Since the 1850s, the lead acid battery has undergone only minor changes. It did what we wanted it to do, so there was really no reason to invest huge sums of money in research.
Now we need a better battery if electric cars are ever to become something you and I want to drive. The time has come for innovative battery technology.Last fall, top executives of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler met with President Bush and signed a joint battery agreement that also involves the Department of Energy. The group is called the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium.
The idea, backed by about $300 million, is to build that better battery. Some of the money comes from the car companies and some from Uncle Sam. The agreement also permits the three American car companies to work together on the research without fear of violating antitrust laws. Each manufacturer and DOE has committed top battery scientists to the project.
By next summer we should be hearing much more about the latest breakthrough. A new battery is expected to be tested that would give a range of 200- to 300-miles on a charge that will take only 15 minutes. This certainly could put electric power into competition with gasoline engines.
Most passenger cars don't need a range of much over 300 miles and if the battery can be charged in 15 minutes, that's about the time it takes to get a snack and stretch your legs.
What the group is working on is called a nickel-metal hydride battery. It is made from nickel hydroxide, vanadium, titanium, zirconium and nickel.
The technology has excited many electric vehicle enthusiasts, based on reports about smaller versions of the battery already in use in computers, cellular phones and medical equipment.
The nickel-metal hydride battery is expected to be useful up to 100,000 miles or more. Since electric vehicles are being designed primarily as urban transportation, this could mean a useful life of well over 10 years.
Perhaps more important than its long life and high output with a short charge is the claim that the nickel-metal hydride battery is completely non-toxic. This means the spent batteries will not need special handling and should be recyclable.
The development of the battery for highway applications is being done by Ovonic Battery Co. in Michigan under a miltimillion dollar from the auto group. This is just one of many grants expected to be made as more resources are poured into the development of electric transportation.
The recent revelation by Chrysler's Lee Iacocca that the T-Van, an electrified version of the popular Caravan, would retail for more than $100,000 shocked a lot of people. A lot of effort is being expended to find ways to cut costs.
By year's end, Renaissance Cars of Jessup, Md. will be producing a sporty two-seat electric car named Tropica and designed to sell for less than $10,000, batteries included.
At highway speeds, Tropica will have a highway range of about 80 miles using lead-acid batteries. Renaissance president Robert Beaumont says he would be an eager customer of any firm that builds a better re-chargeable power package.