Argonne project mixes lithium-ion batteries with ultracapacitors
A project developed at the Argonne National Laboratory for Science and Engineering Research could lead to better plug-in hybrids. The idea was to create a high power, high energy electrical storage system by mixing the best of two worlds: the high power density of ultracapacitors and the high energy storage of lithium-ion batteries. The project could also reduce the stress on and size of the battery pack. New strategies would need to be developed to control the state of charge (SOC) of capacitors. The battery components are also redesigned, aiming for cost reduction and more efficiency. For instance, thicker electrodes in battery cells could save $285 per kWh stored.
Auto parts makers and manufacturers collaborate and have shown interest in this project: ultracapacitors come from Maxwell Technologies and lithium batteries from Gold Peak USA. Magna Corp is currently testing a pilot pack on a prototype OEM EV targeted for 2012 California ZEV emissions, while Continental is working on a DC/DC converter. GM has said it will test the system in the Voltec system.
[Source: Green Car Congress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt 11:53AM (5/23/2009)
Big capacitors have been used in high end sub-woofer setups for several years to allow the amp to draw lots of power quickly when needed. This improves both performance and battery life because the battery doesn't need to drain/fill as quickly as it would if the capacitor was not there acting as a buffer. Batteries are great for storage, but the faster you force a current in or out, the more heat and wear the battery takes. Capacitors, on the other hand, are able to charge/discharge very quickly without consequence, perhaps even improving the efficiency of the entire system as well as improving battery life. I guess the hardest part is trying to make them play nice together... hence, their super secret controller algorithm.
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win39 2:17PM (5/23/2009)
Yay. Basic research. The only way this thing is going to be solved. Nice informative post, Matt.
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Matt 10:55PM (5/24/2009)
Ah, yes, my many years of drooling over car stereos has finally paid off.
Marv Bush 2:32PM (5/23/2009)
It is truly great to see teams thinking about future possibilities of energy agnostic, mixed energy solutions.
The good news is that Adura Systems has developed an agnostic energy storage solution. It's modular energy storage architecture can support a combination of super capacitors in one or more modules and high energy density batteries in other modules. This means Adura can tailor the electric needs for heavy duty vehicles. As an example, a trash truck essentially races from drive way to drive way. The best solution today for high energy discharge and high energy recapture visa vi regenerative braking is super capacitors. By adding in several modules of super capacitors and high energy density batteries, a trash truck could effectively race from drive way to drive way and have electric power for normal driving conditions. Adura can take it one step further. That is, Adura battery modules can use any combination of battery chemistries LiPhFE, LiMng, LiCo, etc to optimizes the cost and electrical characteristics required for a particular application.
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mike baz 7:24AM (5/24/2009)
Anybody heard anything about this air battery technology.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2437940.ece
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Chris M 6:33PM (5/26/2009)
It is like several other "air" batteries, such as zinc/air batteries commonly used for hearing aids. If the article is correct, this one uses carbon instead of zinc or other metal. The energy density is excellent, as it doesn't have to carry an oxidizer inside, it uses oxygen from the air instead.
However, I suspect that the "St. Andrews Air" battery will release CO2 as the carbon is used up, and it probably isn't rechargeable. That means it will have to be replaced once discharged. and would only be practical for EV use if the cost was really low.
PeakOyle 12:08AM (5/24/2009)
Yes, this a far more interesting than the pointless EEstor "can rattle" articles.
Also, the Australian research group CSIRO has been working on a Lead-Acid Battery with a built in Capacitor as well. I think this project was aimed at maximising performance and durabilty of the cheaper Lead-Acid batteries.
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Scarhawk 5:18PM (5/26/2009)
Supercapacitors are good for covering high-power spikes in load demand, but for general energy storage they take up too much space for portable applications. The energy stored in one AA battery would take a supercapacitor the size of a soda can, for instance. It makes sense to add a supercap to any high-drain battery-powered product that has the room for it and can afford the cost, but only as a small percentage or battery volume, say 5% at most. Beyond that and you're giving up total runtime by removing too much battery to make room for the capacitor.
It's better to replace the battery every 1 year instead of 3 years, rather than have to recharge the product 3 times a day instead of 1 time a day.
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