Ion Technology Evolving Batteries

It is being called "Cambridge Crude" and it resembles a black and gooey substance that can radically power an efficient new battery. It conjured up visions of the Beverly Hillbillies and Uncle Jed calling it "Texas Tea."

The researchers at MIT are responsible for designing a prototype battery that is lightweight and inexpensive when compared to existing batteries and will become an alternative for electric powered vehicles. Could it jumpstart the electric car industry? Science Magazine tells us, "the new setup can store up to 30 times as much energy as previous versions" but warns that the new technology still faces a host of challenges.

The battery design relies upon an architecture called semi-solid flow cell. Basically it stores what it doesn't require and discharges only what it needs at the moment. Insuring that the lithium-containing particles don't sink to the bottom of the battery tank is one of the issues that have surfaced as a potential problem. You can read the full report here.

The battery life of any battery (electric cars to laptops) has always been a major concern. If this semi-solid flow cell has the potential to be a low-cost alternative to large scaled operations such as utility grid operations, it may even benefit the alternative energy source industries of wind and solar. Time will tell and it may be years before the semi-solid or Cambridge Crude is ready for mass distribution.

Just for the fun of it, if you think electric cars are boring -- think again. Tesla unveiled a Roadster that sports a 3-Phase Alternating Current Induction Motor charged by a lithium ion battery that doesn't need to be drained before recharging and can handle 250 or so miles on a single charge. You can see it here but don't get overly excited unless you can plop down about $100,000 to drive it home.

To see battery evolution over the years Ford has put together a nice spreadsheet you can view here.

Sources:

http://www.gizmag.com/semi-solid-flow-battery-design/18907/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20069295-54/mit-flow-battery-breaks-mold-for-cheap-storage/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/13/cambridge-crude-mit-battery_n_875996.html

http://www.registerguard.com/web/business/26328352-41/electric-arcimoto-car-merkley-eugene.html.csp

http://www.nrdc.org/energy/vehicles/electric.asp

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/332/6037/1494

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/flow-batteries-0606.html