In recent years we've heard plenty about hydrogen fuel cells, bio fuels and even cars powered on wine and cheese, but what about a car battery that relies on fresh air for generating electricity?
Toyota's research department in Japan is currently investing heavily in so-called air batteries in an effort to replace the current generation of electric car batteries.
Storage potential
Current nickel-metal-hydrogen batteries and even the next generation of lithium-ion batteries are seen to be holding back the mass adoption of electric cars, as they can't hold enough charge for many users' needs.
However, air batteries, which create electricity from a reaction between oxygen in the air and a zinc negative electrode, can store five times as much electricity as a similarly sized li-ion battery, although there are problems before they can be commercialised.
Size matters
The most fundamental of these lies in scaling air batteries up to the size needed to power a car efficiently.
Existing air batteries have only been made large enough to power hearing aids or similar devices, which is why Toyota is working to enlarge them. Once that happens, the days of the combustion engine could finally be numbered.
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yaakov
July 30th
1. Well, well, well, well. IT IS ABOUT TIME!!! I have known about zinc air batteries for almost ten years. I first read about their power and their development by Electric Fuel Corporation [EFC]. EFC reported that one of their batteries enabled a van to drive from London to Paris through the Chunnel with plenty of charge left to spare. When I read this I figured that the days of combustion motoring were just about over. Boy was I wrong. I then assumed that EFC cut some kind of deal with the oil companies to bury their technology, or some such nefarious nonsense. I am SO VERY HAPPY to see that Toyota has picked up the ball. I imagine that their design teams are now working diligently to create a battery design that does not violate EFC's patents on this long overdue technology.
This is great news for the planet if Toyota goes the distance with this. I hope they don't succumb to oil industry subversion.
Yaakov
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