Could Renault’s aluminium-air battery be a game-changer for electric cars?
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/Industry-News/Could-Renaults-aluminium-air-battery-be-the-game-changer-electric-cars-need/Aluminium-air (al-air) batteries have a phenomenal energy density, producing electricity when oxygen from the air oxidises aluminium. Approximately 4kWh of electricity and heat can be released from a single kilo of aluminium. Each al-air battery cell consists of a positive cathode and an aluminium negative anode, with water-based electrolyte in between.
Do site do parceiro da Renault:
http://www.phinergy.com/default.asp?catid={00658B18-2755-468E-92CB-E66021BB4D4C}&details_type=1&itemid={0A494A20-0CB9-4B66-9014-AD7B51646CEC}http://www.hybridcars.com/renault-nissan-to-use-phinergys-aluminum-air-battery/Almost that amazing, Phinergy’s aluminum-air battery combines de-ionized (drinkable) water into an alkaline electrolyte solution and breathes in air to create a chemical reaction that
dissolves aluminum plates to produce electricity.
Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust and Phinergy’s durable technology reliably extracts 8.1 kilowatt-hours of energy –
half of which is electricity, and half byproduct heat – per kilogram.
The notion of aluminum-air and other metal-air batteries is not new, but Phinergy has worked out the bugs and is ready to put it into production – not just for cars, but consumer electronics, stationary energy storage, defense, industrial – all sorts of applications.
As its aluminum “cartridges” or plates slowly dissolve away over months to eventually nothing, the plan is they’ll be replaced by service personnel.
The exact composition of the aluminum is proprietary, and Alcoa’s alliance with Phinergy puts it in line to profit from the exclusive arrangement.
Several technologies make this long-known lab concept commercially viable, and Phinergy and its PhD-laden staff has applied for or received over 22 patents.
Maintenance would involve car owners needing to periodically refill the battery with tap water that’s been run through a simple de-ionizing process. This would be as required – perhaps every month or two depending on usage – and the electrolyte would enable the chemical reaction.
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Logo pelos vistos não competirá directamente com as baterias actuais pois não pode ser recarregada (por exemplo) pelos sistemas de travagem (travagem regenerativa).
E no fundo qual será o racio entre a energia consumida na produção das placas a serem "dissolvidas" e a energia entregue durante o tal processo de "dissolução"?
Talvez seja um método com potencial para armazenar energia eólica em períodos em que as redes estão com baixo nível de consumo (período da noite).
