Ford is reinventing the car battery
For more than a century, the car battery has remained virtually unchanged in design. The lead-acid battery was invented in the mid-1800s, and has proven to be the most reliable way to start your car for about a century. With advances in batteries in everything from smartphones to electric cars, you would think there must be a more efficient way to start a car.
Ford Motor Company and Samsung SDI have been working for the last decade on a next-generation battery using more modern technology. By combining newer lithium-ion batteries with traditional lead-acid batteries, they have created a battery that is more efficient, lighter weight, smaller and more powerful.
The primary application of this new battery technology will be to replace the old lead-acid batteries found in almost every non-hybrid or electric car on the planet. The more energy dense design allows it to be much lighter than a comparable lead-acid battery, and allows it to accept a charge much faster. By connecting the battery to a regenerative braking system, it can capture up to 95 percent of the lost energy and use it in a start-stop system.
In addition to the other weight saving techniques in use by Ford, including extensive use of aluminum, this battery will help reduce carbon emissions and increase fuel economy. Currently lithium-ion battery cells are used in electric vehicles, offering three times the power per cell versus the older nickel-metal-hydride battery cells.
Ford says that they invested $135 million in battery technology development last year, and has doubled its testing capabilities. They have been able to simulate 150,000 miles and 10 years’ worth of use in only 10 months, to prove that these batteries will be able to deal with real world situations.
Sources:
http://www.fivestarfordofplano.com/dealer/plano