Important Innovations

  Porsche Setting Up JV With Germany Battery Maker                                             Source:  Porsche EV's Faster, Less Expensive Batteries for More Affordable Electric Vehicles Porsche, which is VW's luxury sports car division, announced today that it is setting up a JV with German battery company Customcells, that specializes in lithium ion cells, to produce high performance, game changing batteries for electric vehicles.  The batteries will have higher energy density than the prototypes being used in Porsche's current lineup of electric cars.  The new battery will cut charging times and decrease the amount of raw materials needed to attain the same driving range. That will reduce battery production costs and make electric cars less expensive and more affordable for greater numbers of drivers. E-Dynamics European car makers are rolling out more electric vehicles to meet stricter emissions standards in Europe and globally.  Simultaneously they want to reduce thei

  New Cobalt Free, Less Expensive Battery                                                       Source:  Tesla Model 3 On Model 3's in China Tesla has made an important move on the battery front in China.  It's about to start selling Model 3 vehicles in China equipped with much less expensive, cobalt-free lithium ion phosphate (LFP) batteries.  China-made Model 3's currently use nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries.  The starting price in China with government incentives on Model 3 is $39,900.  Reuters says the Tesla announcement about the battery upgrade may come tomorrow. EV Marketplace In the electric vehicle marketplace, the technology race is all about bringing down battery costs and extending range.  Cobalt is one of the most expensive metals in the world.  Taking that cost out of the battery will be a big savings for Tesla. Tesla is expected to use the China made LFP batteries in all Model 3 vehicles made in China.  That will significantly bring down the cost of produci

Revolutionary New Electric, Self-Heating Battery Source:  Penn State University Recharges in 10 Minutes with Up to 300 Mile Range The future of driving green and emissions free is electric.  Now a team of engineers at Penn State University has invented a new battery to make that future a lot closer and more doable.  Their new lithium-ion battery can be charged in ten minutes, self-heats and provides a driving range up to 300 miles.  They envision this being done at local service stations with electric charges for EV's. Revolutionary New Tech This new battery is revolutionary.  It can be recharged over and over again for up to 500,000 miles of travel.  That's a big deal.  Some lithium-ion batteries rapidly degrade based on ambient temperatures.  This battery overcomes current limitations.  The Penn State team has installed nickel foil on the batteries, eliminating lithium plating. The nickel warms quickly through resistance to 140F. That triggers rapid charging bu