BATTERIES POWER URBAN AUTOS

New developments in battery technology promise low-pollution urban vehicles in the near future. Advanced ambient- temperature batteries such as zinc/nickel oxide could be available for urban vehicle propulsion within a few years. Good progress is being made on the development of high- temperature cells, using lithium as the negative electrode, a molten salt (such as LiCl-KCl mixture) as the electrolyte, and iron disulfide as the positive electrode. The lifetime of lithium/iron sulfide laboratory cells has reached several thousand hours, and the cycle lives have reached more than a thousand. It would be possible to have a high-speed (over 100 km/hr) electric automobile with a range of about 300 km. The higher performance batteries, such as the high-temperature cells, will require several more years of development, but may be attractive for potential use in electric family automobiles.

• Corporate Authors:

  Dun Donnelley Publishing Corporation

  222 South Riverside Plaza
  Chicago, IL  United States  60606
• Authors:
  • Cairns, E J
  • McBreen, J
• Publication Date: 1975-6

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 56-61
• Serial:
  • Industrial Research
  • Volume: 17
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Dun Donnelley Publishing Corporation

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electric batteries; Electric vehicles; Electrodes; High speed ground transportation; High temperature; Lithium; Materials at high or low temperatures; Physical properties; Urban transportation; Vehicles
• Old TRIS Terms: Molten material; Urbanized vehicles
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00097726
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 13 1975 12:00AM