GE is also working on outfitting very large vehicles with batteries, including heavy-duty dump trucks used for mining.
Here is an electric bus that GE is working on with the Department of Transportation. Unlike a small electric car, this bus is being outfitted with different types of energy storage to make the overall system more efficient and cheaper.
GE plans to use its own sodium-metal chloride batteries with lithium-ion batteries from A123 Systems. There is also an ultra-capacitor on the roof. Each of these storage devices have different characteristics, such as durability, discharge rate, and cost. The idea is to use power controls with different storage devices,including a fuel cell, to create a platform for different large electric vehicles.
The plan is to demonstrate the electric bus, with a targeted range of 130 miles, by 2011.
Photo by Martin LaMonica/CNET News
Caption by Martin LaMonica
