Better batteries are 5 years off


CSA Z462 Arc Flash Training – Electrical Safety Compliance Course

Our customized live online or in‑person group training can be delivered to your staff at your location.

  • Live Online
  • 6 hours Instructor-led
  • Group Training Available
Regular Price:
$249
Coupon Price:
$199
Reserve Your Seat Today

EV battery breakthroughs could arrive within five years, as DOE-backed research boosts energy density, lowers costs, and extends life; rivals A123, BYD, and LG Chem race to supply cleaner electric transportation.

 

Inside the Issue

EV battery advances that extend life to 15 years, boost energy 5-7x, and cut costs threefold for cleaner transport.

  • DOE backs multiple battery chemistries via ARPA-E
  • Target: 5-7x energy density, 3x cost reduction
  • 15-year lifespan needed for mass-market parity
  • A123, BYD, LG Chem compete to supply automakers

 

Cars that run on batteries will begin to be competitive with ones that burn petroleum fuels in about five years, the U.S. energy secretary said at the annual UN climate talks.

 

"It's not like it's 10 years off," Secretary Steven Chu said at a press conference on U.S. clean energy efforts on the sidelines of the climate talks. "It's about five years and it could be sooner. Meanwhile, the batteries we do have today are soon going to get better by a factor of two," said Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist.

Chu is one of three Obama administration officials that will briefly visit the talks among 190 countries being held at a Mexican beach resort. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Nancy Sutley, the head of the White House's Council on Environmental Quality, are the other two.

Chu's Department of Energy, or DOE, is supporting several approaches seeking to improve car batteries. A battery race has developed between U.S. companies like Massachusetts-based A123 and ones in Asia, like China's BYD, of which Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway owns 10 percent, and some suppliers warn the U.S. risks losing the electric car race as this competition intensifies.

South Korea's LG Chem is supplying General Motors with batteries for the automaker's electric Volt car.

Petroleum-powered transportation emits about a third of the world's greenhouse gases. Scientists say battery-powered cars reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, even if they are powered by coal-burning power plants. As more natural gas-fired plants are built, they will become even cleaner.

Right now electric cars do not go as far as ones powered by internal combustion engines, which could limit sales if there are no improvements, as barriers for plug-in cars persist.

Even so, GM said last month it is stepping up production of the Volt to meet "huge demand," citing a battery licensing agreement with U.S. partners, without giving details. GM had planned to build 10,00 Volts in 2011 and 45,000 in 2012.

Chu said car battery companies, especially lithium batteries for vehicles, have to develop units that last 15 years, improve energy storage capacity by a factor of five to seven, and cut costs by about a factor of three in order to be make electric cars comparable to cars that run on gasoline and diesel.

While the technology may improve, it is not certain that there will be ample materials to build the batteries to support a massive move to such cars.

BYD is looking for new sources of lithium, an important ingredient in advanced batteries. Lithium supply is expected to be tight by 2050 if drivers give up their cars and go for battery-powered cars, according to a European Commission study of raw materials for high technology goods.

One unit of the U.S. DOE called the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy is making investments in batteries and other technologies considered too risky for the private sector, but that have big potential.

Chu said if one out of every 10 projects in that program, which received $400 million from President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package, made it into the market, they could help the world improve energy security and cut emissions.

 

Related News

Related News

Ontario government wants new gas plants to boost electricity production

Ontario Gas Plant Expansion aims to boost grid reliability as nuclear refurbishments proceed, using natural…
View more

Electricity Prices Surge to Record as Europe Struggles to Keep Lights on

France Electricity Crisis drives record power prices as nuclear outages squeeze supply, forcing energy imports,…
View more

Global use of coal-fired electricity set for biggest fall this year

Global Coal Power Decline 2019 signals a record fall in coal-fired electricity as China plateaus,…
View more

Spain plans switch to 100% renewable electricity by 2050

Spain 2050 Renewable Energy Plan drives decarbonisation with wind and solar, energy efficiency, fossil fuel…
View more

Nuclear plant workers cite lack of precautions around virus

Millstone COVID-19 safety concerns center on a nuclear refueling outage in Connecticut, temporary workers, OSHA…
View more

California Gets $500M to Upgrade Power Grid

California Grid Modernization Funding will upgrade transmission and distribution, boost grid resilience, enable renewable energy…
View more

Sign Up for Electricity Forum’s Newsletter

Stay informed with our FREE Newsletter — get the latest news, breakthrough technologies, and expert insights, delivered straight to your inbox.

Electricity Today T&D Magazine Subscribe for FREE

Stay informed with the latest T&D policies and technologies.
  • Timely insights from industry experts
  • Practical solutions T&D engineers
  • Free access to every issue

Live Online & In-person Group Training

Advantages To Instructor-Led Training – Instructor-Led Course, Customized Training, Multiple Locations, Economical, CEU Credits, Course Discounts.

Request For Quotation

Whether you would prefer Live Online or In-Person instruction, our electrical training courses can be tailored to meet your company's specific requirements and delivered to your employees in one location or at various locations.