Automotive supplier Robert Bosch GmbH has shown an innovative battery technology for electric vehicles that could extend the range of these vehicles by the factor of two. It could be available for series production within five years, the company says. The technology has been acquired through the takeover of US-based start-up company Seeo Inc (Hayward, Calif).
Smart2.0 - Battery technology promises twice the range
Driven by the explosion of residential solar power, the market for home energy storage—which attracted little interest until earlier this year, when Tesla announced its Powerwall battery—is suddenly looking crowded. This week at the Solar Power International show, in Anaheim, a company called SimpliPhi Power is unveiling a lightweight battery system for homes and small businesses that offers a longer life span than other lithium-ion batteries and doesn’t require expensive cooling and ventilation systems. SimpliPhi’s bid comes a few weeks after another energy storage provider, Orison, released its design for a small plug-and-play battery system that, unlike the SimpliPhi and Powerwall options, does not require elaborate installation or permits for a home or small commercial setting.
In Every Dream Home, a Storage System | MIT Technology Review
The 130-page study, originally published last month, expects all battery technologies to drop in price. However, the largest reductions are forecast for Li-ion and flow-battery technologies, which are expected to plummet by 60% and 40%, respectively by 2020. Lithium-ion (Li-on) batteries will drop from $550 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2014 to $200 per kWh by 2020; and flow battery prices will drop from $680 per kWh to $350 per kWh during the same time.
As energy push accelerates, battery costs set to plunge 60% | Computerworld
Researchers at MIT and Samsung have developed an approach to battery design using a solid-state - rather than liquid - electrolyte, which could greatly improve battery lifetime and safety, as well as boost power density.
Smart2.0 - Solid-state Li-ion batteries promise safety, longer life
Researchers at MIT and Samsung have developed a solid electrolyte with the aim of improving both device lifetime and safety - while providing a significant boost in the amount of power stored in a given space.
Microsoft researchers show that batteries that can be more actively managed by software might make our devices last longer.
Smart Batteries Could Make Gadgets and Electric Cars Last Longer | MIT Technology Review