Better alkaline batteries, made rechargeable, to power electric cars?

Tesla Motors - Model S lithium-ion battery packAlkaline batteries have been a staple energy source for decades, but their potential has been capped by their chemical properties. Notably, alkaline batteries cannot be recharged, which means their application is often limited to single usess in small devices such as flashlights and remote controls. An alkaline battery finding its way to an...

Startup Amber’s self-driving cars to hit Dutch streets in 2018?

Amber OneWhile Uber, Tesla, and Google are fighting over who will be first to deploy self-driving cars on a large scale, the Dutch underdogs at mobility startup Amber are planning a surprise move to overtake them all. If all goes according to plan, Amber’s self-driving cars will hit the streets of Dutch cities by mid-2018. Amber CEO Steven Nelemans...

Scotland fuels car with biobutanol derived from whiskey production

Celtic Renewables biobutanol whiskey fuelElectric cars may receive most of the attention within the realm of alternative propulsion methods, but liquid hydrocarbon fuels will be with us for many decades to come. The challenge then becomes how to reduce the carbon footprint of extracting, transporting, refining, and burning those fuels to reduce the damage they impose on the environment...

Israeli firm StoreDot claims battery with 5-minute charging time

StoreDot shows fast-charging battery cell, Cube Tech Fair, Berlin [via Periscope: Gruendermetropole]It's one of the Holy Grails for battery researchers and electric-car advocates alike: a battery that could recharge in the same amount of time as it takes to stop for gasoline. Some of that can be provided by charging at higher rates, as Porsche's proposed 800-volt system for 15-minute fast charging would. But most of the change has to come deep...

Honda researches high-power electric-car charging, at highway speeds

2013 Honda Fit EVEven with recent efforts to expand it, electric-car charging infrastructure is nowhere near rivaling the ubiquity of gas stations. But what if electric cars didn't need to stop to charge? That's essentially what a new Honda research project aims to investigate. DON'T MISS: Honda Clarity EV electric car to have only 80 miles of range: report At the...

Battery legend Goodenough not done yet: new solid-state chemistry introduced

John Goodenough, co-inventor of the lithium-ion batteryLithium-ion battery-cell chemistry is currently dominant in electric cars, not to mention consumer electronics and other fields. But what seems to be an army of researchers thinks it can be improved. That includes one of the people who helped create lithium-ion batteries in the first place. CHECK OUT: Tesla granted patent on metal-air battery...

Supercapacitor energy density could soar using contact-lens polymer

contact lens (photo via Wikimedia Commons)Engineers are nothing if not creative. Significant research is going into improved ways of storing electricity, including alternatives to the currently dominant lithium-ion battery-cell chemistry in electric cars. That includes using supercapacitors to substitute for storage batteries in some circumstances. DON'T MISS: Batteries from junkyard...

Batteries from junkyard scrap metal and household chemicals?

Scrap metal (Photo by Daniel Bubois/Vanderbilt University)The increasing importance of batteries for electric cars, renewable energy, and consumer electronics has researchers looking for alternatives to the currently-dominant lithium-ion chemistry. But could one of those alternatives be a combination of junkyard scarp metal and household chemicals? That's what a group of researchers are proposing, in the...

Fuel from emissions? Catalyst converts carbon dioxide to ethanol

2011 Buick Regal flex-fuel badgeAt least in North America, ethanol is a contentious fuel. A decade ago, it was seen as a homegrown and carbon-neutral way to use less gasoline—and federal legislation mandated that increasing volumes be blended into U.S. fuel supplies. Much debate followed over using "food for fuel," its supposed carbon neutrality and the footprint of the...