October 28, 2008 2:13 PM PDT
Charles Iacovangelo, the advanced battery project leader at GE Research, puts his hand on one of GE's battery packs that are used in train locomotives. GE packs about 20 of these battery packs into a locomotive, making them a "small utility," says Iacovangelo. The locomotives can store 1 megawatt-hour of electricity and deliver 2 megawatts of power, enough to supply about 600 homes. The company's sodium-metal chloride batteries have more energy density than other batteries for large vehicles, like buses, which means a smaller pack for the same amount of storage and power.
Photo by Martin LaMonica/CNET News
Caption by Martin LaMonica
