generation of supercapacitors commonly used in everything from cars, camcorders and lawn mowers to industrial backup power systems at hospitals and airports.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/07/new_nanocrystal.h...

Don't carpool alone.

I just want an alternative that will snuff the looming destruction of our biodiversity by palm oil and soy based biofuels.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

of a few seconds or less. They store very little energy compared to batteries.

--- G. R. L. Cowan, former hydrogen fan
Boron: internal combustion of fuel that won't burn

A breakthrough technology is holding forth the promise of charging electronic gadgets in minutes, never having to replace a battery again, and dropping the cost of hybrid cars. Indeed, the technology has the potential to provide an energy storage device ten times more powerful than even the latest batteries in hybrid cars -- while outliving the vehicle itself.
http://technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=16326&am...

Don't carpool alone.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2006/8/19/...

With this fuel cell as a backup generator only 50 miles of storage from the very expensive nano batteries or very heavy conventional batteries would be needed.  It could give an electric hybrid vehicle the range of an ICE vehicle with 200+ mpg.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

an ICE. If that means that it will deliver twice the gas mileage when used to power an electric car, then this is really big. As you describe on your blog, it will also allow hybrid cars to toss the internal combustion engine, its radiator, and transmission for one electric motor using multiple sources for electricity. An engineer's dream car.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

efficient than a plant at snaring solar energy.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

http://www.sassperess.com/archives/2006/05/hawaiian_holdu...

This is interesting.  Solar CEO and engineers on the latest thin film solar.

Nano fibers of silicon embedded in plastic might beat solid silicon PV cells.  it would take a lot less purified silicon, the choke point in the PV supply chain.

It's based on the new conductive plastics, composed of micro metal fibers embedded in plastic.  A company touted by stock slingers (for what that's worth) has this material in testing for everything from cellphone cases that act as their own antennae to car body parts as strong as metal and as light and resilient as plastic.

Supposedly the parts that all the big manufacturers are making are in the test mold stage for replacing regular metal and plastic parts with this new metal/plastic hybrid material.

Better buy a few 100 shares?  It's around 5 bucks now, hehey.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=ITKG.OB&t=6m

I was wrong, it's hovering around 3 bucks, up from a buck the last 6 months.  Stock tout scam or real investment?  Not sure.

But if electroplastic replaced metal and regular plastics who knows?

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2006/8/29/...

Could it get 400mpg with a solid oxide fuel cell/microturbine instead of this ICE generator?  I think so.  

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog