Lithium-titanate battery
Encyclopedia
The lithium–titanate battery is a type of rechargeable battery
, which has the advantage of being faster to charge than other lithium-ion batteries. Some analysts speculate that lithium–titanate batteries will power electric cars of the future.
A lithium–titanate battery is a modified lithium-ion battery that uses lithium-titanate nanocrystal
s on the surface of its anode
instead of carbon
. This gives the anode a surface area of about 100 square meters per gram, compared with 3 square meters per gram for carbon, allowing electrons to enter and leave the anode quickly. This makes fast recharging possible and provides high currents when needed. The disadvantage is that lithium-titanate batteries have a lower voltage and capacity than conventional lithium-ion battery technologies.
produce lithium–titanate batteries under the "Nanosafe" line, mainly for battery electric vehicle
s. Some vehicle manufacturers which announced plans to use Altairnano batteries includes Lightning Car Company
, which plan to use them for Lightning GT
, an all-electric sports car, Phoenix Motorcars
, in its electric sport-utility vehicles, and Proterra, in its all-electric EcoRide BE35 vehicle, a lightweight 35-foot bus.
Altairnano has also deployed their lithium–titanate energy storage systems for electric grid ancillary services and in various military applications.
Toshiba
released a lithium–titanate battery, dubbed Super Charge Ion Battery (SCiB). The battery is designed to offer 90% charge capacity in just 10 minutes.
SCiB batteries are used in the Schwinn
Tailwind electric bike. Toshiba has also demonstrated its use as a laptop battery. Toshiba SCiB batteries are also used in Mitsubishi's
i-MiEV and Minicab MiEV electric vehicles
, and Honda
will use them in its Fit EV model to be launched in summer 2012.
Rechargeable battery
A rechargeable battery or storage battery is a group of one or more electrochemical cells. They are known as secondary cells because their electrochemical reactions are electrically reversible. Rechargeable batteries come in many different shapes and sizes, ranging anything from a button cell to...
, which has the advantage of being faster to charge than other lithium-ion batteries. Some analysts speculate that lithium–titanate batteries will power electric cars of the future.
A lithium–titanate battery is a modified lithium-ion battery that uses lithium-titanate nanocrystal
Nanocrystal
B. D. Fahlman has described a nanocrystal as any nanomaterial with at least one dimension ≤ 100nm and that is singlecrystalline.-Summary:More properly, any material with a dimension of less than 1 micrometre, i.e., 1000 nanometers, should be referred to as a nanoparticle, not a nanocrystal...
s on the surface of its anode
Anode
An anode is an electrode through which electric current flows into a polarized electrical device. Mnemonic: ACID ....
instead of carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
. This gives the anode a surface area of about 100 square meters per gram, compared with 3 square meters per gram for carbon, allowing electrons to enter and leave the anode quickly. This makes fast recharging possible and provides high currents when needed. The disadvantage is that lithium-titanate batteries have a lower voltage and capacity than conventional lithium-ion battery technologies.
Altairnano
AltairnanoAltairnano
Altair Nanotechnologies is a Reno, Nevada-based research company that develops nanotechnology-based products for energy storage and the life sciences. In particular, the company is known for its "NanoSafe" lithium-ion battery technology that is used in battery-electric vehicles...
produce lithium–titanate batteries under the "Nanosafe" line, mainly for battery electric vehicle
Battery electric vehicle
A battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. BEVs use electric motors and motor controllers instead of, or in addition to, internal combustion engines for propulsion.A battery-only electric vehicle or...
s. Some vehicle manufacturers which announced plans to use Altairnano batteries includes Lightning Car Company
Lightning Car Company
The Lightning Car Company is a British sports car developer, based in Fulham and Peterborough, focused on the development and production of high performance electric sports cars.-Lightning GT:...
, which plan to use them for Lightning GT
Lightning GT
The Lightning GT is a battery-electric sports car under development by the Lightning Car Company, in Peterborough and due for release in 2012...
, an all-electric sports car, Phoenix Motorcars
Phoenix Motorcars
Phoenix MC, Inc. is a privately held Delaware corporation headquartered in Ontario, California, that does business as Phoenix Motorcars. The Company develops full-size, freeway speed electric vehicles...
, in its electric sport-utility vehicles, and Proterra, in its all-electric EcoRide BE35 vehicle, a lightweight 35-foot bus.
Altairnano has also deployed their lithium–titanate energy storage systems for electric grid ancillary services and in various military applications.
Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
released a lithium–titanate battery, dubbed Super Charge Ion Battery (SCiB). The battery is designed to offer 90% charge capacity in just 10 minutes.
SCiB batteries are used in the Schwinn
Schwinn Bicycle Company
The Schwinn Bicycle Company was founded by German-born mechanical engineer Ignaz Schwinn in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles through most of the 20th century and today it is a sub-brand of Pacific Cycle, owned by the multi-national conglomerate, Dorel...
Tailwind electric bike. Toshiba has also demonstrated its use as a laptop battery. Toshiba SCiB batteries are also used in Mitsubishi's
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...
i-MiEV and Minicab MiEV electric vehicles
Electric vehicle
An electric vehicle , also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion...
, and Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
will use them in its Fit EV model to be launched in summer 2012.
See also
- Battery (electricity)Battery (electricity)An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
- Electrochemical cellElectrochemical cellAn electrochemical cell is a device capable of either deriving electrical energy from chemical reactions, or facilitating chemical reactions through the introduction of electrical energy. A common example of an electrochemical cell is a standard 1.5-volt "battery"...
- Energy storageEnergy storageEnergy storage is accomplished by devices or physical media that store some form of energy to perform some useful operation at a later time. A device that stores energy is sometimes called an accumulator....
- Fuel cellFuel cellA fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
- Lithium iron phosphate batteryLithium iron phosphate batteryThe lithium iron phosphate battery, also called LFP battery, is a type of rechargeable battery, specifically a lithium-ion battery, which uses LiFePO4 as a cathode material.-History:...