Battery systems, chargers, wheel hub motors – in the cars of the future, what will the components look like, and how will they interact with each other? Fraunhofer researchers are engineering the parts for electric vehicles and testing them on »Frecc0«, their demonstration vehicle. In a multi-disciplinary [...]]]>

Fraunhofer wheel hub motor on "freccO" demo vehicle

Battery systems, chargers, wheel hub motors – in the cars of the future, what will the components look like, and how will they interact with each other? Fraunhofer researchers are engineering the parts for electric vehicles and testing them on »Frecc0«, their demonstration vehicle. In a multi-disciplinary collaborative effort, 33 Fraunhofer institutes are working together on the diversity of issues that surround »electromobility.« The goal is to help companies speed up their pace of innovation.

A lot’s going to change with the transition to electric cars: The automotive industry will no longer manufacture certain parts for vehicles, yet new ones will take their place instead. Utility companies will need modified business models and fee structures for supplying electricity to vehicles. In Germany, electromobility must be expedited on a systematic and holistic basis, and must be seen from the perspective of a complex system. Fraunhofer is working on all angles of electromobility: Designs, system integration, energy generation and distribution, storage technologies and a whole lot more. The expertise is uniquely available at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and bundled into their consortium »Fraunhofer System Research on Electromobility,« as Professor Ulrich Buller, Senior Vice President for Research Planning, points out. The goal of the Fraunhofer researchers is to develop prototypes for hybrid and electric vehicles, in order to support the German automotive industry as it makes the crossover to electromobility. The German federal ministry for education and research BMBF is funding these plans with a total of 44 million euro from Economic Stimulus Programs I and II.

Demonstration vehicle as scientific test platform

 The researchers in the group project are therefore not only working on new parts, but also on an electrically operated demonstration model, the »Frecc0«, which is the abbreviation for »Fraunhofer e-concept car Type 0«. Currently under construction, this vehicle serves as a scientific integration platform and will indeed demonstrate the system competency of Fraunhofer institutes. Automobile manufacturers and suppliers can also use the »Frecc0« to test new components jointly with the Fraunhofer institutes starting in 2011. The basis is an existing car: The new Artega GT from Artega Automobil GmbH provides an ideal platform for the integration of Fraunhofer components. For example, researchers can test how a crash-proof battery system, a wheel hub motor and a battery charger behave in the car as a total system.

Networked research on the battery system

The experts from eleven Fraunhofer institutes are working at full speed on the battery system: It’s no easy task, because the batteries and electrical systems in the vehicle are subject to the toughest standards. They must be safe, durable and efficient. And the driver must be able to tell at any time how much farther he can get before the battery needs a recharge. He also wants to know about traffic hold-ups so that, if necessary, he has enough time to find a service station. Whereas it is easy to determine the filling level of a gas-powered vehicle, this is not so easy with the battery of an electric car. A lithium-ion battery system mostly consists of several hundred cells, and they do not always run down at an equal pace. And if isolated cells break down or no longer deliver the intended capacity, then the entire battery may be affected.

To counter these problems, elaborate, cross-networked battery management systems are used, as well as a higher-level energy management system. Researchers are developing such a system, which until now, has only existed in prototypes – for stationary battery systems, at that. Project manager Dr. Matthias Vetter of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, who is coordinating the plan, explains the basic principle this way: »Within fractions of seconds, the electronics measure the line-to-line current, the single cell voltage and the temperature of each cell, and from this determine their state of charge and state of health. This way, a determination can be made for each cell on the threat of overload, excessive discharge, overheating or premature aging.«

One challenge that scientists face is being able to determine reliable values during continuous operation. For the most part, the data cannot be captured here in the quality required. One has to draw conclusions regarding the actual measured values and internal conditions – like state of charge and state of health – based on defective measurements. Vetter explains this complex car battery system: »It contains two strings, each with eight modules of twelve cells. For controlling, a total of 16 interlinked battery management systems are used. They communicate with an energy management system integrated into the battery pack via a databus widely used throughout the automotive industry – a CAN (Controller Area Network). For example, the system can equalize differing charge statuses of the cells, and thus always provide maximum capacity and energy. At the same time, it can also issue forecasts.« The electronics also measure the onward and reverse flow temperatures of the attached cooling circuit. On the one hand, the pump should ensure that no overheating occurs; on the other hand, it should consume as little energy as possible itself. To do so, the system also controls the cooling circuit by means of a model-based regulator, thus optimizing energy consumption, lowering peak temperatures, and increasing reliability.

At the same time, the system takes over communication with the vehicle. For instance, it submits forecast reports on distances and threshold values, both for drive control as well as for charging operations. In addition, it monitors itself to determine if the desired power violates critical current and voltage limits. Then, at any time, the driver can read from the instrument panel how far he needs to drive until the battery has to be recharged.

Even in an accident, the system takes precautions: Through its circuit breaker, the higher level energy management is capable of shutting down the battery either in its entirety, or just line-by-line. This could be necessary if individual cells overheat, suffer an internal short circuit or have gone completely dead. Even in the event of an accident, safeguards must be taken to make sure the car’s body is not exposed to any live voltage, so that emergency rescue squads can open the car without risk. This is guaranteed by the appropriate sensors.

The scientists bring in their expertise – from designing the battery system to safety tests; from the connection technology through to recycling. Through shared efforts, it is possible to rapidly accelerate research projects, and swiftly usher the results to market-ready condition. Because if German industry intends to hold its ground against the international competition, it has to move its pace of innovation to the fast track.

For more information on their research projects, visit their website.

Such metals, needed to make key components for wind turbines and photovoltaics to the battery packs of hybrid cars, fuel cells and energy efficient lighting systems, exist [...]]]> Moving the global economy towards environmentally-friendly, clean technologies will increasingly hinge on rapid improvements in the recycling rates of so called “high-tech” specialty metals like lithium, neodymium and gallium.

Such metals, needed to make key components for wind turbines and photovoltaics to the battery packs of hybrid cars, fuel cells and energy efficient lighting systems, exist in nature in relatively small supplies or in discreet geographical locations.

Yet despite concern among the clean tech industry over scarcity and high prices, only around one per cent of these crucial high-tech metals are recycled, with the rest discarded and thrown away at the end of a product’s life.

Unless future end-of-life recycling rates are dramatically stepped up these critical, specialty and rare earth metals could become “essentially unavailable for use in modern technology”, warn experts.

These are among the preliminary findings of a new report entitled Metals Recycling Rates to be issued by the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The report, the final version of which is to be published later in the year, also underlines the big energy and climate change gains that could be achieved if greater end-of-life recycling rates of more commonly known metals were achieved.

Metals such as iron and steel, copper, aluminum, lead and tin enjoy recycling rates of between 25 per cent and 75 per cent globally, with much lower rates in some developing economies.

Boosting those further through better collection systems and recycling infrastructure, especially in developing countries, could save millions if not billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions while also generating potentially significant numbers of green jobs.

This is because recycling metals is between two and ten times more energy efficient than smelting the metals from virgin ores, says the report.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said: “Urgent action is now clearly needed to sustainably manage the supplies and flows of these specialty metals given their crucial role in the future health, penetration and competitiveness of a modern high-tech, resource-efficient Green Economy”.

“Boosting end-of-life recycling rates not only offers a path to enhancing those supplies and keeping metal prices down, but can also generate new kinds of employment while ensuring the longevity of the mines and the stocks found in nature,” he added.

“Meanwhile, improving the recycling rates of common, mass-produced metals such as copper and steel could also play an important part in meeting climate change targets and keeping the global temperature rise below 2 degrees C by 2050. There is currently a gap between the ambition of nations and the science amounting to several gigatonnes of CO2. Metals recycling could play a part in helping to bridge that gap,” said Mr Steiner.

Also launched today was another final report called Metals in Society. The two reports, presented during a meeting of the UN’s Commission on Sustainable Development in New York, are part of six being prepared on metals by the Panel.

The Panel is co-chaired by Drs Ashok Kosla from India and Ernst von Weizsacker of Germany and its Working Group on metals is chaired by Thomas Graedel, professor of Industrial Ecology at Yale University.

Professor Graedel said: “One of the phenomena of our modern, industrial age is that increasingly metal stocks are “above ground” in structures such as buildings and ships and products from cell phones to personal computers.”

“For example around 240 kg of copper per person in the United States is now “above ground” and the global total could increase three to nine fold over the coming years given anticipated development patterns,” he said.

“Yet these above ground supplies of both common and specialty metals represent an extraordinary resource for sustainable development not only in terms of supplies but also the opportunity for reducing energy demand while curbing pollution, including rising greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.

Key Findings from Metals in Society and Preliminary Ones from Metals Recycling

• The amount of steel per person in the United States is now 11 to 12 tonnes and in China it is 1.5 tonnes
• World-wide stocks of metals in society have grown such that there is enough copper “above ground” equal to 50 kg per person.
• Since 1932, the amount of copper per person in the United States has grown from 73 kg to close to 240 kg now.
• If this pattern is followed by all countries, the amount of copper and other metals in structures and products would be three to nine times today’s levels.
• The lifetime of copper in buildings is 25 to 40 years whereas in PCs and mobile phones, the in-service lifetime of the metal is less than five years
• For many technology or specialist metals like indium and rhodium, more than 80 per cent of all such metals ever extracted from natural resources have been mined in just the past three decades
• Global demand for metals like copper and aluminum has doubled in the past 20 years
• Lack of adequate recycling infrastructure for WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) in most parts of the world causes total losses of copper and other valuable metals like gold, silver and palladium.

Producing metals from recycled sources has multiple Green Economy benefits when compared with producing and using primary metals from mines.

These include reduced impacts on the environment including water resources and biodiversity, reduced energy requirements and hence cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, and an opportunity to create new jobs and livelihoods.

Other considerations concern the fact that some of these metals deposits and active mines are confined to certain geographical locations. For example lithium in South America and rare earth metals in China.

Other Key Facts

• Current global steel production uses 1.3 billion tonnes of steel annually, which cause 2.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
• “Secondary”, reclaimed steel causes 75 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions.
• Emissions from recycled aluminum are about 12 times lower that primary aluminum production.
• Currently only a few metals, such as iron and platinum, have end-of-life recycling rates of 50 per cent or above.
• For each 100 million tonnes of primary steel substituted by secondary or recycled steel, a saving of around 150 million tonnes of CO2 is possible.

The reports cites palladium as an example of the around eight precious metals studied including gold and silver.

Palladium is used in car catalysts, industrial catalysts, and areas such as dentistry and jewelry.

• Currently recycling rates can be as high as up to 90 per cent in industrial applications, with more moderate rates in automotive uses where rates are around 50 to 55 per cent.
• However, in electronic applications recycling rates are just between five and ten per cent, in part because less than 10 per cent of consumer cell phones are recycled properly.

The researchers cite indium as one of close to 40 specialty metals, including rare earth metals, studied.Indium is used in semiconductors, energy efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs), advanced medical imaging and photovoltaics. The report underlines that such metals are crucial for sustainable, clean technologies like renewable energy and advanced batteries.

• Indium is a metal found in low concentrations in nature and as a by-product of zinc ores.
• Strong growth in gross demand is predicted for indium: from around 1,200 tonnes (2010) to around 2,600 tonnes (2020).
• Current recycling rates are thought to be below one per cent, with a similar story for other specialty metals.
• Other specialty metals include tellurium and selenium for high efficiency solar cells, neodymium and dysprosium for wind turbine magnets, lanthanum for hybrid vehicle batteries and gallium for LEDs.

The award to Planar Energy, announced in Washington, [...]]]> (BUSINESS WIRE)–Planar Energy, the developer of large-format, solid-state, ceramic-like batteries at half the cost and triple the performance of lithium-ion batteries, today received a $4,025,373 award from the U.S. Department of Energy, as part of its Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) initiative to accelerate transformational energy research projects.

The award to Planar Energy, announced in Washington, D.C., today by Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu at a Recovery Act Cabinet meeting, will support the company’s development of solid-state, high capacity secondary lithium batteries targeted at transportation scale electrical power-storage applications.

“With our breakthrough technology, which couples a fundamental electrolyte materials innovation with our proprietary low-cost, chemical deposition platform and manufacturing process, Planar Energy is creating scalable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology that will enable the U.S. transportation industry to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reestablish U.S. leadership in energy storage,” said President and CEO Scott Faris.

He added that the DOE award will enable Planar Energy to accelerate the development and commercialization of all solid-state lithium batteries, which will encourage the adoption of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

Earlier this month, Planar Energy was one of four companies selected to collaborate in a DOE research-and-development initiative at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to address energy-storage challenges presented by lithium-based batteries.

About Planar Energy

Planar Energy was established in Orlando, Fla., in 2007. It was spun out of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., by Princeton, N.J.-based Battelle Ventures and its Knoxville, Tenn.-based affiliate fund, Innovation Valley Partners (IVP). In 2008, Planar Energy identified a new deposition technology, Streaming Protocol for Electroless Electrochemical Deposition, or SPEED, a high-speed, roll-to-roll deposition process for large-format and high-power ceramic-like batteries. SPEED is dramatically more flexible and scalable than existing methods, allowing Planar Energy to make self-assembled, nano-structured electrolyte and electrode materials with superior chemistries and to overcome production barriers to low-cost solid-state batteries. With the SPEED process, Planar Energy’s solid-state electrolyte materials are deposited as thin films directly on active layers in the battery. This direct film deposition of the film allows building stacks of film on top of each other, eliminating the historic process of having to deposit films on separate substrates and then mechanically join them. In March 2010, University of Central Florida researchers independently confirmed that the company’s new generation of solid-state electrolytes have ionic conductivity metrics comparable to liquid electrolytes used in traditional chemical batteries For more information, visit www.planarenergy.com .

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have designed, fabricated and demonstrated a PHEV traction drive power electronics system that provides significant mobile power generation and vehicle-to-grid support capabilities.

“The new technology eliminates the separate charging mechanism typically used in PHEVs, [...]]]> An advancement in hybrid electric vehicle technology is providing powerful benefits beyond transportation.

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have designed, fabricated and demonstrated a PHEV traction drive power electronics system that provides significant mobile power generation and vehicle-to-grid support capabilities.

“The new technology eliminates the separate charging mechanism typically used in PHEVs, reducing both cost and volume under the hood,” said Gui-Jia Su of ORNL’s Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center. “The PHEV’s traction drive system is used to charge the battery, power the vehicle and enable its mobile energy source capabilities.”

Providing more power than typical freestanding portable generators, the PHEV can be used in emergency situations such as power outages and roadside breakdowns or leisure occasions such as camping. Day-to-day, the PHEV can be used to power homes or businesses or supply power to the grid when power load is high, according to Su.

The charging system concept, which is market ready, could also be used to enhance the voltage stability of the grid by providing reactive power, Su said.

The Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center is DOE’s broad-based research center helping lead the nation’s advancing shift from petroleum-powered to hybrid-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The center’s efforts directly support DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Program and its goal to provide Americans with greater freedom of mobility and energy security while lowering costs and reducing impacts on the environment.

ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.

In July of this year, [...]]]> The Renault-Nissan Alliance has announced the location for the planned battery production site in Portugal. The new plant, which will manufacture advanced lithium-ion batteries, will be located at the Renault CACIA (Companhia Aveirense de Componentes para a Indústria Automóvel) industrial complex located in Aveiro, about 250km north of the capital, Lisbon.

In July of this year, Nissan confirmed its intention to invest into a production plant to supply batteries for electric vehicles to be produced by the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Construction of the plant will start in 2010 with production commencing in 2012. Projected annual capacity is 50,000 units.

Prime Minister Jose Socrates said:

 “After becoming a leading country in renewables, Portugal aims being a pioneer in electrical mobility as it is developing a nationwide charging network for EVs. The battery factory of the Renault-Nissan Alliance reinforces Portugal’s role as a place to research, produce and test components and solutions for EVs.”

Carlos Ghosn chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance said:

“We have been consistently impressed with the forwardlooking and proactive attitude of the Portuguese government towards the introduction of mass-marketed zero-emission vehicles. Our ability to make this investment utilizing the Renault CACIA facility makes this a win-win for Portugal and for the Alliance.”

Under the agreement with the Government of Portugal, Nissan will invest over €160 Million in the new facility and directly create 200 new jobs at the plant.

This investment follows the announcement in November 2008 that Portugal will work with the Renault-Nissan Alliance to implement a zero emission mobility program from 2010. Within this plan, the Alliance will supply its electric vehicles from January 2011, and the Portuguese government will leverage an extensive network of 1,300 planned recharging stations that will be installed across the country over the coming two years.

Hideaki Watanabe, Alliance Managing Director of the Renault-Nissan zero emission business had this to say;

“Among the world’s automakers, Renault and Nissan are unique in our strategy to create a network of battery production facilities,”  “Portugal joins a growing list of countries making significant commitments to the reality of zero-emission mobility.”

The Alliances Electric Car Programs The Renault-Nissan Alliance – the world’s third largest automotive group by volume – is committed to being a leader in zero-emission mobility. Starting with the Nissan LEAF in late 2010, the Alliance has already announced plans for seven electric vehicles to be mass marketed under the Renault, Nissan and Infiniti brands. In addition to Portugal, the Alliance has also confirmed battery production locations in France, Japan, the US and the UK.

 The aim of the project is to develop an innovative high [...]]]> Over £1.3m of funding has been awarded by the Technology Strategy Board to a consortium led by advanced battery manufacturer Axeon and including Ricardo UK, which will develop a new lightweight battery for use in electric small city cars, improving their performance, functionality and range.

 The aim of the project is to develop an innovative high energy density battery system for an emission-free electric small city car. The battery, which will use new cell chemistry that offers higher energy density, will be lighter, smaller and therefore more efficient than those currently available, and will offer faster charging and a higher range.

The benefits of the newer technology from improved performance, functionality and range will be significant. These factors in turn will enhance the appeal of low carbon electric vehicles (EVs), and if take-up is as predicted (250,000 new EVs by 2015 in Europe alone) it would contribute to a significant reduction in the UK’s CO2 emissions as well as positioning the UK as a leader in EV battery technology.

Other members of the consortium include Ricardo, a leading provider of technology and engineering solutions to the automotive and transport industries, and Allied Vehicles, niche vehicle manufacturer.

Over the next 22 months, Ricardo will develop the battery management system architecture and application software; Axeon will engineer and construct the battery system, perform cell testing for calibration and electronic system integration; and Allied Vehicles will design, build and test the vehicle platform.

Lawrence Berns, CEO of Axeon noted, “As a leading provider of innovative EV battery technology Axeon is delighted to be leading this consortium. This project will enable us to develop a new electric car battery with improved performance that will be highly adaptable and transferable to many vehicle manufacturers and platforms.”

Ricardo CEO, Dave Shemmans, said, “The increasing electrification of the new vehicle parc is an important enabler for the global reduction of fossil fuel use in transportation and the consequent minimisation of CO2 emissions. Ricardo is pleased to be engaged in this important research programme, contributing our key skills in the area of advanced battery management system and control technology development.”

Allied Vehicles’ Managing Director, Paul Nelson commented, “This innovative project represents a great opportunity to further advance the development of electric vehicle technology. Proving this next-generation battery technology in a live car application will be a key step in continuing to expand the market appeal of zero-emission, all-electric vehicles.”

Explaining the background to the decision to invest in the development projects, John Laughlin, the Technology Strategy Board’s Low Carbon Vehicles programme manager, said, “We are investing to put the UK at the forefront of low carbon vehicle technology. A major barrier to the widespread acceptance of electric and hybrid vehicles is the difficulty in balancing the range of the vehicle against the available stored energy