New Lithium-ion battery technology from A123Systems
Fisker Karma
In our continued strive to lessen our carbon footprint, which in the auto world comes down to more fuel efficient cars and vehicles that do not use fossil fuels at all, battery technology is probably the most important factor for the future.
Lithium-ion technology has been on the forefront of this strive because it has shown great promise as the standard in quality and stability in the IT world, with Lithium-ion batteries having become ubiquitous in laptops, smartphones, and basically every other piece of advanced tech that runs on batteries.
The basics of Lithium-ion battery technology are the same, however many companies are constantly experimenting with new methods and materials of putting these batteries together in order to increase their efficiency, and this is A123 Systems comes into our story.
A123 Systems is the company that supplies Lithium-ion batteries to the like of BMW, General Motors and Fisker, and they have recently announced that they have developed a new technology which will allow them to make lithium-ion batteries with extended range and for less, thus allowing to cut the price of electric vehicles starting with next year.
The company expects to begin production of their new ‘nanophosphate EXT’ cells, at the start of 2013 – the new battery cells being able to operate more efficiently as well as offer a more stable full-charge range in extreme weather.
This advancement will pave the way for hybrids, plug-ins and EVS to do away with the systems meant to keep the batteries at a consistent temperature, thus reducing the vehicle’s overall weight, complexity and of course, its cost.
The company is most well-known for producing the batteries that power the Fisker Karma, and the fact that earlier this year it was forced to recall the cells supplied to Fisker due to a defect in the manufacturing process which could cause the batteries to short circuit.
BMW’s ActiveHybrid 3, 5 and 7 are all equipped from A123, and Chevrolet will also employ the company’s products in their Spark EV.
