A123 announces PHEV auto-class battery system
The drive toward plug-in hybrid vehicles just got more interesting. Next-generation battery leader A123Systems introduced today its 32-series lithium ion cells, designed specifically for use in plug-in hybrid cars. The “Automotive Class” cells deliver 10-plus years and 150,000-mile project life as required from engineered automotive battery packs. With “greater volumetric energy density and the lowest cost per watt-hour,” the new cells are expected to be used in the first generation of plug-in hybrids produced by the big automakers. “By making it possible for manufacturers to design HEVs and PHEVs with attractive performance, reliability and safety, as well as an overall lower systems cost, we are able to play a significant role in speeding the market’s acceptance of highly fuel-efficient vehicles,” said A123 president and CEO David Vieau.
The race is on.
Tyler Hamilton is editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and a business columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper.
May 19th, 2007 at 11:07 am
I would not be surprised if oil companies, either directly or indirectly will take over either control or direction of battery companies. The profits in oil are just too large to be allowed to be endangered by new technologies.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Exactly. It is encumbent upon those in control of the EV industry related companies to carefully consider the source of venture capital and any decision to go IPO. Once public, it is too easy for oil and oil industry companies to gain controlling interest and shut down the development. Or worse, intentionally develop faulty technology and create a stage for highly publicized, guaranteed to fail tests that will turn public opinion against EV technology.
July 31st, 2007 at 7:55 am
The oil companies have repeatedly interfered with energy-saving technologies. They have had their hand in the death of photovoltaic companies, the purchase of Solarex by Exxon. Solarex continues to function, but has lagged behind in better technology. One California company died mysteriously when they were able to use edge-defined growth, which drastically lowers the cost of photovoltaic production. The oil industry also lobbied sucessfully to kill mass-transit in favor of the inefficient system that we now have. I would expect them to worm their way into the nano-phosphate business through smaller investment groups, until they can fraudulently destroy new ideas from the new battery industry. They don’t develope energy technology to help us, and they’ll likely leave us in the dark in the future. They pay off their stockholders instead of investing in
other-than- combustion technologies. IT’S TIME FOR CONGRESS TO SMELL THE COFFEE.