American Lithium Ion Battery Makers Form Alliance
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island 
on 12.26.08
Image Credit: kqedquest via Flickr
A Bailout of Sorts for Battery Makers Too?
Though the Big Three will end up getting their much sought bailout, no one-except, apparently, for Congress and the White House-is under the illusion that the Big Three are on firm footing, especially relative to Toyota, Honda, BMW, and others. Part of the reason behind the Big Three's current ills is that they fell so far behind foreign competitors in developing new manufacturing and propulsion technologies. Well, it turns out that America isn't just behind in making new cars, but also in developing the battery technology that will power the hybrid and electric vehicles of the future. In fact, American companies "are five years behind Asians in [their] ability to manufacture the cells.” In order to catch up and overtake foreign competitors, 14 companies have formed an alliance to push for federal funds.
There has been a lot of innovation in advanced battery technology lately. Read on for some of the highlights, and to learn how the new lithium ion battery maker alliance hopes to make America the leader in developing advanced batteries.
Lots of Innovation in Lithium-Ion Batteries
Just in the past few months, we've seen a battery life breakthrough that could increase capacity by 800%, the debut of new lithium-ion batteries from HP, and a lithium-ion phosphate breakthrough for hybrids. Unfortunately for American companies, while battery production is soaring, most of the innovation and manufacturing is taking place outside the US.
That's why the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture "plans to introduce a proposal in Congress in January to raise $1 billion to $2 billion for lithium-ion battery manufacturing in the United States." The hope is that such an industry could jumpstart a new domestic auto industry, one based on designing and building the ultra efficient cars and trucks of the future, and powered by American made batteries.
If the new Alliance is to be believed, the future of the domestic auto industry could hinge on the future of the domestic battery industry, for the simple reason that "car manufacturing will eventually move where the batteries are made."
Via: Bits (NY Times Blog)
More on Lithium Ion and Other Batteries
Lithium Polymer Batteries: A review
Google Invests in Aptera Motors and Lithium-Ion Battery Maker
First Lithium Ion Car Battery Factory to Open in France
Nissan and NEC to Make Lithium-Ion Batteries for Hybrids
McCain Proposes Government-Sponsored Prize for Development of Better Battery Technology
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Its sad after all those years of balk balling the people who innovate now the battery makers are in trouble. This is what happens when America gets greedy.
"most of the innovation and manufacturing is taking place outside the US."
Not true... the modus operandi of US labs and industry, is to invest considerable amounts of resources in patent development and ownership, then park the technology, wait for small upstart companies to either license or usurp the patents, and then either buy and/or destroy the company.
This is what MIT and GE have done with high density solid state li-ion chemistry.
Every time a company in China or Korea comes along with a solid state chemistry for li-ion, either GE or MIT slams them with patent infrigement suit, either delaying, or destroying the commercialization.
This is why the world is going to hell in a hand basket.
If you don't beleive me, start researching aerogel potential for batteries and capacitors, and how GE developed all the chemistry for two years, in Connecticut, then shut down the R&D facility when they knew they had all the possible chemical compositions patented.
The military has access to this black lab research, but cannot release any information unless it is sanctified by the military technology transfer office.
The US automakers and the oil companies are in cahoots with MIT, GE and the military to prevent the leak of what they consider disruptive, sensitive innovative technologies. So they spend more time and resources going around the world making it impossible for these technologies to see the light of day.
Maybe an association will alleviate some of the pressure, but not unless companies like Tesla and Segway enter the fight and get into the battery development business, otherwise, to quote Ralph Nader, they will never allow a battery good enough on the market to supercede petroleum.
We all know hydrogen has been a multi-billion dollar red herring. The battery chemistry to make the EV industry competive and viable against the internal combustion engine is here, except it's NOT liquid chemistry, which is unstable when scaled up.
We need to apply what we know about electron storage for information for the sole purpose of electrical storage. Best positioned to develop the world's best batteries would be companies like Intel and IBM who have decades experience storage vast amounts of electrons on the head of a pin!