Ceramic Battery Could Be Breakthrough for Electric Cars

The Holy Grail keeping the electric car from supplanting today's gasoline vehicles has always been energy. Batteries that have been used in electric vehicles of the past — and even the recent Tesla electric sports car — are large, have limited ranges and take hours to charge.

A new company called EEStor is working on a ceramic device — don’t call it a battery — that will deliver a range of 500 miles on $9 worth of power, which equals about $60 worth of gasoline at today's prices. The technology is still being worked on, but the device contains no hazardous materials and can be fully charged in five minutes.

The Tesla proves that an electric car can be fast. It hits 60 mph in 4 seconds and has a top speed of 130 mph. Unfortunately, it also has a range of just 250 miles and needs more than three hours to charge. A power pack like the one EEStor is working on will make any electric car both practical and efficient, and may even kill the gasoline-powered car.

[Gentlemen, Stop Your Engines, Business 2.0]

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BMW Readies Hydrogen 7 Series for 2007

BMW announced yesterday plans to produce 100 hydrogen-powered 7 Series sedans in the U.S. for 2007. Though the hydrogen 7 Series will be a full-fledged, road-going vehicle, the automaker will loan the car only to select owners. The full-size sedan, coming sometime next year, uses a 260-hp V-12 that draws fuel from either a 19.5-gallon tank or a secondary tank with 17.6 pounds of liquid hydrogen.

The automaker says the hydrogen 7 has a range of 125 miles off the hydrogen tank and 300 miles off the gas tank — a good thing, as there are only two liquid hydrogen fuel stations in the country, one in Los Angeles and one in Washington D.C., according to BMW spokesman Andreas Klugescheid. He’s hopeful there will eventually be more.

“It’s the usual chicken and egg thing,” Klugescheid said. “You won’t have any filling stations if you don’t have any cars.”

Unlike gas-based hydrogen vehicles, the 7 Series uses liquid hydrogen, which Klugescheid said has much higher energy density than gas. Gaseous hydrogen is more widely available, however; Klugescheid estimated there are between 40 and 45 stations in the U.S.

Automakers have promoted hydrogen-powered vehicles as a carbon dioxide-free alternative to gas-powered cars. A handful of models — like Honda’s FCX and GM’s hydrogen-diesel buses — have made it onto the streets in certain states, and plenty more sit in concept-car form. Even so, the limited refueling infrastructure means mainstream hydrogen cars are probably years away.

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