Nissan, EnerDel to fund auto battery research

Seeking out a better auto battery, Nissan Motor and EnerDel said Thursday that they will team up in support of research into a better conductive material for batteries.

The pact calls for the two companies to co-fund research at the Argonne National Laboratory to develop a new electrolyte made of a slurry liquid. The work is being done specifically for electric and hybrid vehicle batteries.

EnerDel lithium ion car battery.

(Credit: EnerDel)

EnerDel, which makes lithium ion batteries, has agreements to supply Think Global's city car and Fisker Automotive's luxury plug-in electric vehicle, both of which are expected to be available in the next year. Nissan, meanwhile, plans to unveil an all-electric sedan next week, which it plans to make available next year.

Lithium ion batteries will power a generation of electric cars slated to come to market in the next two years, replacing the nickel metal hydride batteries used in today's hybrids.

Lithium batteries, which are also used in consumer electronics, are relatively light and allow for higher energy density. But researchers have been looking at novel approaches to improve performance and cost, including different electrolytes.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Donald Sadoway and his student David Bradwell earlier this year built a prototype of "liquid battery" that uses three layers of molten metals--two for the battery's electrodes and an electrolyte liquid in the middle.

The advantage of this method is that the liquids allow for fast charging and discharging. Batteries built this way promise to be cheaper and last longer as well.

Updated at 7:00 a.m. PT with added information on MIT battery research. Updated at 11:45 PT on October 26 with correct first name of professor Sadoway.

[fredtheviking]

I applaud any and all research efforts into building a better battery. I believe if we can get a battery that can fit into a car. Fully recharge from empty in 300 seconds. Provide 300 mile range, provide 100,000 charge cycles without decay or need for replacement. I think we can say we have solved the "Battery Problem". I don't think I can overstate how how important it is we create such a battery. With such a battery technology would effectively allow us to get 100% of our energy needs from Wind, Solar and other renewables. Oh and the battery technology has to work on a massive scale. Perhaps the most important problem we need to solve.