In January, the DOE is expected to make around $56 million in new funding available for transportation-related R&D projects. The Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement describes how organizations can apply for grants to support the development of such vehicle technologies as advanced batteries, power electronics and electric motors. Areas of Interest include: EV… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "solid electrolyte battery"
Small businesses score DOE funding for EV technology R&D
The DOE has selected 162 projects to receive $26.6 million in the 2015 Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) awards. About 16 of these are vehicle-related, encompassing such technologies as batteries, power electronics and hydrogen fuel cells. Under the SBIR and STTR programs, federal agencies with large R&D budgets set aside… Read more »
2015 VW e-Golf ushers in an era of interchangeable drivetrains for every Volkswagen model
Rising above the waters of the Mittelland Canal in Wolfsburg, Germany, four iconic smokestacks cut through an otherwise sparse skyline. These are the most recognizable – and among the last – vestiges of the original Volkswagen factory from 1938. Symbolically, however, the smokestacks represent much more than the symbols of a power plant that –… Read more »
Researchers develop dendrite-free lithium films, an important step toward lithium metal anodes
There’s a lot of interest in using lithium metal as an anode material, because of its theoretical high capacity of 3,860 mAh g−1 (around ten times that of the graphite anodes used in typical Li-ion batteries). However, it doesn’t measure up in terms of cycle life and safety requirements, and one reason is the formation of… Read more »
Thin-film supercapacitors could be embedded in body panels
Researchers around the world are working on supercapacitors (aka ultracaps), whose high power density makes them a perfect complement for lithium-ion batteries. Meanwhile, a couple of visionaries at Volvo have been thinking about ways to get around the high space requirements of batteries by storing energy in a car’s body panels. Image Courtesy of Volvo… Read more »
Fraunhofer Institute presents November workshop on lithium-sulfur batteries
The Fraunhofer Institute will hold its third annual workshop on lithium-sulfur batteries in Dresden, Germany, on November 12 and 13. Lithium-sulfur is a leading contender for the battery chemistry of the future, and Fraunhofer believes that novel materials such as nanostructured carbon/sulfur composite cathodes, solid electrolytes and alloy-based anodes will significantly enhance performance. Dr Oliver… Read more »
New imaging technique gives researchers an unprecedented look at the inner workings of batteries
Scientists around the world are testing new ways to look inside lithium-ion batteries to gain a better understanding of what happens during charging and discharging. A team of chemists and engineers at Ohio State University claims to be the first to use Neutron Depth Profiling (NDP) to track the flow of lithium ions into and… Read more »
A closer look at how batteries fail
A lot of research has been done to improve lithium-ion battery safety, cycle life and power output over a range of high and low temperatures, yet understanding the fundamental processes and degradation mechanisms in Li-ion batteries remains a challenge. To understand the degradation processes of lithium-ion batteries, it is important to understand how they operate…. Read more »
Phinergy CEO on aluminum-air batteries and 1,000-mile range-extended EVs
Along with its industry giant partner Alcoa, Israeli startup Phinergy says it has aluminum-air batteries for EVs in the can. More than 550 feet over the National Mall in Washington, DC, the single most significant piece of American aluminum triangulates a point between the White House, the US Capitol, and the Lincoln Memorial. It is… Read more »
DOE awards $17 million to small businesses for renewable energy and electromobility projects
The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has awarded $17 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects to help small businesses develop prototype technologies in a wide range of renewable energy and transportation-related fields. These awards are for Phase II SBIR projects to further develop Phase I projects and produce a… Read more »