BMW, Toyota and Daimler to adopt Tesla’s laptop battery stra
According to a report by Automotive News, BMW, Toyota and Daimler AG are turning to laptops for a cheaper way to power their electric cars. Same report mentions that the three automakers are testing packs of lithium-ion batteries assembled by Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors Inc that cost less than bigger, car-only batteries used by General Motors, Nissan and Mitsubishi.
The Tesla Roadster uses a pack of 6,831 cylinder-shaped cells made by Panasonic giving a driving range of 245 miles per charge. With more emphasis being put on electric vehicles and their need for battery power, electronics automaker Sanyo anticipates the lithium-ion production to generate $60 billion in the next ten years.
Last year, BMW announced their partnership with SB LiMotive (a German/Korean company backed by Bosch and Samsung) and their Lithium Polymer battery technology is being used by Vision Efficient Dynamics.
“Compared with nickel–metal hydride batteries, lithium polymer batteries deliver the same power with 30% less weight, 50% less volume and 10% greater efficiency over nickel–metal hydride batteries. Lithium polymer batteries offer more than twice the energy density of nickel–metal hydride batteries, and 175% greater volumetric energy density, meaning BMW engineers can devote less space and weight to the battery pack, and have better placement resulting in a lower Center of gravity, 50/50 balance, etc..”, said our own editor Shawn Molnar in a recent editorial.
Industry experts state that electric vehicles cost about twice as much to produce as gasoline-engine cars because the batteries are so expensive. The larger lithium batteries cost about $700-$800 per kilowatt hour to produce, while mass-produced packs using small laptop cells may cost $200, said Martin Eberhard, Tesla’s founder and former chief executive officer for Automotive News.
Panasonic, the majority shareholder in Sanyo, is the main supplier of lithium-ion cells to Tesla and last month bought a $30 million stake in the Palo Alto, Calif., company. Toyota and Daimler also own Tesla stakes.
In 2013, BMW will launch their electric vehicles lineup under the Megacity label.
[Source: Automotive News ]
Author: Horatiu B.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/12/15/bmw-t ... -vehicles/