Toshiba says it has improved performance of fast-charge battery technology
Wed 15 April 2009
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Super Charge Ion batteries capable of 90-second recharges are now significantly more efficient according to the Japanese technology company which makes them, Toshiba. The company says the technology should suit hybrid and electric cars. Meanwhile, there has been progress in establishing international and national standards and regulations for electric vehicle plug technology and end-of-life battery waste.
Toshiba hopes its Super Charge Ion Battery (SCiB) technology battery will power hybrids and electric vehicles according to reports from Japanese financial daily Nikkei (reported by Business Green). Toshiba says it has improved the performance of its lithium-titanate-based SCiB by up to four times. The battery can now be charged in around 90 seconds making it suitable for applications requiring very high energy densities or very short charging delays.
According to Nikkei, Toshiba produces around 150,000 SCiBs a month but plans to increase this by building a facility later this year which could manufacture around 2 million batteries a month, with plans to increase capacity in the future.
Meanwhile, leading car and energy companies have reached agreement on a common "plug" to recharge electric cars.
The three-point, 400-volt plug, which will allow electric cars to be recharged anywhere in a matter of minutes, was unveiled at the world's biggest industrial technology fair in Hanover, northern Germany.
The agreement on a common standard for the plug involved several major car makers, including Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota and Mitsubishi. Energy firms involved included Eon, Vattenfall, EDF, Npower, Endesa and Enel.
The UK Government has adopted new regulations on the implementation of battery waste. The Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 follow the Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008, which set out requirements for introducing new batteries into the market in September 2008.
The new regulations implement a 2006 European directive on waste batteries, with government mandating battery producers to join one of many battery compliance schemes to monitor the collection, treatment and recycling of batteries. The new regulations come into force on 5 May 2009.
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