Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Network, Inc.
“Empowering the Planet to Overcome Our Dependence on Fossil Fuels”

Battery Myths

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Waiting for the "Holy Grail"

Certainly, advances in battery technology are viewed by many as the “holy grail” of the migration away from fossil fuels.   When will commercially available, mass produced, cost comparable, batteries become available to propel an electric vehicle across the same distances as fossil fuel vehicles?  The other common belief is that our nation’s electric infrastructure; electric generation, storage, and  distribution grid are just not ready to support a mass market of electric vehicles geographically dispersed across the country.  See topic: Exchange Infrastructure

The common misconception or myth is that electric batteries aren’t advanced enough to propel a car the same distances as a gas powered car.   Although it is true that most electric battery plug-in systems can’t match the driving range of fossil fuel powered cars, there are notable exceptions; the Tesla roadster achieves a range of 250 miles per charge.  

Most of the 1000s of electric vehicle conversions are performed by individuals, or hobbyist groups, and utilize standard 12V NiCad batteries.  These batteries are configured in series of 12 units, which provide 144V of stored energy.  The travel distances range from 30 miles to 60 miles, dependent on the specific vehicle’s electric motor configuration and overall weight differential.

EVIN's battery technology focuses on the overall behavior of the American driving experience,

the ability to drive anywhere, anytime, for any distance. 

For either a fossil fuel or electric powered vehicle to achieve this experience, there must be some capability to replenish the fossil fuels or electricity utilized.  Fossil fuel cars can go to a Gas Station and fill-up with more fuel. 

Electric cars will similarly need to go to an Energy Station to replenish their electric supply.  A battery exchange capability is the logical extension for an electric car to fill-up and thus retain the overall American driving experience. 

Drive in and drive out in 3 minutes or less, that is EVIN’s objective.

Lithium-Ion Batteries

EVIN developed an electric battery configuration that utilizes Lithium-Ion 18650 battery cylindrical cells, the same cell types used in the Tesla Roadster.  The EVIN developed battery platform contains sufficient electric fuel to provide a 90 mile driving range before requiring an exchange or recharge. 

Our initial battery energy store consists of 2940 individual Li-Ion cells, configured in a multi-dimensional array, fully designed for maximum energy store and transfer, and with a reliability design which minimizes any system failure due to any single cell discrepancies. 

Battery Market

It is not our intention to be in the battery development business.  We built the 1st large-scale Lithium-Ion exchange capable battery for automotive use, purely to demonstrate the feasibility of a Battery Exchange Vehicle.  

This one-of-a-kind battery weighed 595 lbs and had 25kWh of energy store. 

  • In February 2009,we could replace the prototype battery with four (4) off-the-shelf (OTS) commercial battery packs within the same EVIN vehicle enclosure.  The OTS battery packs provide 36.5kWh energy store and weigh 295 lbs. 
  • By September 2009, we could get 48kWh energy store and weighing 416 lbs.  In less than 1 year, we gained ~100% energy store improvement and lowered the battery weight by 30%. 

Clearly, battery development is advancing rapidly. 

  • The EVIN battery platform is made to be securely placed underneath the standard American vehicle, within a patented enclosure design which utilizes the physical space previously occupied by the fossil fuel storage tank (gas tank).
  • This enclosure requires no changes to the existing vehicle’s structural frame and crumple zones. It retains a consistent vehicle enclosure space that provides battery and auto manufacturers with common standards for developing their products..
  • As battery technologies advance, an EVIN compliant EV can simply drive into an exchange location and swap the older, less powerful battery, for a newer more powerful one.

Since an EVIN designed vehicle is both electric battery plug-in and electric battery exchange capable, it can achieve the same driving experiences and distances as any fossil fuel vehicle.  Plug-in when the recharging characteristics fit the customer experience and battery exchange when waiting for recharging via Plug-in is not within the customer’s driving expectation.

 

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