Type: News
One of your focus markets is transport. How do you view the future for batteries within the automotive industry?
Most market analysts predict that in all likelihood there will be an increased electrification of cars. It will partially be pushed forward as a result of requirements for lower green house gas emissions and the goal to achieve energy independence. The development is going towards chargeable hybrids and pure battery driven cars. Boston-Power is currently investing in rechargeable hybrids that facilitate longer driving ranges between charges — a dream come true for both technologists and philanthropists.
Today there are over 80 different electric car models on the market and yet they have not enjoyed wide success. When do you believe that we will see an electric car or plug-in-hybrid that can compete flat out with current fossil fuel vehicles and what is required for this to happen?
The latest experiences from the USA are that today´s hybrid cars were viewed as a financially attractive alternative to gas driven cars when gas shot up to 4 dollars per gallon. It is clear that high gas prices can prompt the market towards an increased consumer interest in hybrids and plug-in hybrids. The goal of the current American government is that 1 million plug-in hybrids shall be on the market by 2015, which is approximately 5% of sales in the USA per year. The American government gives $4 million in subsidies to American carmakers to rebuild plants so that they can manufacture plug-in hybrids that are capable of a range of 150 miles per gallon (i.e. consumption of 1,6 liters per 100 kilometers). By 2012 half of all cars purchased by the American federal administration must be plug-in hybrids. Moreover the American government is giving $7 000 to consumers when they purchase a hybrid car. Political initiatives, consumer interest, marketing forces and last, but not least, a good battery is needed in order for electric cars to break through. The Germans and also the Swedish Energy agencies have produced similar proposals.
What do you think are the biggest challenges with batteries in vehicles?
The life cycle, or in other words how many years the battery must last and external pressures and the possible affects that these can have, especially considering that cars can be driven in very extreme conditions; cold like in the north of Scandinavia and hot like in Africa.
High battery prices, which means expensive cars, inferior performance, reduced safety in the car and shortened driving distances are some of the problems often heard from today´s carmakers. How big are these problems and are there solutions to them within the near future?
Electric cars do not necessarily need to have inferior performance. Today one can buy the sports car Tesla Roadster that can accelerate from 0-100 in 3 seconds. Toyota Prius and Ford Escape have been on the market for approximately 10 years and no safety problems have been reported. The driving range issue can be solved with a help motor to the plug-in hybrid in gas or diesel, which starts automatically when the battery charge level falls to a lower limit. In this way the actual driving range is in principle unlimited. Regarding high battery prices, a normal driver in Sweden spends approximately SEK 50 000 on gas over a 3 year time period (1500 miles per year, 0,8 liters per mile, SEK 14 per liter), this corresponds to approximately the cost of a 12 kWh battery package, which can provide approximately 5 miles electrical range per charge or before the help motor kicks in. With mass production these two types of cars cost around the same.
You work closely with computer manufacturers. When will we see a similar collaboration with carmakers and what is required for such collaboration to be successful?
Our business idea is to cooperate with innovations and world leaders within the computer industry and automotive industry. Our collaboration with a few strategic manufacturers is ongoing and we will revert later this year with more.
Do you believe that the automotive industry is ready to take the step and convert to electricity?
The automotive industry and the battery industry have more than ten years experience of manufacturing electric hybrid cars and have thereby built up a relatively good preparation for conversion to electric car manufacturing. The industry is, however, totally dependent on a return on its products, which means that there must be a market for electric cars before conversion to large-scale production can take place. As mentioned previously several factors can contribute to creating this market, such as political means of control (regulations, tax grants or the like) and fuel prices. It is an exciting time and it will require new collaborations and new innovation in order for us to succeed.
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