USDOE Works On Li-Ion Battery Safety, PHEV Technologies
June 29, 2008
Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have been experimenting with a modified plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius that gets an equivalent mileage of 100 miles per gallon and uses solar energy to recharge its batteries. The car also features a Li-ion battery pack that is six times more powerful than the OEM nickel-metal hydride batteries that Toyota uses to power the vehicle.
Several auto manufacturers are working on plug-in hybrids that are meant for volume production, including GM, Toyota and Nissan. Toyota already has a plug-in hybrid Prius model that it plans to introduce in 2009.
The NREL is part of the US Department of Energy and is working with Li-ion battery maker A123Systems to improve the safety of Li-ion cells. The lab is concentrating on improving the thermal safety of the batteries, which can experience catastrophic failures if the battery’s interior membrane breaks down. It’s also looking at ways to reduce the loss of energy capacity that occurs as Li-ion batteries age.
The NREL is working with a single plug-in Prius conversion but plans to take delivery on another one soon. The rooftop solar panel generates 165 watts, enough for a five-mile drive. The plug-in researchmobile can go 50 miles between charges, which lead scientist Tony Markel says should be sufficient for about three-fourths of US drivers, who travel less than 40 miles per day.
Source: Wired
Photo: Sarah Barba, Courtesy of NREL
PennDOT Inks Deal To Put Ten Hybrid Buses On The Road In 2008
June 26, 2008
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has placed an order for ten hybrid buses. The gas-electric hybrids seat 18 passengers each and will take delivery of the vehicles in 2008. PennDOT has an option to purchase an additional 15 buses.
The Aztec/StarTrans Citibus offers a 40% increase in fuel efficiency and a 30% reduction in carbon emissions. The CitiBus uses stop-start technology, which cuts the engine when the vehicle is idling, and features regenerative braking technologies that recharge the vehicle batteries by recapturing energy from the vehicle when the brakes are applied. Air conditioning, power steering and braking are all still supported while the engine is off at idle.
As an added benefit, the hybrid power train also reduces engine maintenance by 25 percent and brake maintenance by 75%. Overall maintenance costs can be reduced by as much as 30%. The CitiBus has passed its 200,000 mile test regimen, and qualifies for federal funding programs.
The first ten buses will operate in York County, PA and will be used to augment PennDOT’s ride-share program. PennDOT has not indicated where the other 15 buses will be deployed, should it exercise its option to buy them.
Source and Photo: Azure Dynamics
London Taxi Fleet To Go Hybrid FCV Before 2012 Olympics
May 28, 2008
A joint partnership between Lotus Engineering, London Taxis International and TRW Conekt will work to convert a fleet of London taxis to combined hybrid-electric and fuel cell vehicles in time for the 2012 Olympics. The program is being funded in part by the British government as part of a larger, low-carbon vehicle research and development program.
The hybrid-electric and fuel-cell taxis can operate for an entire day without refueling and will achieve a top speed of 75 miles per hour. The conversion is expected to improve the vehicles’ acceleration over conventional taxis. The fleet will use a central refueling station.
By using taxis, the group hopes to illustrate the commercial viability of hybrid-electric and fuel-cell technologies and promote the use of the technologies to reduce emissions, encourage other zero-emission applications and increase the number of zero emission taxicabs operating in other cities by 2014. The group has also successfully converted motorcycles, delivery vehicles and aircraft into zero-emission vehicles.
Among the other areas of research, the group hops to develop a durable fuel-cell engine and electrical drive systems for fleet vehicles; test refueling, hot and cold start systems; and provide safety analysis on braking and steering for the vehicles.
Photo Credit: Steve Woods
Sanyo, VW Team Up To Produce Li-Ion Batteries
May 13, 2008
Sanyo Electric and Volkswagen will jointly develop a lithium-ion battery for use in hybrid and electric cars, with the goal of having a product ready for market by 2012. The joint venture is part of Volkswagen’s plan to regain ground it has lost in the development of lower-emission vehicles. Other automakers have teamed with electronics companies to produce batteries for their cars including Toyota and Matsushita Electric Industrial, and Nissan and NEC.
Sanyo currently supplies nickel-hydrogen batteries to Honda and Ford. Audi will use Sanyo’s nickel-hydrogen battery in its first hybrid model, expected in the showrooms in 2009 or 2010.
MIRA Introduces Plugless Plug-in Hybrid Conversion
April 28, 2008
MIRA has announced a retrofit hybrid conversion kit that provides removable battery packs that plug into a wall outlet for charging. According to the company, the kit can reduce fuel costs by 61% and can reduce tailpipe CO2 emissions by nearly 40 percent, while making a minimal impact on vehicle design. The vehicle’s battery packs also charge while the car is running on its gasoline- or diesel-powered engine.
The company created a proof-of-concept demonstration vehicle, known as the H4V, and was supported as a research project by the Energy Savings Trust’s Low Carbon Research and Development program, and funded by the UK’s Department of Transportation.
The rationale for the removable batteries is cost: it’s cheaper to get electricity from the power company than it is to run a combustion engine, but retrofitting a car with a plug-in kit that requires the entire vehicle to be plugged in is both expensive and impractical. By making the battery packs removable, the range of the car can be extended effectively, provided that the driver has access to electricity at his intermediate destination.
Each lithium-ion phosphate battery stores about 30 kW and is contained in a “cassette” that is about the size of a briefcase. The kit requires three batteries and tests have shown that it delivers better economy than a standard hybrid system does. In addition, the mods feature a regenerative braking system to capture inertia. This, in turn, charges the batteries while the car is in motion. According to the company, regeneration technologies have just become mature enough to provide enough of a cost advantage to make their addition compelling.
The system is not currently in production but MIRA intends to bring it to market soon. The overall cost of the kit is about £2,000, or about USD$4,000.
Photo Credit: MIRA
Volvo Testing Hybrid Trash Trucks In Sweden
April 18, 2008
Two Swedish waste hauling firms are testing Volvo’s new hybrid garbage trucks in advance of the company’s planned market release in 2009. The trucks offer a 20 percent savings in fuel over Volvo’s non-hybrid model.
The hybrid trash truck features a 7.0L diesel-electric powertrain and regenerative braking. The diesel-electric hybrid concept vehicle was first presented in 2006. According to Volvo, the hybrid model is powerful enough to pull a heavy load and is more cost-effective than other alternatives.
The truck uses its electric motor on start-up and for acceleration to 20 kph. The vehicle automatically switches from diesel to electric when the truck stops, providing quiet curbside collection. Regenerative braking, which is ideal for stops and starts, charges a battery pack that runs the truck’s compactor unit. This secondary system is also recharged when the truck is parked overnight. The interoperation of the diesel and electric motors could cut CO2 emissions by as much as 30 percent.
The trash truck represents the first of several hybrid heavy vehicles Volvo has planned.
Hydrogen From Sugar Might Power FCVs
April 14, 2008
Drivers don’t usually want to think about pouring sugar in their gas tanks, but if Percival Zhang, a research scientist at Virginia Tech University, has his way, you might be doing just that in the not-too-distant future. Zhang is developing a new process that converts plant sugars into hydrogen. The process is inexpensive and could lead to a cheap, abundant source of hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles. Using a similar process, cellulose may also serve as a ready source of hydrogen.
The research team used 13 common enzymes and combined them with water and various starches in a special low-temperature reactor. The result was hydrogen and carbon, with no undesirable leftovers. The reactor brew produced three times as much as anaerobic fermentation, currently used to produce hydrogen from biomass.
Zhang’s team acknowledges that the process does not yet produce sufficient hydrogen, and the reaction time is not particularly fast. To remedy this, they are looking for enzymes that operate at a higher temperature, which would improve the rate at which hydrogen is produced. The team believes that by substituting different enzymes, cellulose could be used to produce hydrogen, since its chemical composition is similar to that of starch.
Zhang believes that his research may increase the hydrogen yield of the process sufficiently to power an automobile in eight to ten years. At that time, consumers could buy starch from the grocery store and add it to their FCV. The technology might also be used to supply hydrogen filling stations or home-base filling stations. In the interim, the technology may be modified to power smaller devices like cell phones or portable electronics.
Photo Credit: sanja gjenero
Algae May Produce Hydrogen For Fuel
April 7, 2008
Researchers at Argonne National Laboratories believe that algae can be modified to become an efficient producer of hydrogen. Some varieties of algae contain hydrogenase, which emits hydrogen as a by-product of photosynthesis. The natural efficiency of hydrogen production for these plants is around .1%.
By working with genetically modified algae, depriving the plants of sulphur and adding copper, the plants have increased their ability to produce hydrogen. If the modifications eventually result in a hydrogen production rate of 5% to 10%, the plants could become a viable, readily renewable source of hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles.
Algae have several advantages over other organic fuel sources, like corn. Algae can be grown in a closed system, which opens up a variety of locations in which it can be produced. Large production facilities can be constructed on otherwise unusable land, meaning that production facilities don’t have to compete with other potential occupants.
Right now, corn production for biofuel competes with corn production for food. The overall effect has been to diminish the available supply of each and to raise the price of the corn that is produced. Currently, corn prices exceed $6 per bushel, reducing its economic attractiveness as a biofuel ingredient
The amount of space needed to produce significant quantities of algae is significantly smaller than that needed to produce corn. Researchers at the University of California estimate that the US would need 25,000 square kilometers of land to for hydrogen production via algae. This is less than one-tenth the space the US now devotes to the production of soybeans.
The next step in the research is to determine whether the enzyme the algae use to create hydrogen can be introduced into the photosynthesis process. The ANL team is confident that they can achieve their research goals.
Photo Credit: Gavin Mills
FreedomCAR Reports On Fuel Cell Progress
April 4, 2008
The National Research Council has released a report detailing the progress and challenges still faced by the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, a research and policy joint venture among the US Department of Energy, the three major domestic US automakers, and five major energy companies. The initiative is exploring the benefits and challenges of transitioning from a petroleum-based transportation structure to a hydrogen-based one, and seeks to develop technology that will allow the automakers to decide on the feasibility of a hydrogen alternative by 2015.
The venture has focused on all aspects of auto manufacturing, design and operation, as well as the production, storage, transportation and distribution of hydrogen. The report details some of the technological advancements in the past two years that support the move to hydrogen, as well as some of the persistent challenges. The purpose of the report was to assess progress to date, and verify that the goals of the program are still viable and are being appropriately funded.
Areas of progress include the successful introduction of biofuels, and advances in car batteries that will support a transitional hybrid-electric and all-electric vehicle market. While progress has been made in the creation of Li-ion batteries, their manufacturing cost remains about twice as high as the group’s target levels. Additionally, new research is needed on other high-energy battery formulations to determine whether the batteries – whether they’re Li-ion or another technology – can be mass-produced easily.
The report recommended additional research in the materials used in fuel cell membranes and membrane electrode assemblies, and expressed the need for significant improvements in the durability and cost of these components. According to the report, this was one research area in which a reallocation of research dollars was needed to ensure that the venture’s goals are appropriately met.
The report also updated progress on hydrogen storage for vehicles. Regardless of its form, the hydrogen needed for a 300-mile refueling cycle takes up more space and requires heavier storage tanks than a comparable volume of gasoline. The report concludes that the initiative’s goals on weight, storage capacity and cost will remain unmet without the development of yet-unknown technology. The initiative is still supporting basic research in this area.
Finally, the report recommended extending the initiative’s existence until 2030 or 2035, to ensure that research goals and transitional issues are addressed appropriately.
Google Shares Operational Data On PHEV Conversions In Its Fleet
April 3, 2008
Google is reporting performance data on six fleet vehicles the company converted to PHEVs. The conversions, four Toyota Priuses and two Ford Escapes, cost about $15,000 apiece. The overall annual savings on the converted PHEVs was disappointing and ranged from about $160 to $250, depending upon the vehicle.
The plug-in Priuses reduced their gasoline consumption by only 88 gallons over non-converted Priuses in the Google fleet, but charted about 425 gallons less than a conventional gasoline-powered fleet vehicle. The PHEVs did record much better fuel economy at 66.2 miles per gallon, compared with 44.6 MPG for the non-convert Priuses. They also showed a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions compared to non-converted Priuses and conventional gasoline engines.
Google did indicate that their fleet vehicles are used primarily for short trips, which would lower fuel-economy statistics. On longer trips, the PHEV converts can register anywhere between 70 and 100 mpg.
Based upon the cost of the conversion, an assumption that a gallon of gas would cost $3, and the cost of electricity, the company would not break even on the conversion for 95 years, but Google cautions that its motive in pursuing the PHEV conversions was not cost savings, but rather a reduction in carbon emissions.
It’s also important to note that factory-built PHEV vehicles are expected to cost less than aftermarket conversions, and gas prices may move toward $4 per gallon, which could reduce the break even time on a PHEV to seven or eight years. Additionally, advances in battery technology that would enable a PHEV to travel farther between recharges could reduce the overall operational cost and make a PHEV more economically viable.
One more consideration is the potential institution of so-called “carbon taxes” which would be levied against vehicles that emit high volumes of CO2 gas. No such tax proposals are in the works in the US, but states are increasingly regulating carbon emissions. California, Connecticut and New York have all recently passed more stringent emissions requirements for vehicles sold in those states, and additional states are considering imposing similar restrictions. Penalties for failing to meet local CO2 standards could contribute to a generalized move toward hybrid technologies, which would in turn lower their production costs.
