The sticking point to most electric car manufacturing is the battery. Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen are all working together to hopefully create a car battery that can stand up to most driving. The intention is that these Toshiba electric car batteries will help electric vehicles go farther, charge a whole lot faster and be more economical.
Batteries and their troubles
Ever since the electric cars are around, the battery has been in question. An electric car relies on batteries for power, and those batteries are also very heavy, short-lived and take a long time to charge. This was solved by the battery-gas hybrid. Within the push to try and have all-electric cars, however, the race to develop better batteries is in full swing.
Some major players in electric car batteries
Tesla motors is the big name in electric vehicles – and this is partially due to its battery technology. Tesla’s electric roadster that costs $109,000 has a 300 mile range, but the high price tag is surely a barrier. The Nissan electric Leaf is only $25,000, but the battery lasts for about 100 miles. Toshiba and Mitsubishi have partnered up to create a SCiB – which is a Super Charge ion Battery — that will be long-lasting and relatively inexpensive. Presently, Panasonic supplies batteries to both Honda and Ford, while Hitachi supplies General Motors and NEC supplies Nissan.
Battery experience for Toshiba
The Toshiba push to create an electric car battery fits right to the technology the company develops. Toshiba makes motors for bullet trains, machinery, and elevators. By combining its SCiB battery technology with its engine data, the company is going to be building motors for a Ford hybrid within the next few years. Toshiba is also partnering with Mitsubishi to launch a Peugeot/Mitsubishi/Toshiba electric car in Europe. Additionally, Toshiba is partnering with Volkswagen to create an all-electric car.
Electric automobile technology is improving along with battery life. All around, good things for the zero or near-zero emissions vehicle market.
