A new type of battery that could end range anxiety for drivers of pure electric vehicles made its debut today in a test run at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
Alcoa and clean tech company Phinergy are working together to commercialize a revolutionary aluminum-air battery they say could extend an electric car’s range by 1,600 km.
The battery uses air and water to unlock the energy stored in aluminum plates. Phinergy, based in Israel, claims that just one of the battery’s 50 such plates can power an electric car for about 35 km. Used to supplement the juice created by the typical lithium-ion battery, the aluminum-air battery can provide travel distances and costs in line with vehicles burning gasoline or diesel fuel.
Unlike conventional batteries that carry oxygen, the aluminum-air battery takes in oxygen from the air to release the high energy density in the metal. The benefits for use in electric vehicles include zero emissions, lightweight, fully recyclable materials, high safety and low costs.
“Electric vehicle adoption has been slowed by the limited range of regular batteries,” said Phinergy CEO Aviv Tzidon. “With Phinergy’s technology and Alcoa’s industrial leadership … we see an exciting opportunity to help move electric vehicles into the mainstream.”
“Alco and Phinergy look forward to collaborating with the Quebec government to advance this technology,” said Martin Briere, president of Alcoa Canada. “Our production facility in Baie-Comeau is well positioned to provide the aluminum for the battery.”
Alco and Phinergy will present their aluminum-air electric car project to the Canadian International Aluminum Conference in Montreal on June 4.
— source autonet.ca