EVs to get improved mileage from redox flow batteries

German researchers say a new type of electric vehicle battery that runs on electrolyte fluid can be recharged as easily as refilling a petrol tank. When the redox flow rechargeable batteries are low, the discharged electrolyte fluid can simply be exchanged at the gas station for recharged fluid.

To fulfill the German Government’s ambitious plan of one million electric cars being sold in Germany by the year 2020, many motorists will still need convincing that electric cars won’t leave them “powerless” on the side of the road. The question of adequate on-board energy storage still requires some answers and, while lithium-ion batteries offer a possible solution, it takes hours to charge them – time that an automobile driver doesn’t have when on the road.

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Germany have found an alternative in redox flow batteries. “These batteries are based on fluid electrolytes. They can therefore be recharged at the gas station in a few minutes – the discharged electrolyte is simply pumped out and replaced with recharged fluid,” says engineer Jens Noack from ICT. “The pumped-off electrolyte can be recharged at the gas station, for example, using a wind turbine or solar plant.”

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Tags: chemical technology, electric cars, electric vehicle battery, electrolyte, energy storage, fraunhofer institute, german researchers, lithium ion batteries, rechargeable batteries, redox flow

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 6:21 pm and is filed under Cutting-edge Research, Innovation, Project Energy, gizmag. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.