Nissan LEAF battery technology Explained [video]

Nissan Corporate Vice-President Simon Sproule gives a detailed explanation about the Nissan LEAF battery technology.

Japanese researchers triple li-ion battery capacity using metal foam

A new material has been developed by Japanese researchers, which has the ability to triple the capacity of lithium-ion batteries. Sumitomo Electric Industries has worked to set up a “small-scale production line” for producing such a material at its Osaka Works which is its R&D center. This project is named as “Aluminum-Celmet“.

Aluminum-Celmet forms the base of a highly efficient battery in which the porosity power is up to 98 per cent. It essentially is the replacement for the aluminum foil anode in a secondary rechargeable lithium-ion battery. This porous characteristic of Aluminum-Celmet forms the basis for a huge volume of lithium compound that helps in the flow of electricity.

This development by Sumitomo Electric is infact an outgrowth of its previous work on nickel and nickel-chromium materials which was tagged as Celmet generated from cell and metal. The way these are manufactured involves a high porosity conductive coating to form a foam made of plastic plated with nickel.

The foam is removed by heating the material which results into a 3-D mesh that is spherical in shape and has open pores. This can be easily processed by conventional methods which are cutting and attaching. Hence, Sumitomo Electric decided to use nickel-metal hydride and nickel-cadmium battery cells.

However, the advantage of the new Aluminum-Celmet material lies in it being light and having an improvised electrical conductivity power which can easily avoid corrosion resistance. These are the exact qualities that makes it well-suited for secondary lithium-ion batteries.

The firm has estimated that a lithium-ion automotive battery using Aluminum-Celmet will be able to provide one and a half times more power and a higher charging capacity of up to three times. It also seems to be an answer for improved capacitors seeking an aluminum capacitor having both positive and negative conductors by using a dielectric separator.

Sony eyes making batteries for electric vehicles

Sony is in talks with several automakers both inside and outside of Japan to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles from 2015, expecting a sharp increase in demand, an executive of the electronics company said Tuesday.

"We will consider building factories, including one overseas, if demand becomes full blown," Sony Senior Vice President Shigeki Ishizuka told reporters at a new factory for building battery devices in Motomiya, Fukushima Prefecture.

The company will also consider developing batteries for gasoline-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, Ishizuka said.

The Japanese electronics maker is currently developing a lithium-ion battery with a long life that is resistant to deterioration even when recharged repeatedly.

Ishizuka visited the factory of subsidiary Sony Energy Devices Corp. on the day the company unveiled a new plant building there to manufacture electrodes for lithium-ion batteries to be used in such products as electrical power tools.

Nissan and 4R Energy Develop new Solar EV Charging System

Nissan and 4R Energy Corporation today announced that the two companies have developed a charging system for electric vehicles that combines a solar power generation system with high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. Testing of this new charging system began today at Nissan's Global Headquarters in Yokohama.

With the new charging system, electricity is generated through solar cells installed at Nissan's Global Headquarters, and is stored in lithium-ion batteries which are equivalent to four units of Nissan LEAFs. With seven charging stations (three quick charge, four normal charge) located in the headquarter grounds, the total electricity that can be generated and stored is the equivalent to fully charging approximately 1,800 Nissan LEAFs annually.

This new system will enable electric vehicles, which do not emit any CO2 when driven, to be charged through a completely renewable energy source. This is one solution to create a cycle where CO2 emissions resulting from driving is zero. By using the same lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles as stationary storage batteries, electricity can also be supplied to EVs regardless of the time of day or weather, enabling efficient use of renewable energy sources.

4R Energy Corporation, a joint venture established by Nissan and Sumitomo Corporation in September 2010, has already started tests on a compact electricity storage system installed with second-life lithium ion batteries previously used in Nissan LEAFs. Based on the outcome of this larger system, 4R Energy plans to enter the market of mid-sized electricity storage systems for commercial and public facilities.

Nissan and 4R Energy Corporation will continue various efforts to help move toward a sustainable, zero-emission society.
Demonstration test outline Solar cell: Maximum power output: 40kW (Solar Frontier)
Power conditioner: Rated power output: 40kW (10kW×4)
(Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd.)
Storage battery capacity: 96kWh (Automotive Energy Supply Corporation)
Grid management unit: Rated power output: 200kW
(Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd.)
EV charging equipment: Quick charger: 3 (50kW×3)
Regular charger:4 (3.3kW×14)
Outline of 4R Energy Corporation President: Takashi Sakagami
Company Address: Queen's Tower C 12F, 2-3-5, Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama City
Capital: 450 million yen
Date of Establishment: September 14, 2010
Stakeholders: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (51%)
Sumitomo Corporation (49%)
Business Description: Demonstration tests and commercialization study for the second-life use of lithium-ion batteries previously used in EVs

Toshiba SCiB to be used in i-MiEV, recharge to 80% in just 15 mins

Toshiba Corporation today announced that its SCiB™ (Super Charge ion Battery) battery has been selected by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation to power two new models of electric vehicles (EV), the i-MiEV and MINICAB-MiEV. The SCiB™ is Toshiba's breakthrough rechargeable lithium-ion battery that combines high levels of safety with a long life, rapid charging and excellent charging and output at very low temperatures, characteristics that make it highly suited to application in EV.

Toshiba developed the SCiB™ to meet a series of demanding performance and safety criteria. By successfully employing lithium titanate oxide in the anode, Toshiba has assured that the SCiB™ offers high level operating safety, a long life and rapid charging. The use of lithium titanate oxide also significantly reduces the possibility of a puncture in the separator between the anode and cathode, so minimizing the risk of them coming contact into and short circuiting, and maintains battery performance levels even in severe operating conditions, including very low temperatures.

The SCiB™ pushes the life of the lithium-ion battery to a new level by supporting 2.5 times more charge/discharge cycles than a typical lithium-ion battery. Recharging is also notably better. Charged with the highest current available with CHAdeMO*1, widely seen as the emerging standard for fast charging EV, an SCiB™ reaches about 80 percent of full capacity in some 15 minutes, about 50% in 10 minutes and about 25% in 5 minutes*2 – half the times of a typical lithium-ion battery charged under the same conditions. The SCiB™ also generates little heat while recharging, eliminating the need for power to cool the battery module.

Most important of all for real-world application, the SCiB™ delivers high level performance. The SCiB™ offers a higher effective capacity than a typical lithium-ion battery, in that more of the stored charge can be used safely before recharging the battery. This, combined with highly efficient regenerative charging during braking or coasting downhill, allows the SCiB™ to deliver 1.7 times the driving distance per level of charge of a typical lithium-ion battery. This will allow for installation of smaller battery modules in vehicles and contribute to lower EV prices. The SCiB™ also offers high level performance in a wide range of temperatures, and continues to support rapid charging and excellent power output at temperatures as low as -30ºC.

The SCiB™ for Mitsubishi's new EV will be manufactured at Toshiba's Kashiwazaki Operations in Niigata prefecture, northwest Japan, a new facility dedicated to production of SCiB™ that came on line in February this year. Toshiba will seek to establish a plant operating structure able to respond quickly to market growth as the basis for expanding the SCiB™ business for EV, including hybrid and plug-in hybrid EVs.

As the automotive industry responds to concerns about global warming by developing a new generation of environmentally friendly EV, Toshiba is promoting advances in essential automotive technologies, from dedicated on-board control systems to batteries and Intelligent Traffic Systems. In automotive-related power electronics technologies, Toshiba is targeting net sales of 800 billion yen by fiscal year 2015 from its concentration on motors, inverters and SCiB™.

Toshiba will continue to promote sales of the SCiB™ in a global market for lithium-ion batteries that is expected to record sales of some 1 trillion*3 yen in fiscal year 2015.

*1 The CHAdeMo Association is promoting a global standard for fast charging of EV.
*2 For a battery with a capacity 10kWh.

Top Gear Eco Special (Spoof) [video]

In answer to Top Gear's childish antics when it comes to anything that Plugs-In, a group of friends from London have produced a spoof video of the up coming Nissan Leaf / Peugeot Ion episode.

For all the multi millions in the BBC's Top Gear budget, the production values of this camcorder spoof look surprisingly similar to the real thing!