Shoppers who arrive can pull into a designated parking spot, swipe their Blink InCard, plug the charger into their electric vehicle and shop and eat at their leisure while their car is charging.

This is the fifth charging station project for IKEA in the United States. Installation also is planned at four other IKEA stores in the Western U.S. – East Palo Alto, Emeryville, Renton, Wash., and Tempe, Ariz.

[Read More From Source: Pasadenastarnews]

The product trial, named the Apollo Launch Program, intends to drive EV adoption across the US. The participants range from car rental agencies to corporate campuses to utility providers and installations will occur in locations across the US.
The program will serve as feedback survey for Evatran to incorporate into the production design of its aftermarket product line, launching towards the end of next year.

Plugless Power co-founder and CEO Tom Hough said the Apollo Launch Program builds off Evatran’s early prototype trials and provides evidence of the strong demand for a convenient recharging option for EVs.”The commitment shown by these industry leaders truly establishes them as electric vehicle advocates who are dedicated to encouraging electric vehicle adoption across the country,” Hough said.

Evatran and Yazaki North America have a joint development agreement to develop and market Plugless Power technology to automotive industry.

[Read More From Source: Automotive Business Review]

The presentation was delivered by Professor Brian Hayden, Chief Scientific Officer of Ilika and his collaborators at Toyota Motor Corp, and was entitled “High throughput methods to accelerate the discovery and optimization of materials for lithium-ion batteries”.

Solid State Li-ion battery uses solid inorganic materials as electrolytes instead of liquid polymer and solvents used in conventional Li-ion batteries. The use of solid state electrolytes in batteries have many advantages like reduced battery size, rapid charge/discharge rates (allowing recharge in minutes rather than hours) and increased battery life.

The most important consideration in solid state battery development is to find a stable electrolyte with high enough conductivity. The electrolyte material developed by Ilika demonstrated to have improved in both the properties according to their claim.
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The Chief Executive of Ilika, Graeme Purdy said in his comment: “We believe that the clear benefits of solid state batteries including higher energy densities, faster charge rates and increased safety make them strong candidates for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries. We are working with a number of leading Japanese battery manufacturers in this field who share this vision”

Ilika is an industry leader in developing innovative new materials for lithium-ion batteries and is engaged on a number of research projects with Japanese companies.

[Read More From Source: Ilika]

[Read More From Source: Princetonian]

New data reveals that California took in $467 million in global EV venture capital (VC) investment (69 percent of total dollars) in the first half of 2011 and, along with Michigan, is the top patent holder for new EV technology in the United States.

“California is fast becoming the world’s advanced car capital — our entrepreneurs, savvy consumers, research institutions and our market-driving policies are creating a perfect storm for continued growth,” said F. Noel Perry, businessman and founder of Next 10.

Some findings as below:

- In the first half of 2011, California attracted 69 percent of global investment in EV-related sectors and 74 percent of United States investment in EV-related sectors ($467 million).

- In 2010, California earned 80 percent ($840 million) of total U.S. and 60 percent of total global VC investment in EV‐related sectors.

- Investment in this area has grown 712 percent since 2006 in the state, with Silicon Valley and Orange County attracting the most dollars.

- California and Michigan rank first in total EV technology patents in the nation- both generating 300 patents each between 2008-2010.

◦  Two decades ago, California ranked 17th in the nation in this area. This huge leap suggests California is taking the lead over older players in the development of newer technologies.

- Battery patents dominate California EV patents (86 percent of all patents are for battery technology, from 2008-2010).

- Globally, California trails only Japan and South Korea in patents but exceeds other top patent developers including Germany, Taiwan and France.

- California also ranks first in the nation in total charging stations (609) and first in the nation per capita (16.3 charging stations per million residents).

- California ranks first in the country in total number of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles.

The growing EV sector represents a valuable, growing economic opportunity for California. Addressing the barriers to EV commercialization will encourage widespread adoption in California, the rest of the country, and abroad.

“California is capturing the full spectrum of value related to the EV industry from cradle to market,” said Tracey Grose, lead author of the report and Vice President of Collaborative Economics. “The overall growth rate in California’s EV market today is a clear indicator for strong future growth—even in manufacturing.”

[Read More From Source: Ecinitas Patch]

This will be Toyota’s second tie up with a major foreign automaker over hybrid vehicle technology, following a deal reached with Ford Motor Co. in August. Toyota hopes by producing vehicles with diesel engines will help boost its sales in Europe, where cars powered by diesel engines are popular in the “green” vehicle market.

BMW sees the deal as an opportunity to add more hybrid models to its lineup, making it more competitive in the market for environmental vehicles.

[Read More From Source: Toyota,BMW]

John Nielsen, who’s AAA’s director of auto repair, buying services and consumer information, talked with GreenCarReports the organization’s progress in prototyping the roadside charging service. The AAA is testing three different versions of portable charging equipment, all of them designed to fit into a roadside service vehicle that could be a half- or three-quarter-ton pickup truck, a small commercial van, or a similar vehicle. One option uses a generator driven by the power takeoff (PTO) on the transmission of a 3/4-ton truck; a second uses stored energy from a lithium-ion battery pack; and a third uses a generator fueled by either compressed natural gas or biodiesel.

The association is working with technology partners to settle on charging at 20 to 25 kilowatts, a high enough rate to allow the service truck to provide 15 miles of extra range in about 10 minutes. Nielsen notes that a roadside recharging call will be free to all AAA members. Members in potentially hazardous situations–those on the shoulder next to high-speed traffic, or those with small children in the car–get highest priority, he said, but the AAA works to “make every member happy” during calls.
The AAA has almost 53 million North American members, and 1,100 offices across the United States and Canada. It calls itself “a vocal and leading advocate for its members [and] for motorists and travelers across the nation.”

[Read More From Source: Greencarreports]

This new concept also allow for lithium-free batteries with a fluoride-containing electrolyte, a metal anode, and metal fluoride cathode, which reach a much better storage capacity and possess improved safety properties.

Before the battery comes close to commercialization, the scientists will have to work on the further development of material design and battery architecture in order to improve the initial capacity and cyclic stability of the fluoride-ion battery.

Reference:
M. Anji Reddy and M. Fichtner: Batteries based on fluoride shuttle. Journal of Materials Chemistry. 2011, Advance Article.

[Read More From Source: Electronicsnews]

“The Energy 376 Corridor project will create one of the most extensive public EV charging station networks in America and will help set the stage for widespread regional adoption of EVs,” said John Wirtz, business unit manager, Eaton’s Electrical Transportation Infrastructure. “The initiative can also serve as a model of sustainable transportation for other regions across the nation and it would not have been possible without PRCC and strong regional collaboration.”

Energy 376 Corridor, a collaboration of 19 regional public and private entities working to expand electric vehicle infrastructure in the region, is expected to displace an estimated 79,463 gallons of fuel per year and provide annual emissions reductions of 916,046 pounds of greenhouse gases, 1,306 pounds of volatile organic compounds, 10,363 pounds of carbon monoxide, 1,571 pounds of nitrous oxide and 1,026 pounds of particulate matter

”Eaton Corporation should be applauded for creating the vision of an electric vehicle corridor along I-376 and for their leadership in bringing together a broad group of public and private stakeholders to help implement it. This project represents a great step forward for the region in deployment of electric vehicle technology,” said Jan Lauer, president of PRCC.

Clean Cities is the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) flagship alternative transportation deployment initiative, sponsored by the Vehicle Technologies Program. Its mission is to advance the energy, economic, and environmental security of the United States by supporting local actions to reduce petroleum use in transportation.

[Read More From Source: Eaton]

A mobile phone battery built using the Northwestern techniques would charge from flat in 15 minutes and last a week before needing a recharge. The density and movement of lithium ions are key to the process. They have found a way to cram more of the ions in and to speed up their movement by altering the materials used to manufacture a battery. The maximum charge has been boosted by replacing sheets of silicon with tiny clusters of the substance to increase the amount of lithium ions a battery can hold on to.
The recharging speed has been accelerated using a chemical oxidation process that helps lithium ions move and find a place to be stored much faster. The downside is that the recharging and power gains fall off sharply after a battery has been charged about 150 times.

[Read More From Source: BBC ]