IBM Claims a “Game Changing” 500-Mile Battery: So Where's the Beef?

The holy grail for electric cars is a battery pack that can routinely deliver 300 miles of range. Tesla Motors is planning to offer such a long-range pack in the Model S sedan next year. But what if we could exceed 300 miles and deliver range beyond that of most of today’s gas cars, replacing the lithium-ion technology that’s standard today with something better?

That’s the tantalizing promise of IBM ’s Battery 500 project, which as the name implies is aimed at getting 500 miles out of a charge. IBM says it has made recent breakthroughs with lithium-air batteries , but there are plenty of skeptics who say that lithium-air will never be ready for prime time.

We’ve been down this road before with game-changing battery technologies that look great on paper or in the lab, but then meet unmovable technical obstacles — including the tendency to explode, catch fire or expire after a short time. Air batteries will need on-the-road validation, and they haven’t had any of that yet.

Light batteries with big range

Lithium-air batteries do away with the heavy conventional compounds used as cathodes in lithium-ion, replacing them with oxygen. That results in a very light battery with the prospect of much greater energy density. But there’s always been one huge stumbling block — the batteries weren’t rechargeable. Winfried Wilcke , who runs the project at IBM’s Almaden Research Center in Silicon Valley, told me his lab has licked that problem, and the prospects for the air batteries are really bright:

Wilcke says IBM will have a car-sized battery ready in three years, and will then amaze the world. He thinks he can achieve an energy density of 1,000 watt hours per kilogram, which is one big improvement from lithium-ion’s 150 watt hours per kilo.

With numbers like that, it’s not surprising that Don Hillebrand of Argonne National Laboratory says that lithium-air

It’s not going to happen

Indeed, there are lots of skeptics. Lithium-air has gotten a lot of hype , says researcher Jeff Dahn of Dalhousie University in Canada, but it also has big problems. He points to the fact that lithium can react violently when it meets moisture, which is inherent in the air this technology uses to generate electricity. That requires complex membranes to allow in oxygen but keep water out.

Fleet Daily: LEASE BUYOUTS ON THE RISE FOR JAPANESE MODEL VEHICLES

MIAMI – (June 16, 2011) – LeaseTrader.com, the most recognized name in car leasing, reports a rise in lease buyout intent among certain vehicle models short in supply at dealerships. Since January, lease buyout intent from shoppers has risen as high as 13.6 percent among Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Infiniti and Lexus as consumers look at alternative channels for in-demand vehicles. Production issues stemming from the March earthquake in Japan placed a heavy strain on the supply of smaller Japanese vehicles, while at the same time spring gas price increases forced up demand. LeaseTrader.com has seen a noticeable rise in consumers taking over specific Japanese model vehicles with intent to buyout the lease as a way to shop for a car. Most leases have between 12 to 18 months remaining, and some customers plan on reselling the vehicles in the coming months because of higher used-car values. “A consumer currently leasing a 1- to 3-year-old subcompact, compact or hybrid car is probably in the best position to beat their current lease and come out ahead,” said Alec Gutierrez, manager of vehicle valuation with Kelley Blue Book. “However, with gas prices on the decline, values for these vehicles have started to slip, so now may be the time to act.” reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website www.kbb.com , including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Retail Values, and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week.  The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, as well as governmental agencies.  Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, used car values, car reviews, new cars for sale, used cars for sale and car dealer locations. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com.

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