All of these manufactures have some type of green vehicle or hybrid, Acura, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Bentley, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daewoo, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Freightliner, GMC, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jaguar, Jeep, KIA, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Lotus, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Mini, Mitsubishi, Morgan, Nissan, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac, Porsche, Qvale, Rolls-Royce, Roush, Saab, Saleen, Saturn, Shelby, Smart, Spyker, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, Winnebago
They may all soon get a boost from a new type of battery.
Lithium-ion batteries will most likely power the next generation of electric vehicles, but Arizona-based startup Fluidic Energy is already looking further into the future. The company, which is betting on a metal-air ionic liquid battery, has received a $5.13 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to kickstart its plan.
Metal-air batteries aren’t exactly new, but existing models use water-based electrolytes that are prone to evaporation, and in turn, premature battery failure. Water-based batteries also start to decompose when the cell exceeds 1.23 volts, making existing metal-air models virtually useless for EVs.
But Fluidic Energy thinks a simple fix– swapping water-based electrolytes for liquid salts (AKA ionic liquids)–can supercharge metal-air batteries so that they have 11 times the energy density of lithium-ion batteries and cost a third of the price. A car running on metal-air could potentially travel 400-500 miles on a single charge, making an extensive EV charging infrastructure a luxury rather than a necessity.
Still, metal-air ionic liquid batteries aren’t quite ready for prime-time. Ionic liquids are expensive because they are often made in small quantities. That could easily change if metal-air becomes the battery of choice for EVs, but until then, Fluidic Energy faces a cost barrier. And with lithum-ion battery facilities ramping up production around the world, it’s unlikely that an entirely new type of EV battery will find its way into facilities any time soon.
Hybrid Battery Breakthrough
March 3rd, 2011Ethanol E85 Flex Fuel GM Ford
August 19th, 2010Drivers jumping on the latest gas-saving bandwagon may be in for a shock when they see fuel-economy estimates for the newest darlings of Detroit: E85 ethanol flex-fuel vehicles. Run a new V6 Chevrolet Impala on good-old gasoline, and it’ll get 21 miles per gallon in the city, 31 on the highway, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates. Burn E85 — a blend of 85 percent of the alcohol-based fuel ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, which American automakers flaunt as their latest alternative-energy idea — and the Impala’s EPA numbers shrivel to 16 mpg city, 23 highway.
There are some vehicles that can run on E85, 100 percent gasoline, or a combination of the two. Run a two wheel-drive V8 Ford F150 on regular unleaded gas, and the EPA says it’ll get 14 mpg city, 19 mpg highway. Run it on E85 ethanol, and it gets 11 mpg city, 14 mpg highway. In other words, fill up on environmentally friendly E85 ethanol, and you’ll get fewer miles per gallon than you would on gasoline.
Sound depressing? Not if you believe that what’s bad for the E85 ethanol user is good for America’s fuel strategy. After all, a mile driven on E85 ethanol fuel is a mile not driven on conventional gasoline. And that, according to proponents of E85 ethanol, can help America end its dependence on foreign oil.
Joining these E85 ethanol boosters are General Motors and Ford, which have mounted massive new E85 ethanol support programs. Spurred by public and private efforts to pump up E85 ethanol demand, ethanol producers themselves are pouring billions of dollars into building new refineries.
As with any alternative-fuel idea, however, the E85 ethanol story is one of tradeoffs. It pits, for example, E85 ethanol’s ability to lower air pollution because it burns cleaner than gasoline against the potential environmental costs involved in ethanol production.
Their are some tradeoffs in E85 ethanol fuel economy, but are there compromises in convenience and vehicle performance?
- E85 Ethanol Flex Fuel
About one-third of all gasoline sold in the United States contains some ethanol, typically in a ratio of 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol. E85 gets its name from the way it inverts that formula, at 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent conventional gasoline. Only a fraction of the cars and trucks on the road are “flex fuel” vehicles: those that can run on conventional gasoline or E85 ethanol fuel. You’ll learn why that number is growing, and how you can determine whether your next new car or truck — or maybe the one you already own — is an E85 ethanol flex-fuel vehicle.
- How Does E85 Ethanol Affect You
E85 ethanol flex-fuel vehicles have some special technology in them. The automakers say running a flex-fuel vehicle on E85 has no effect on performance.
Turn Key Service Tech/ Laser Ignition system
May 19th, 2010Ford Designing a Laser Ignition System
Ford is teaming up with the University of Liverpool to design a laser ignition system for automotive engines. According to the university’s web site, a fiber-optic cable will shoot the laser beam to a focusing lens that would create an intense pinprick of light. As fuel is injected into the engine, the laser is fired and produces enough heat to ignite the fuel.
University researchers claim that the new technology is more reliable and efficient than current spark plug technology. Although the laser will need to fire more than 50 times per second at 3000 rpm, it will require less power than current spark plugs. The lasers can also reflect back from inside the cylinders to relay information based on fuel type used and the level of ignition, enabling the control unit to readjust the quantities of air and fuel for optimum performance.
The lasers can be focused and split into multiple beams to give multiple ignition points, which give a far better chance of ignition and can really improve the performance of the engine when it is cold; a time when around 80 per cent of the exhaust emissions are produced and the engine is at is least efficient. The laser also produces more stable combustion so you need to put less fuel into the cylinder.
Ford said that it plans to implement the new technology into its top of the range vehicles within the next few years, and then make the laser ignition system available for its remaining models sometime thereafter.
Other advantages of laser ignition include:
§ Choice of ignition location and potential variation within a cylinder.
§ Non-invasive, there are no electrodes which can disturb the cylinder geometry and can quench a propagating flame kernel.
§ Possibility of varying ignition energy for engine control.
§ Multiple ignition positions in a cylinder.
§ Lower ignition energies needed for combustion.
§ More stable combustion and increased engine performance.
§ Reduced tailpipe emissions.
§ Combustion of leaner air-fuel mixtures.
§ Shorter ignition delays and faster combustion duration.