Solid-state batteries
The power of the press
Jan 27th 2011 | ORLANDO, FLORIDA | from the print edition
ELECTRONICS made a huge leap forward when the delicate and temperamental vacuum tube was replaced by the robust, reliable transistor. That change led to the now ubiquitous silicon chip. As a consequence, electronic devices have become vastly more powerful and, at the same time, have shrunk in both size and cost. Some people believe that a similar change would happen if rechargeable batteries could likewise be made into thin, solid devices. Researchers are working on various ways to do this and now one of these efforts is coming to fruition. That promises smaller, cheaper, more powerful batteries for consumer electronics and, eventually, for electric cars.
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Its five part analysis of public policies is known as the Vehicle Electrification Policy Study and highlights the declining cost of electric vehicle technologies coupled with persistent market uncertainties. It calls the California Air Resources Board’s targets reasonable and emphasises that policymakers must pay attention to the second wave of consumers.
Currently, the California ZEV programme has three state-wide policy goals: to reduce pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions; to reduce petrol and diesel fuel demand; and to maintain leadership in environmental technology policy. In addition, the study looks at five additional topics: the current status of vehicle and infrastructure technologies; appropriate metrics for measuring commercialisation; costs of transitioning to a self sustaining market; complementary policies for electric vehicle deployment; and the state of practice in electric vehicle policy worldwide.
Three reports have already been released:
- Technology status: The report indicates declining costs with fuel cell vehicles dropping from several hundred thousand dollars today to roughly $75,000 in 2015 and $50,000 or less in 2020. The projected cost per kilowatt hour for battery electric vehicles is expected to fall from $650-$1,000 today down to $400-$700 in 2015 and $300-$500 in 2020.
- Metrics: It is believed that metrics should allow manufacturers the flexibility to design, manufacture and market vehicles to meet zero emission vehicle goals and customer needs.
- Complementary policies: This study identifies the policies that support vehicle electrification with several steps recommended to assist the transition including incentives that focus on research and development as well as deployment; work continuing on approaches to ensure the deployment of hydrogen infrastructure; and continued efforts to forge a mutual commitment among auto companies and fuel providers that vehicle and hydrogen infrastructure deployment will proceed hand in hand.