Batteries and energy storage

It'll be fast, and it'll be green.

High-performance automaker Porsche plans to unveil a hybrid version of its 911 GT3 R race car at the Geneva Motor Show in March--and then enter it in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race this May.

Curious about how Porsche plans to get Porsche-like performance out of a green machine? To pique your interest, the company on Thursday issued a press release explaining roughly how the gas-electric hybrid system will work, and showing off some artist's renderings of the car.

In addition to a 480-bhp 4-liter engine powering the rear axle, … Read more

Smith Electric Vehicles and Proton Power Systems have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop long-range electric service trucks.

The partnership will allow Smith Electric to install Proton Power's fuel cell range extenders into its light-duty range of electric vans and trucks. The change is estimated to increase a Smith Electric truck's average range between charges from its current 160 km (100 miles) to up to 300 km (186 miles) with the fuel cell extender.

The first prototype is expected to be unveiled in April 2010 at the Hannover Messe trade conference, with a roll-out in Germany by … Read more

A smart-grid project in Ohio will test whether the electricity business will follow the history of computing, with storage moving from center to the edge of the network.

Start-up International Battery on Monday said that it has been chosen to supply lithium ion batteries for a community energy storage pilot project run by utility AEP set to go online by the middle of this year.

The storage units will be about the size of pad-mounted transformers, the roughly refrigerator-size boxes that step down high-voltage current from transmission lines for local service, said Ake Almgren, the CEO of International Battery.

The … Read more

Ferrari will unveil a hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the company's chairman confirmed Thursday.

Rumors of a hybrid Ferrari prototype based on the Ferrari 599 GTB, which debuted at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, have long been making the rounds.

Ferrari filings with the European Patent Office for a "4WD system with hybrid propulsion" were reported in June. At the time, Ferrari confirmed it was developing hybrid technology and hinted at a release within the year, but did not specify when.

Since then, there has been much speculation (and outrage by some purists) about … Read more

Think announced Monday that EnerDel will be the exclusive supplier of lithium ion batteries for Think City's U.S. cars and for 60 percent of its cars sold in Europe.

The company also announced that AeroVironment will be partnering with Think in the U.S. to build a series of "very-fast-charge stations."

The result of the fast-charging stations, combined with EnerDel's lithium ion batteries in Think City cars, will be electric cars that take only 15 minutes to charge from zero capacity to 80 percent capacity, according to Think.

As previously reported, the Think City all-electric car will have a range of about 112 miles per charge. … Read more

Everything from flywheels to giant batteries have been proposed for utility-scale storage. Utilities in Southern California are going to try ice-powered air conditioners.

The Southern California Public Power Authority, which represents 11 municipal utilities, said on Wednesday that it will use ice storage units from Ice Energy to significantly cut its peak-time energy consumption.

The project will move 53 megawatts' worth of electricity consumption from peak times, typically from noon to 6 at night, to times of lower demand. A large retail store could use about 1 megawatt of power to operate. By shifting energy usage to off-peak times, such … Read more

Chinese car and battery maker BYD--which is 10 percent owned by U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway--will invest $3.3 billion over five years to build China's largest solar battery plant, a report said Saturday.

Shenzhen-based BYD, which aims to sell 800,000 vehicles next year, will build the plant in China's Shaanxi province, a report in the South China Morning Post said, citing the Shaanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission Web site.

The plant will have capacity to produce a total of 5,000 megawatts of batteries, the report said.

BYD's F3 sedan was … Read more

Fisker Automotive has contracted with Boston-based A123 Systems to supply battery packs for the forthcoming Fisker Karma plug-in electric car.

A123 Systems on Thursday said that it will supply lithium ion-based systems to Fisker for use in the Karma luxury sedan, which is due in late 2010. The intent is to also supply batteries for Project Nina, a lower-end model from Fisker due in 2012.

As part of the deal, A123 Systems is investing up to $23 million in Fisker, which would be up to $13 million in cash and the rest in stock. The battery cells and systems are … Read more

DETROIT--Volkswagen on Monday rolled out a hybrid concept car called the New Compact Coupe, a machine the company said will get 45 miles per gallon by combining a four-cylinder gasoline engine from the company's TSI with a 1.1 kWh lithium-ion battery.

When the car's gasoline engine isn't needed, it shuts off and is disengaged from the transmission to cut down on drag, including at highway speeds. The braking system can recover energy by storing it in the battery, the company said at the concept car's unveiling at the North American International Auto Show here.

The … Read more