Environment friendly battery

The A123Systems energy technology development team in Watertown, Massachusetts has just announced a new battery with high life and safety. Prospects for the near future will significantly reduce automotive engine sound.

Car hammer for electric power

Automobile types that use electric energy have had a research and development process for nearly two decades. In the late 1990s, General Motors (GM) launched the EV1 design, a car that is highly rated for its environmental friendliness. But the big problem of EV1 is that the engine uses fuel cells with raw alkaline metal and

The heads of A123Systems, along with new fuel batteries at the company's headquarters in Watertown, Massachusetts (USA): Yet-Ming Chiang Professor, Bart Riley, Ric Fulop and David Vieua (from left)

Therefore the acceleration of the vehicle is significantly affected."The fact that the EV1 fuel cell has not been working for a long time, so you have to plan your trip if you don't want to be in trouble," said GM engine director Nick Zelenski. a car . out of battery! '. GM produced 1,117 test cars because it believed that the American driver would accept such a revolutionary vehicle. But only three years later, the EV1 project was almost erased.

Learning from EV1, GM embarked on upgrading more complete designs. With Toyota Prius, Japanese automakers introduced hybrid vehicles. The fact that the electric motors of these models are supported by the power of the internal combustion engine system. Most of the travel energy stored in a battery box can be recharged multiple times from an easily installed 'socket' format system. These models run 40 miles without using a combustion engine. And the limitations of EV1 have started to open.

Recently, the idea of ​​the Chevrolet Volt concept car stunned the technology industry with its beautiful design and especially the use of environmentally friendly hybrid technology. The internal combustion engine of the car is not attached to the steering wheel like the current hybrid design, it is only used with the function of charging the car's fuel cell box. 'The real breakthrough is the new fuel cell, which creates an important proportion of energy. Despite its small size, it provides a large amount of fuel and is reliable, ' explained Zelenski.

Solution from fuel cells

Lithium batteries are no stranger to laptops or mobile phones since the early 1990s. With these electronic devices, Lithium batteries are creative decisions with extremely light properties and multiple replacements. But so far, most views suggest that it is impractical to apply to vehicles - because the operation of cars requires far more energy. Moreover, the risk of fire or overload of heat is too big and dangerous.

But the battery of A123Systems is different. Yet-Ming Chiang, MIT professor of materials and mechanical science, describes the outstanding features: 'When operating in a hybrid vehicle, this type of battery generates faster acceleration than any other type. Which fuel cell is the same size. At the same time, the chemical stability of polar materials

The Chevrolet Volt model promises to be one of the first vehicles to use a new fuel cell.

Sound enables significant improvement in safety factor as well as extended battery life '. In 2002, Professor Chiang decided to open a company with the aim of developing advanced fuel and battery materials, A123Systems was born. 'We focus on the ambitious project for producing self-assembled fuel cells (seft assemble),' said Chiang. 'Imagine you have a battery that can adapt to any shape and size. It can be used for large and 'compressed' devices on a micro or nano device. '

Of course, such an unbelievable idea encounters many difficulties and challenges. At the end of 2003, the company stood on the verge of bankruptcy because their studies had never yielded any concrete results. The trio decided to ask some entrepreneurs to support and redirect research to more practical products. This turning point did not only save the scientists of the scientists but also helped them earn big contracts. And one of A123Systems' key projects is a contract with GM to produce a new fuel cell.

Initial tests showed that the application of Lithium batteries that A123Systems developed was very positive. 'Laboratory indicators show that it can provide enough energy for a car to run on electric fuel, and at the same time solve the problem of releasing carbon in the air, one of the causes. leads to global warming, ' Mr. Chiang said. Currently, GM has a plan to bring products out of the lab to install for their models.

The ambition of the leaders of A123Systems is to apply a new technology, born from basic science, to solve a complex problem. Chairman of A123Systems - Mr. Gururaj Deshpande - a businessman and head of Sycamore Networks group, said: "Companies like us are contributing to solving the great dependence of people. into oil and gas as well as cleaning up the global environment in the future ".

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