How far you might be asking, and how fast? How about 100 miles with a 10 minute recharge. Phoenix Motor Cars claims the their new nano-tech battery can do just that.
From the manufacturer:
Q: Where are the vehicles manufactured?
A: Vehicle assembly will take place in Ontario, California.
Q: What is the driving range of these vehicles?
A: The range is approximately 130 miles. We are currently working on an expansion pack extending the range to 250 miles, available in 2007.
Q: How do you charge the vehicle?
A: They charge with an on-board 6.6kW charger that plugs into a 220V outlet, the same as an electric dryer outlet in your home. Off-board charging can be accomplished with a special charger in as little as 10 minutes.
Q: Does the vehicle have air-conditioning?
A: Yes, it also has heating and power windows and locks.
Q: How much power does the motor have?
A: 480 foot pounds of torque. The motor is manufactured by UQM Technologies.
Q: What is the capacity of the batteries allowing a range of 100+ miles?
A: It is a 35kWh NanoSafeâ„¢ battery pack.
Q: What is the voltage of your modules and the 35kWh packs?
A: 12V and 420V respectively.
Q: Doesn’t a 10-minute charge cause a neighborhood black out?
A: The grid is quite capable of taking this load. The key is a power refill pump and we are working with infrastructure suppliers to achieve a distributed network. Also, remember the NanoSafeâ„¢ batteries can also be trickle charged either in your garage at night or at work.
I hope this battery will be used in cars manufactured in the UK sometime soon. This technology could revolutionise car production and usage. North American manufacturers come to Plymouth, UK and set up a factory making electric cars with ten minute recharge batteries. We have a skilled workforce a large scale, defence, high skills industrial tradition and wages are lower by UK standards. Industry of this type is badly needed. Also maritime contact with France and so the rest of Europe is easy and near.
My next car will be an electric car, hopefully soon and with a ten minute recharge battery.
Suck on this BIG OIL!
I wish they’d give an estimated cost for a 15 kwh battery pack. The price that Phoenix paid was $75,000, but that had initial startup costs I hope.
I’d love to know what these would cost at the highest efficiency of manufacturing and todays material supply. $75k is too much, we need $10-15K
Our global dependence on fossil fuels and our urgent attempts to free ourselves from this dependence have revealed a significant deficiency in our current energy generation and supporting infrastructure. We are making great strides in the energy generation field with a nuclear renaissance on the horizon and the emergence of new and innovative ‘green’ technologies; nonetheless, these gains are offset by the inefficiencies inherent in our infrastructure. Unless we invest in and develop our capabilities to store efficiently the energy that we are producing, we are only going to add to the problem. We need a cost-effective, reliable and efficient energy storage platform to 1) transfer energy into, 2) store the energy, and 3) release it when needed. If this ideal platform existed today we would be much closer to true energy independence. The consequence of such a break-through in energy storage technology would truly change the face of the globe and help us realize our dreams.
In order to gain a better perspective on what a universally desirable energy storage device should comprise, we should look at each of the processes above. This may be an overly simplistic view of energy storage, but it does provide insight into what we are up against. Of the three processes, numbers 1) and 3) are the biggest culprits when it comes to wasting the energy we are trying to conserve. These losses are repetitive and additive and are a consequence of the inability of the energy storage device readily to accept energy and its reluctance to release it when needed. For example, if you take an ordinary lead acid battery, the amount of energy required to recharge it is always greater than what is actually stored, and you can never get as much out of it as it can store. These inherent short-comings have been accepted in the industry and design philosophies have followed suit. The industry as a whole has adopted a design philosophy that compensates for energy storage device inadequacies rather than trying to fix the problem. In other words, the industry accepts the energy storage device ‘as-is’ and then designs its systems to work around the problem. This line of thinking is wrong and it is not an acceptable approach for those interested in energy conservation. AGT has identified, and is targeting the root cause for these energy losses by attacking it at the most fundamental level.
AGT’s patent-pending technologies (protections held in the US, Canada and Europe) offer customized Ultrasonic Energy Efficiency Improvement (UEEI) solutions for all battery based applications. AGT uses high-frequency, low-level ultrasonic energy to alter the electro-chemical conversion process within the energy storage device. Specifically, the ultrasonic signal is tailored to enhance the energy storage devices internal electro-chemical diffusion characteristics. By doing so, the energy losses (waste) associated with this limiting characteristic during the transfer of energy to and from the energy storage device are significantly reduced. AGT recaptures the wasted energy and uses it for its intended function. Until now, this energy storage device characteristic was considered fixed and dependent on the chemical make-up of the energy storage device—AGT recognized that it is also dependent on the influence of ultrasonic energy. Thus, the energy storage device becomes an integral part of the solution, an active and controllable component of the system, rather than part of the problem. AGT is not settling for the energy storage device in its manufactured (as-is) form; we take a commercial product, we modify it, and we control it to fit our application.
-1-
Benefits of AGT’s Patent-Pending Technology and Process
• The size of a battery pack can be greatly reduced, to 1/3 of 1/2 of its original size
• Higher peak currents are available during discharge (power), up to 3X greater
• Faster charge times to 100% State of Charge (SoC), as much as 5X faster
• It will last 5-10 times longer, sharply reducing the need for battery pack replacement
• Its charge acceptance at lower currents is significantly increased (Solar)
• Its internal impedance can be adjusted to compensate for less than ideal wind speeds (Wind)
• The level of control is limitless and it is real-time, thereby allowing for compensation for load changes, environmental changes, etc
• The level of control can be altered via customized software solutions: A programmable battery pack
• Less weight compliments the plug-in hybrid initiative (40 miles on single charge)
• Lowered impact on the environment, fewer batteries being discarded
• Less gassing and at lower charging potentials, less sensitive to the cold (Fork-Lift)
• Industrial and residential applications
• Truly revolutionize energy storage without disrupting current production and distribution channels
• Cost effective and scalable solutions for energy storage worldwide
If we truly want to minimize or eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels and move toward a ‘green’ environment, we are going to have to change the way we think about energy storage. AGT has dedicated itself to solving these problems and will pave the way for others to follow. The gains achievable with the application of AGT technology are boundless.
comments/suggestions
shawnkel@gmail.com