lithium-ion battery

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

It’s time to uncouple the electric vehicle’s virtual coal tender

3:59 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 18, 2012
Forget for a moment the freight car full of political baggage attached to the bankruptcy this week of battery maker A123 Systems. Instead let’s consider the real reason electric vehicles and their miraculous mpgs aren’t swamping the nation’s roadways. The issue is not how many more miles of range drivers can squeeze out of a battery. The problem is the battery itself.... Read More »

 

Researchers say battery breakthrough could cut costs

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 15, 2012
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, say they have made a breakthrough that could lead to lower lithium ion battery costs and faster charging times for electric vehicles.... Read More »

 

Lithium ion battery breakthrough could cut costs, U.S. researchers say

Oct. 10, 2012 06:01 CET
University of California, San Diego researchers say they have developed a way to better estimate what goes on inside lithium ion batteries -- a breakthrough that could lead to lower battery costs and faster charging times for electric vehicles.... Read More »

 

Lithium ion battery breakthrough could cut costs, researchers say

3:24 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 9, 2012
University of California, San Diego researchers say they have developed a way to better estimate what goes on inside lithium ion batteries -- a breakthrough that could lead to lower battery costs and faster charging times for electric vehicles.... Read More »

 

Denso develops lithium ion battery for vehicles with stop-start systems

3:11 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 4, 2012
Japanese supplier Denso said it has developed a lithium ion battery pack to boost fuel efficiency of vehicles with stop-start systems. The new battery pack allows the stop-start system to use more regenerative power than conventional systems that use a single lead-acid battery, the Toyota-affiliated supplier said Wednesday.... Read More »

 

Hunt for lithium to build EV batteries spurs output from brine

9:06 am U.S. ET | Sept. 23, 2012
Lithium demand, seen doubling in the next eight years on sales of batteries used in electric vehicles, is spurring a U.S. company to build a factory to extract the metal from brine in California.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Battery maker looks beyond EVs for profits

12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 10, 2012
David Roberts expects the lithium ion battery company that he heads to begin generating black ink late next year or by 2014 at the latest. Amid the turmoil hitting the electric vehicle segment and its battery-pack suppliers, that kind of confidence is rare. But Roberts isn't necessarily optimistic about EVs Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Lower battery prices? Doubtful

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 20, 2012
Regarding "Study: Lithium ion battery prices to tumble" (autonews.com, Aug. 7): The technology for batteries to directly power vehicles in place of fossil-fueled internal combustion engines is at a cost plateau.... Read More »

 

Battery maker A123 to get initial $25 million from Chinese supplier

Aug. 17, 2012 06:01 CET
Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems said it expects to receive the first $25 million investment from Chinese supplier Wanxiang Group Corp. this week as it moves to finalize their relationship.... Read More »

 

Battery maker A123 to get initial $25 million from Chinese supplier

10:32 am U.S. ET | Aug. 16, 2012
Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems said it expects to receive the first $25 million investment from Chinese supplier Wanxiang Group Corp. this week as it moves to finalize their relationship.... Read More »

 

U.S. senators question Chinese firm's investment in A123

3:32 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 14, 2012
Two senators today questioned whether battery-maker A123 should receive the rest of its government grant in light of a deal with a Chinese firm to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the faltering company.... Read More »

 

THE GREEN SCENE

EV, battery makers turn to China

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 13, 2012
As government support for electrification has waned in the United States, EV and battery makers increasingly are turning to China for investment and manufacturing sites. While doing business there isn't always easy, those companies anticipate steadfast government support and a potentially huge market.... Read More »

 

Fisker studies latest fire in Karma plug-in hybrid

12:09 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 13, 2012
Fisker Automotive engineers have started to examine and test a Karma plug-in hybrid that burst into flames in a parking lot in Woodside, Calif., on Friday. So far, the evidence suggests the fire was not caused by problems with the vehicle's lithium-ion battery pack, new technology components or exhaust routing, Fisker said.... Read More »

 

DAVE GUILFORD

Who will control electric vehicle technologies?

11:00 am U.S. ET | Aug. 13, 2012
No doubt, the near-term future of electrified vehicles in this country is dicey. But my guess is that -- however bumpy the next few years are -- within a decade or two, electric-drive vehicles will have a noticeable share of the fleet in the United States.... Read More »

 

A123 deal with Wanxiang raises security concerns, lawmaker says

9:48 am U.S. ET | Aug. 9, 2012
A Florida lawmaker opposed the potential sale of control in A123 Systems, the maker of automotive rechargeable batteries, to a Chinese company, citing national security concerns.... Read More »

 

China's Wanxiang to take control of battery maker A123

8:22 am U.S. ET | Aug. 8, 2012
China's largest automotive parts supplier is poised to take control of battery maker A123 Systems, which received a $249 million green-technology grant from the Obama administration in 2009.... Read More »

 

Study predicts dramatic decline in lithium ion battery costs

July 18, 2012 06:01 CET
The price of automotive lithium ion batteries is expected to fall dramatically by the end of the decade and even further by 2025, according to a McKinsey study. In a “should cost” model that researchers developed, the consulting firm says the price for a “complete automotive lithium ion battery pack” could drop from $500 to $600 per kilowatt hour today to about $200 by 2020 and $160 by 2025.... Read More »

 

Study predicts dramatic decline in lithium ion battery costs

9:00 am U.S. ET | July 11, 2012
The price of automotive lithium ion batteries is expected to fall dramatically by the end of the decade and even further by 2025, according to a McKinsey study released today. In a “should cost” model that researchers developed, the consulting firm says the price for a “complete automotive lithium ion battery pack” could drop from $500 to $600 per kilowatt hour today to about $200 by 2020 and $160 by 2025.... Read More »

 

BMW and Toyota will jointly develop a sports car, extend technology ties

June 29, 2012 06:01 CET
BMW and Toyota today said they will develop a sports car together and cooperate in fuel-cell technology, powertrain electrification and lightweight technologies.... Read More »

 

Honda leverages fuel-cell savvy to extend Fit EV's range

11:34 am U.S. ET | June 29, 2012
Honda, the first automaker to lease fuel-cell cars to retail customers, said advances in hydrogen-vehicle technology helped it create a battery-powered Fit that has the highest efficiency of any car in the United States.... Read More »

 

Hybrid sales, tablet boom strain lithium supplies as prices triple

8:04 pm U.S. ET | June 19, 2012
The exploding popularity of iPads and increasing sales of hybrid cars is driving up prices of lithium used for batteries. Prices for the conductive metal, the lightest in the periodic table, have tripled since 2000 in a market now worth $1 billion a year as uses expand in vehicles, ceramics, electronics and lubricants.... Read More »

 

As its vehicle batteries stumble, A123 diversifies

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 18, 2012
Last month, A123 Systems Inc., which makes batteries for the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, told the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it had doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern. But in an interview this month, A123 officials said the company plans to return the work force to peak levels at its suburban Detroit plants and is embarking on a recovery plan calling for more nonautomotive customers and new products.... Read More »

 

A123 Systems plans to hire 400 in Michigan despite car battery troubles

11:06 am U.S. ET | June 5, 2012
Despite a nearly $67 million automotive battery recall and growing financial troubles, supplier A123 Systems plans to hire 400 at the two plants in suburban Detroit by November.... Read More »