Vehicles battery recharging

By the late 1990s, it was clear that only the big automakers could make the electric car really happen. But, these were the same companies that had disdained electric cars earlier. GM once sued California in the U.S. District Court in Fresno to block imposition of the state s zero-emissions rules. These regulations would require automakers to build thousands of electric vehicles using rechargeable storage battery technology. But, the auto industry contended that conventional, electric-powered cars were too expensive and too limited in range to be profitable. 

Zinc-air modules for EV application are under development at the Edison company in Italy and by the Electric Fuel Ltd in Israel. In this case, the battery recharge also includes a mechanical step, namely the removal and replacement of the spent zinc electrodes. The actual electrochemical recharging process is carried out in a remote station. The proposed application to passenger vehicles considers the construction of specific stations where the removal and replacement of the spent zinc electrode pack is carried out automatically (Fig. 9.19). Energy and power densities of the order of 200 Wh/kg and 100 W/kg, respectively, and long cyclability, which may provide the car with a 300 km range and a... 

Aluminum—air battery. A second potential application of this available energy is based on electrochemical oxidation of aluminum in air to produce electricity. In an aluminum—air battery, for example, thin coils of aluminum strip may be used as the fuel. No elech ic battery recharging would be required since the aluminum is consumed to generate the electricity directly. This fuel would not give off fumes or pollute and could be stored in solid form indefinitely. If this concept materializes into commercial viability, it will provide the energy needed for electric vehicles. 

Refs. [i] Kiehne HA (2003) Battery technology handbook. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 250-252 [ii] Dhameja S (2002) Electric vehicle battery systems. Newnes, Buttersworth-Heinemann, Boston, pp 6-7 [Hi] Gates Energy Products (1998) Rechargeable batteries applications handbook. Buttersworth-Heinemann, Boston, p 7... 

The demand for the lanthanoid metals is expected to increase with the growing demands for pollution control catalysts in motor vehicles and rechargeable batteries. Along with lithium-ion batteries, nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries find increasing applications in mobile phones, laptop computers and other portable electronic devices such as MP3 players. 

The introduction of vehicles implementing rechargeable batteries has increased the demand for batteries by several-fold. Batteries remained the mainstream source of power for systems ranging from mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to electric and hybrid electric vehicles. The world market for batteries was approximately 41 billion in 2000, which included 16.2 billion primary and 24.9 billion secondary cells [20]. In 2010, the global demand was placed at 71 billion. 

Plug-in hybrid electrical vehicle. This is a hybrid vehicle with rechargeable batteries that can be restored to full charge by connecting a plug to an external electric power source. 

Fuel cell hydrogen cars are not ready for the market but they represent another element in favor of electrification, that makes its future marketing possible as an alternative or in parallel with hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery-powered EVs. Therefore, at least three large families of products should be considered hybrid vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs) onboard, EVs powered by batteries recharged from outlets, and fuel cell hydrogen vehicles. 

Currently, various automobile manufacturers are focusing on the EVs and HEVs. The battery requirements for all-electric vehicles are different than those for HEVs. The rechargeable batteries are required to produce more electrical power per unit weight or volume to be more cost-effective. The batteries for the hybrid vehicles are recharged from an onboard power source or a charging device composed of an alternator and inverter, which converts the alternating current (AC) to the direct current (DC). Hybrids are often operated over only a small fraction of the battery capacity for many thousands of cycles. 

They are most suitable for either plug-in HEVs or parallel hybrid-type vehicles. These rechargeable batteries are ideal for commercial electronic devices, such as the iPod, iPad, and iPhone. 

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