Next-Gen Car Batteries Promise Longer Life, More Power

"Remember the lowly car battery? That greasy thing with corroding terminals, universally ignored until it runs out of juice?"

"A new generation of batteries -– safer, cleaner and far more powerful -– is beginning to emerge, batteries that can meet the demanding requirements of cars propelled by electricity."

Firefly Energy

"Firefly Energy, a spinoff from heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, is breathing new life into lead-acid batteries, a technology that hasn't changed much since Thomas Edison used them to power electric cars in the 1890s."

"Firefly has replaced the lead plates found inside conventional batteries with a lead-impregnated foam made from carbon graphite –- one of the few materials that can withstand the highly corrosive sulfuric acid inside batteries. The foam increases the surface area of lead inside the battery, delivering more power and slashing the recharge time, says Firefly CEO Ed Williams."

A123Systems

"In their charged state, lithium-ion batteries are intrinsically unstable," says Bart Riley, the CTO of A123Systems, a Watertown, Massachusetts, company that is using nanotech research to create a new and safer version of lithium-ion batteries."

"A123Systems has modified the chemical structure of lithium-ion batteries, substituting iron for the cobalt used today."

"The result is a battery that can be recharged far more often, and is more stable chemically, and thus safer. The combination makes the company's batteries "particularly well-suited for plug-in hybrids," Riley says."

http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/...s?currentPage=2