Friday, October 26, 2012Good morning,
What is one of the biggest consumer fears about electric cars? It is that the battery won't take them very far. Most electric car batteries produced so far have a maximum range of about 100 to 150 miles. And while this is good enough for 90 percent of daily trips people make in their cars, consumers still expect the reliability of the 300 or so miles provided by most gasoline powered vehicles. That is what gave rise to hybrids. But what if an electric car battery had the range of 500 miles? Would it revolutionize the electric car industry?
Take a look below.
Thanks for reading,
Your Living Green editor
Email the Editor***IBM is planning an end to range anxiety with an EV power pack that runs on air and travels 500 miles on a single charge. "Lithium Air" batteries draw oxygen into a nano-structured carbon cathode, where it is stored and reacts with lithium ions and electrons to generate electricity.
When you plug the vehicle in, the unmolested oxygen is released back into the air as if it was breathing. The technology is significantly lighter than what is found inside a Chevy Volt and IBM has enlisted the help of chemical giants Asahi Kasei and Central Glass to turn it from successful experiment to fully-fledged product by 2030.