Photo: gigaom.com
Instead of developing and testing new battery technologies, scientists over at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering (UCSD) are hard at work on improving the current crop of lithium-ion batteries, without actually altering the batteries themselves, according to autonews.com.
Their approach is a different one, in that they are creating new algorithms for batteries’ control units, which can simulate the physical activity inside the batteries themselves, instead of just tracking the current and voltage. The Department of Energy (DOE) have given the UCSD scientists a grant of almost $4-million, in order to fund the project.
However, they will not be doing the research along, as Bosch and battery manufacturer Cobasys are also in on the act. This is currently a bit hard to grasp, yet the expected gains are substantial: a reduction in battery cost by around 25% as well as halved recharge times. It would address two major issues currently faced by battery-powered vehicles - high cost and long recharge times. Also, considering the expected drop in lithium-ion battery prices by the end of the decade, we have good reason to be optimistic.
However, they will not be doing the research along, as Bosch and battery manufacturer Cobasys are also in on the act. This is currently a bit hard to grasp, yet the expected gains are substantial: a reduction in battery cost by around 25% as well as halved recharge times. It would address two major issues currently faced by battery-powered vehicles - high cost and long recharge times. Also, considering the expected drop in lithium-ion battery prices by the end of the decade, we have good reason to be optimistic.
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