lithium-ion batteries

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Tsunami Survivors: Nissan Leaf Batteries

Two dozen cars destroyed, but batteries came through safely

(Newser) - Nissan is getting some good news from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March: Two dozen of Nissan's new Leaf were destroyed, but unlike the Chevrolet Volt , their heavily shielded batteries did not catch fire and remained intact. “Considering how they were tossed around and crushed, we think...

US Probing Chevy Volt Battery Fires

In testing, more batteries cause concern

(Newser) - New fires involving the lithium-ion batteries in General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet Volt have prompted an investigation to assess the risk of fire in the electric car after a serious crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says. One Volt battery pack that was being closely monitored following a...

Chevy Volt Has Fire— 3 Weeks After Crash Test

US safety officials are investigating lithium-ion batteries

(Newser) - The comforting news for Chevy Volt owners is that the car did great in a crash test. The less-comforting news is that the same car started on fire three weeks later while sitting in storage. As a result, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into the lithium-ion batteries...

Mercedes, Toyota Use Laptop Batteries in Electric Cars

Automakers adopting once-derided Tesla technology

(Newser) - When Tesla Motors first tried powering cars with a bundle of laptop batteries, the industry laughed. But now, other automakers are lining up to use the technology. Mercedes plans to produce a new version of its A-Class this fall with two Tesla batteries, each containing about 2,000 individual batteries...

Toyota Rolls Out Plug-In Prius
 Toyota Rolls Out Plug-In Prius 
Dec 14, 2009 9:52 AM CST

Toyota Rolls Out Plug-In Prius

Available for corporate/gov't lease today; on sale in 2011

(Newser) - Toyota will begin leasing the plug-in version of its Prius hybrid to large government and business clients today, and plans to sell tens of thousands across the globe when it starts retail sales in 2011. The new vehicle, which charges from a regular household electrical outlet, can run about 14....

GM Announces Plug-In Hybrid SUV

Buick model could get twice the mileage of similar automobiles

(Newser) - General Motors’ Buick brand will churn out the first plug-in hybrid SUV by a leading automaker, the company said today. “Buick will get our first plug-in hybrid, which will put the brand front and center in the advanced technology game,” said a GM exec. The company says the...

Nissan Reveals Mass-Market Electric Car

LEAF will compete with EVs from GM, Mitsubishi

(Newser) - Nissan yesterday unveiled its entry into the electric-vehicle market, the Los Angeles Times reports. The LEAF is a five-seat compact that gets a top speed of 90 mph out of its lithium-ion batteries. The vehicle can go about 100 miles on a full charge, an attribute Nissan hopes will convince...

Would-Be Car-Battery Kings Jostle Over $2.4B From Feds

States seek to become lithium-ion capital of US

(Newser) - Some 165 companies and states are battling for a $2.4 billion Obama administration grant aimed at making the US a leader in electric-car batteries, the Wall Street Journal reports. General Motors, Dow Chemical, and General Electric are among the firms vying for the money; states like Michigan, Kentucky, and...

Battery Breakthrough Could Recharge Phones in Seconds

Scientists believe super-fast ion transfer will let technology charge ahead

(Newser) - MIT scientists have developed new battery technology that could potentially recharge a cell phone in seconds and an electric car in minutes, the Boston Globe reports. The researchers, who say the breakthrough could revolutionize technology and even lifestyles, have created a coating that speeds the transfer of ions into and...

Road to Electric Cars Runs Through Bolivia

Nationalism, socialism may make its lithium supply hard to tap

(Newser) - Are we about to replace our dependence on foreign oil with a dependence on foreign lithium? Almost half the world’s supply of the mineral—essential for the light, rechargeable batteries electric cars need—is found in Bolivia, where nationalist sentiment is running high, the New York Times reports. Evo...

China Upstart's Electric Car Plugs Into West

Battery expertise puts BYD 'at same starting line' with Detroit

(Newser) - BYD, a Chinese company known mostly as a cell-phone battery manufacturer, plans to enter the Western auto market with an electric car that could short-circuit entries from Detroit’s Big Three and others, the Wall Street Journal reports. BYD hopes the relative engineering simplicity of an all-electric design will grant...

Monthly Fee May Pave Way for Electric Car Boom
Monthly Fee May Pave Way for Electric Car Boom
ANALYSIS
Dec 24, 2008 8:05 PM CST

Monthly Fee May Pave Way for Electric Car Boom

Developer strikes deals with countries, cities for broad charging infrastructure

(Newser) - An Israeli entrepreneur bets you’ll be willing to pay to fuel up your car like you pay your monthly cell phone bill. If Shai Agassi is right, Jim Motavalli writes in Yale Environment 360, it could be the charge electric cars need to succeed. Partnering with nations, cities, and...

US Tech Firms Get Together on Car Battery

14 companies want $1B from feds to help catch Asian rivals

(Newser) - Fourteen US technology companies are joining forces to speed development of electric car batteries, asking for $1 billion in federal aid to help catch up with Asian firms that have a long lead, reports the Wall Street Journal. Electric vehicles are now considered so important to help wean the US...

H-P Will Offer 3-Year Battery for Notebooks

Warranty will be the longest on the market, company says

(Newser) - Hewlett-Packard next year plans to offer the longest-lasting battery for notebooks on the market. The company says its new lithium ion battery, called HP Enviro, will run as good as new for three years, PC Magazine reports. It also will charge faster than current models, reaching 80% after 30 minutes....

Forget Batteries —Get Ready for Fuel Cells

They could soon be a better choice to power laptops, phones

(Newser) - Think fuel cells are just for cars? Think again. Their real value may be to power portable electronics such as laptops and cell phones. Fuel cells that use methanol, rather than gasoline, could replace batteries in electronics. They last much longer and take just a moment to refuel—and they're...

Toyota Joins GM in Race for 2010 Plug-In Hybrids

Drivers could recharge cars with normal socket

(Newser) - Toyota, the world's leader in hybrid vehicle production, has geared up to deliver by 2010 a gas-electric hybrid car whose batteries will recharge from a normal electrical socket. With the announcement yesterday at the Detroit auto show, Toyota pits itself against General Motors, which has also pledged a plug-in hybrid...

Battery Ban Begins on Airlines
Battery Ban Begins on Airlines
Dec 28, 2007 9:46 PM CST

Battery Ban Begins on Airlines

Most batteries in phones, laptops, will likely not violate rule

(Newser) - The Department of Transportation has banned certain kinds of lithium batteries from checked airline luggage, citing worries over short circuiting and fires. Lithium batteries installed inside of electronic devices will be permitted as carryon, but loose batteries, unless sealed inside a plastic bag, will no longer be permitted on board.

iPod Nano Catches Fire in Man's Pocket

Battery on 2-year-old device may have burst into flames

(Newser) - Apple may have another fire to put out—literally. Danny Williams says he was at work in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport when his 2-year-old iPod Nano caught fire in his pocket. “If TSA had come by and seen me smoking, they could have honestly thought I was a terrorist,...

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