On Wednesday, Johnson Controls (JC) took legal action in the Delaware Chancery Court to dissolve the Johnson Controls-Saft joint venture. Formed back in 2006, JC's joint venture with Saft focuses solely on developing and manufacturing lithium-ion motive battery solutions.
Robert "Bob" Stempel, semi-retired at an energetic 78, is one of the good guys. Armed with a mechanical engineering degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, he joined General Motor's Oldsmobile Division in 1958 as a chassis detailer and 29 years later was GM president and chief operating officer under then-CEO Roger
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According to several reports, Honda, in seeking ways to build more fuel-efficient hybrids, may abandon its current Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system and nickel-metal hydride battery packs in favor of "next-generation hybrid technology" powered by lithium-ion batteries for all future hybrid models.
The Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a world leader in safety-related testing and certification, released its first in a series of white papers focused specifically on evolving battery technology. The white paper, entitled Safety Issues for Lithium-Ion Batteries, explores the potential dangers of high-tech batteries. More specifically, the UL's position paper discusses the probable causes of lithium-ion battery failures and suggests new types of tests that will help manufacturers design an
UK-based Axeon, Europe's largest independent supplier of lithium-ion battery systems, has raised an additional £5 million ($7.8 million U.S. at the current exchange rate) in equity to support its expansion goals. The funding, though not substantial enough to allow the company to accomplish all of its goals, should help Axeon expand its electric vehicle (EV) technolo
With sales of hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) predicted to soar into the multi-million range by 2015, it's now becoming quite apparent that a potential shortage in battery-related materials could present some problems. First, there's a reasonable concern that supply of essential battery components (i.e. anodes, cathodes and electrolyte materials) Eric Loveday
Mitsubishi Chemical has responded to the expected rise in demand for hybrid and electric vehicles by announcing its intentions to boost supply of anode materials for lithium-ion batteries by 130 percent by next May. The company's current anode material output, listed at 3,000 tons, should reach 5,000 tons by the end of December and 7,000 tons in eight month's time.
Hyundai has unveiled the BlueOn, which it claims is South Korea's first full-speed battery electric vehicle (EV). The tiny BlueOn is based on the Hyundai's i10 minicar and was first shown as a prototype at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show when it was called the i10 Electric. The little EV is equipped with a 16.4 kWh lithium-polymer
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Intensifying price competition from South Korean battery manufacturers has driven Sanyo Electric Co. and GS Yuasa Corp. to dissolve their long-standing lithium-ion battery joint venture (JV). According to a joint announcement, the liquidation of the Sanyo GS Soft Energy Co. JV was inevitable as the venture had posted net losses for two years running. The decision to dissolve the JV may hinder Sanyo's ability to collect loans valued at 4 billion yen ($47.5 million U.S. at the current exchange rat
By now we're all aware that the environmental impact of cars and trucks goes well beyond the emissions produced during operation. There is the energy used to produce and dispose of the vehicles and their components, for example, and the cost of getting the fuel for the vehicles out of the ground and into the tank. The impact of making nickel metal hydride batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) was the center-piece of a controversial study Sam Abuelsamid
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If there's ever going to be a green car cage match, we can guarantee that one of the fighters will be Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, who apparently can't pass up the chance to take on any competitor. His latest target? The lithium-ion battery pack in the Nissan Leaf, about which Musk had some critical things to say in a conference call with investors this week.
