Zoomi Life

A123Systems has announced a round of funding from General Electric and others totaling $69 million. The money will be used to expand existing facilities in Massachusetts and Michigan and to build a new facility in Michigan.

Some of the proceeds will also be used to develop applications for the smart grid–namely utility-scale storage, which A123 has been working on for some time.

Read More: SIXTY-NINE Million in Funding for A123 Systems

Lithium pellets covered in lithium hydroxide

Research and development of better, more efficient, lighter, and stronger battery technologies has been taking off full steam lately. Researchers at MIT are working to find a better solution of chemicals for lithium-ion batteries, for instance, while another lab at MIT is working on lithium replacements as there may be lithium shortages soon.

Read More: Making Better & Cheaper EV Batteries

One of the things that holds back electric car production and main stream acceptance is the life span of the average battery, be it lithium-ion, nickel-metal hydride, or standard lead acid. Since the bank of batteries in an electric vehicle amount to up to half it’s cost, this is obviously a large economic concern.

Read More: Southern California Edison’s 180,000 Mile Li-Ion Battery

In what could potentially be a revolutionary breakthrough for everything from laptops to electric cars, a South Korean team of researchers have made a major discovery in Lithium-Ion battery technology. A team of researchers at South Korea’s Hanyung University, led by professor Cho Jaephil, has claimed a discovery that could extend lithium ion battery energy capacity by up to 1000% or more.

Read More: Battery Life Breakthrough Could Increase Li-Ion Capacity by 1000%

Soon, we’ll probably be seeing Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries being used in most electric cars and bikes. This new battery type is set to dominate the market. Based upon lithium ion technology, LiFePO4 batteries offer many advantages over lithium cobalt dioxide (LiCoO2) batteries which are commonly used in laptops, mp3 players and cell phones. [...]

Read More: LiFePO4 Batteries: A Breakthrough For Electric Vehicles