The battery is always the sticking point in most electric car manufacturing. Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen are now working together to create a car battery that can stand up to most driving. The intention is that these Toshiba electric car batteries will help electric automobiles go farther, charge faster and be more economical.
Battery’s troubles
Ever since electric cars have been on the drawing board, the battery has been the big question. An electric car relies on batteries for power, and those batteries are notoriously heavy, short-lived and take a long time to charge. The battery-gas hybrid solved this problem. Within the push to try and have all-electric vehicles, however, the race to develop better batteries is in full swing.
Major players in electric car batteries
Tesla motors is currently the big name in electric automobiles – and this is partially due to its battery technology. Tesla’s electric roadster that costs $109,000 has a 300 mile range, but the high price tag is definitely a barrier. The Nissan electric Leaf is $25,000, but the battery only lasts for about 100 miles. Toshiba and Mitsubishi have partnered up to create a SCiB — Super Charge ion Battery — that can be long-lasting and inexpensive. Currently, Panasonic supplies batteries to Honda and Ford, while Hitachi supplies General Motors and NEC supplies Nissan.
The battery experience for the Toshiba business
The Toshiba push to create an electric car battery fits right to the technology the company has long been developing. Toshiba makes motors for machinery, elevators, and bullet train. By combining its SCiB battery technology with its engine know-how, the business is going to be building motors for a Ford hybrid in the next few years. Toshiba is also partnering with Mitsubishi to launch a Peugeot/Mitsubishi/Toshiba electric car in Europe. Additionally, Toshiba is partnering with Volkswagen to create an all-electric car.
In short, electric automobile technology is improving and battery life is set to get better. For the zero emissions vehicle market, this is good.
