Electric Car Batteries

How Do They Work?

Electric car batteries tend to be charged up at a recharging area, at home, or at a shop.  Limits on the charging time are placed by access to the National Grid – typical domestic households will range from 1.54kw to 10kw.  At these sorts of levels, a 7kw pack would take around an hour to charge which is clearly far behind the energy required by a gasoline pump – a key issue surrounding electric car batteries.

Over the years, certain brilliant advancements have been made in recharging technology vis a vis electric car batteries.  General Motors pioneered the Magne Charge system in 1998, which was capable of recharging a battery and providing a 60-100 mile range in less than 10 minutes.  Most owners of electric cars, however, are perfectly prepared to allow their batteries to recharge overnight if that is required of them.

The charged power arrives in the car in two ways.  The first is via conductive coupling in which a main lead is attached to a waterproof socket.  The user can be protected from higher voltages through the utilization of big-scale cables with connector additions.  The second method involves inductive charging in which a magnetic circuit providing power to the car’s battery pack is completed by the placement of a paddle in a slot in the car.  This inductive charging method is generally preferred by consumers, as it minimizes the risk of electrocution because of the lack of conductor exposure. 

The Types Available And What To Look For

Batteries are often the most expensive aspect of electric cars, although it is possible to recycle old battery-to-grid mini power plants and use them in all manner of vehicles.  Battery manufacture is expensive also, but certain models feature increasing returns to scale which means their costs are lowering.  The public demand for better batteries to power mobile phones, laptops, and other hi-tech devices has meant that the market for electric car batteries has broadened.  Some batteries, such as those produced by Think Nordic, can be rented or leased rather than purchased for good. 

Lead-acid batteries are the cheapest and most widely available and allow a range of 80 miles per charge.  However, an effective pollution control system is required to limit the emissions from this electric car battery.

Nickel metal hydride types possess a higher energy density than the last model discussed and have a range of up to 120 miles.  In electric car battery tests, these nickel metal hydride batteries have been proven to work in General Motors EV1, Toyota RAV4 EV, and Honda EV Plus.  These batteries have a lower environmental impact than competitors because of their lack of poisonous cadmium.  Nickel tends to be recycled, as well.

The third form available on the market is used in the lithium battery electric car types, and this is the most preferred because of their excellent range of 250-300 miles.  Their discharge rate is low (5% per month as compared to 30% from nickel metal hydride batteries) and is less pricey than nickel.  To make the lithium-ion battery last longer, it should be charged regularly and early in the day, and never be allowed to deplete below the absolute minimum voltage.  Also, remember to keep them cold, but never frozen.

The Top Brands

The top brands include:  A123 Systems who are in partnership with Germany’s Continental AG, Altainarno, Johnson Controls-Saft; E-One Moli Energy, Electrovaya, EnerDel, NEC, Panasonic EV Energy Co, a joint venture between Toyota and Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co; Sanyo, and Valence Technology. 

Further Information Online

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/electric-car.htm - a detailed guide to how the technology of electric car batteries actually operates.

http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/electric-vehicle-batteries-a-guide/ - advice on the variety and functions of batteries.

http://www.gsyuasa-lp.com – one of the premier manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries.  Their mission is to produce electric car battery systems for consumers across North America within the space, aviation, military, EV, HEV, and undersea spheres of industry.  GS Yuasa can also provide total power solutions ranging from lithium-ion cells optimized for energy with capacities from 4Ah to 400Ah to the GYLP smart battery protection and monitoring, options for charging, and cell balancing.

http://www.evuk.co.uk - information about electric cars in the UK, where to buy them, how much they are, etc.

What The Future Holds

The future of electric car batteries would seem to lie in plug-in hybrids, which can be either recharged by the electric grid or the electric car’s gasoline engine.  The battery type tends to be lithium ion, and it is much more powerful than a standard hybrid system’s nickel metal hydride batteries, but does need to be plugged in for much longer.  When the charge has run out, a plug-in will tend to operate like a standard hybrid battery.  To fully charge a Toyota Prius adds around 50 cents to the average electricity bill and grants the car a battery-only range of 31 miles.  However, after this mileage, the gasoline engine kicks in and takes over, so 100 miles burns only 1 gallon of gasoline.  This can be regarded as a very good deal financially, although keep in mind that warranty-voiding kits can cost in to the thousands.  Plug-ins aren’t yet in production because of the current high cost of the lithium-ion battery element.  Toyota and Ford have stated that they want to pursue manufacture in the future, but for now they are just releasing hybrids.  DaimlerChrysler is presently testing a plug-in hybrid model of one of its delivery van makes.  This can be viewed as evidence of progress, but it is nonetheless intangible.  GM has so far awarded contracts to battery manufacturers to begin producing lithium-ion packs for some of its products, which suggests willingness.  The Chevy Volt, which has a gasoline engine able to recharge its battery (as alluded to above), will not be produced yet.  The Volt would require a 400-pound battery which GM and other experts in the field state won’t be feasible for successful manufacture until at least the year 2012.