ver li-ion batteries, there is a potential new sheriff in town. EEstor, a company located in Texas is creating a new power system that it hopes will be able to replace the batteries that we typically use in everything from our cars to our personal laptop computers. The company's battery, based on barium-titanate powders will theoretically outperform even the best of the lithium ion batteries in all areas including: energy density, price, charging time and its safety. In addition, the battery type will outperform lead acid based batteries with up to ten times the power punch and half the cost. The barium-titanate batteries will also reduce the need for toxic chemicals and/or materials for their creation and use.
Several applications for a new battery source
Battery generated energy is not only useful for the whole hybrid car frontier that is opening up wider and wider every year, but for other applications as well. Batteries can be used as a back-up energy source for alternative resources that are typically intermittent at best and can often be unreliable, such as solar and wind. Using a battery type that uses less toxic materials, is cheaper to make and to buy and has greater energy generation potential, can not only fulfill energy needs but can be a huge boost to other environmental markets as well. People who were reluctant to get a hybrid car or to explore alternative forms of energy now may have less reasons to continue to do so.
Pros and cons of this new battery type
EEstor's system, called an Electrical Energy Storage Unit (EESU), is an ultra capacitor that has the advantage of being able to completely absorb and then release a charge in an endless cycle, while experiencing little to no degradation to its components. One of the drawbacks though is the lower energy storage capabilities, a problem that the company is working to address.
The company's first real test
Eestor's first battery types were meant to be used in small to medium sized hybrid cars, allowing the vehicle to travel up to or beyond 200 miles and would be fully recharged and ready to go in less than ten minutes.
Safety and durability concerns
Automakers were concerned about the safety and durability of the EESU, namely because it is housed in ceramic, a brittle by nature material and the high rate of voltage that is being generated with this battery type. However, grounding and wiring will protect the car and its occupants in the case of a breach or worse, in the event of a crash.
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