REPORT: Toshiba's SCiB battery will find a home with five automakers
Last month, when Toshiba announced it would build a second plant to produce its lithium titanate Super Charge Batteries (SCiB), no automakers had publicly declared they would use those particular packs. This is still the case. Now, though, if you were to just throw darts at a list of potential automakers who might be putting SCiBs into plug-in vehicles, there's a good chance you'll hit one who's actually going to, if Shoshi Kawatsu, the general manager of the SCiB division, is right. Kowatsu told the Financial Times that "about" five car companies will use SCiBs. If so, production could shift to Europe and the U.S. in 2011, he said.
Volkswagen and Toshiba already have an agreement to collaborate on electric drive systems and power electronics.
[Source: Financial Times via Green Car Congress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
EVdriver 8:00PM (11/16/2009)
SCiB has great features in some departments (high power density, great number of deep discharge cycles, wide operating temperature range, resilient), its energy density is mediocre at best.
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DasBoese 8:49PM (11/16/2009)
True, you probably won't see those powering BEVs, but they're attractive for PHEVs.
Nobody said that a good battery has to be perfect for every application, it's alright to specialize.
Besides, the practical energy density of these may end up being not much worse than other cell types, which generally use less than their theoretical capacity to prolong useful life and require additional weight, cost and hassle in the form of thermal management and safety systems. I
Boyprodigy1 9:53PM (11/16/2009)
If it is more resilient though, then it should probably be more dense in energy than lithium ion batteries. I know you think that this is counter intuitive but bear with me for a second. In the chevy volt, they use a 16kWh battery pack. The battery pack is limited to how much you can charge/discharge it though such that it can only use 8.8kWh (50%). I am not sure how much better the life-cycle of this battery is but if it can charge/discharge at 75-80% then it should have a greater density then the batteries they are using today.
Randy S 11:29PM (11/16/2009)
Five companies sounds great, but let's see how this pans out... lithium titanate anodes have half the capacity of carbon anodes and are over 1 Volt higher in potential relative to lithium, yet they do make up for it a little bit through improved cycle life because the lower cell voltage makes life easier on the electrolyte from degradation.
From
http://batteryblog.ca/?p=269
A less popular anode intercalation material is lithium titanate used by Toshiba and Altairnano, these metal oxide materials have low capacities of only 150 mAh/g and high electrochemical potentials of around 1.5 Volts resulting in a much lower energy density
cell. Benefits are very good cycle life, stable electrolyte, and high power characteristics.
Yes I'm pushing my blog :-)
Paul 12:00AM (11/17/2009)
Didn't a Subaru EV concept car run these? And don't Toyota own 10% of Subaru?
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EVdriver 10:49AM (11/17/2009)
No and yes. Subaru uses AESC (Automotive Energy Supply Corporation) batteries, and yes, Toyota is one of the stockholder of Subaru (or rather its parent company Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.)
electric rEVolution 10:31PM (11/19/2009)
The electric revolution is gathering pace..........
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EVdriver 10:53AM (11/17/2009)
Additional info about SCiB: http://e2af.com/movie/video/2009/03.wmv
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Dan Frederiksen 12:15PM (11/17/2009)
I think they're mostly just fishing for attention for a product with bad energy density.
it appears to be altair nano batteries, although I think altair spoke of a bit higher energy density.
they have long life which is very nice, they have very rapid recharge which is also very nice but the low energy density means it's only really good for short range hybrids. and they'll probably price them high.
but while I suspect they will ultimately not be relevant, it is fair to say that if they are reasonably priced (unlikely) they could be used in an EV1 like configuration that had 100+ mile range, where their sub 5 minute recharge time could really shine.
let's say a new EV1 with SCIB and 5 minute recharge infrastructure on key locations could probably be very interesting. GM making another EV1? yeah right. Obama waking up and insisting they make another EV1? yeah right.
and with the new longer life lipo batteries with double the density of the SCIB, would you not rather have 200mile range and 10 minute recharge than 100mile range and 5 minute recharge... for the same money.
the prius might use these batteries but the prius is not the future. it's the past now and should be left in the past.
give us plugin hybrids or quick recharge BEVs. no more 'hybrids'
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David Woodward 4:56PM (11/17/2009)
Who is making LIPO's that recharge in 10 minutes and can last thousands of cycles going from 100%-0% state of discharge? None I know of.
Dan Frederiksen 6:28PM (11/17/2009)
'thousands' is really only the altair ones that can but less can also be acceptable if they have other advantages. I don't have firm data on it but the hyperion brand marketed for RC plane use has a product that claims "4x cycle life" (which I take to mean around 1000), 35C discharge and 5C charge. let's say from a typical 20%SOC up to 95% I figure it can do that in 10 minutes. and if that's 160 or so miles worth that's quite workable for the rare times you need to go that far. or put 80 miles worth in it in 5 minutes.
also A123 cells claim 4C charge and have little over 100Wh/kg energy density and 2000 cycle life or more.