[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ayuFBDrSg]
OK. There was one more interview that came out of the Traverse City CAR event. Sam from AutoblogGreen got to talk to David Vieau and Rick Fulop, CEO and co-founder/business chief respectively of A123. The full transcript of his interview is here. My comments are in parentheses. The video above is of a nail being driven through an A123 cell.
A few key pieces of information can be garnered:
- They mention that they are working with Continental on the Volt and with Cobasys for the plug-in VUE
- They are extremely confident about their technology being an excellent fit for the Volt
- They are still tweaking the cells, Continental is doing the packaging
- As GM has said, working pack this year
(IN FACT 8 to 10 WEEKS FROM NOW!) - li-nanophosphate can get over 7000 sin it’s life, laptops do 700
(7000/365 = 19.2 years) - They knocked the idea of fast-charging (ie fill the cars battery in 10 minutes). Although their cells might, the electric grid infrastructure couldn’t handle it.
(I agree, I’m willing to wait 6 hours) - Swapping out batteries is not realistic due to the complicated electronics, packaging, and safety issues.
(these are High Voltage!)
Aug 13th, 2007 (12:17 pm)IN perfect agreement on the 10 minute charge
at home – impossible. But still would like faster than 120 V 15 amps. How about 20 amp
circuit and recharge in 4 rather than 6 hours? Or how about a 220V 40 amp feed? I
can install one of those in my garage in 30 minutes myself.
Aug 13th, 2007 (12:20 pm)I’ve read that the range extender running can recharge the VOLT battery pack in less than 1/2 hour. If the batteries can be recharged that fast, then it seems obvious that they can accept higher volts/amps
from a home charger than 110Volts, 15 amps.
Aug 13th, 2007 (5:57 pm)I agree that the grid couldn’t charge your batteries that fast (assuming that the batteries would be able to accept energy thta quickly).
But if you really wanted a fast charge, maybe you could have a separate battery pack or capacitor bank sitting in your garage that slowly charges while you are at work, and then quickly recharges your onboard battery when you get home. It would be expensive, but hey, maybe some people would buy it.
Aug 13th, 2007 (6:22 pm)I think a 220V circuit in the garage would be the best way to get a quicker charge. I’m sure the batteries should be able to take it like Kent mentions – the generator can charge the battery pack in less than 30 minutes, so they have to be able to take a charge pretty quickly.
And Brian’s idea is a good one. Altair Nano is working on a home based battery system, which, I think in conjunction with solar panels could be passively charged during the day, then could charge an EV pretty quickly. There would be some losses, but if you’re getting your energy from solar panels, it’s not costing you more for the amount you use.
Aug 13th, 2007 (6:38 pm)I agree fully. One could set up any type of off-the-grid power source one wants, and charge the battery directly from it. Whether it be solar-generated ot wind-generated electricity stored in cells, be they li-ion or ultracapacitor bank. It is likely the input port though will have some type of governance.
Maybe a few electro-geeks could figure it out, but for the avg person who doesn’t want to understand the technology under the hood, they’ll have to stick with 6 hour 110V. Not a big problem as I see it.
Aug 13th, 2007 (8:36 pm)Most people sleep atleast 6 hours a day, so this should work fine for the vast majority of people. If we plug in our cell phones each night, why not our cars too? It’s the same concept.
Aug 13th, 2007 (11:20 pm)The car should be able to take an external charge at the same rate as the range extender provides. The suggestion of the solar charger is a good point.
Oct 29th, 2007 (7:34 am)When needed, what runs the air conditioning and heating/defroster? Has to be the internal combustion engine; I am guessing short commutes won’t always be petrol free.