With oil prices more than doubling over the past five years, consumer demand for fuel-efficient hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) is heating up. Global sales of hybrid vehicles reached 384,000 vehicles in 2006, and are expected to top 1.1 million by 2010.

The HEV battery market is similarly poised for growth, expected to reach $1.4 billion by 2010, according Advanced Automotive Batteries, a consultancy in Oregon House, California. The growth represents big opportunities for AIC Labs and its Bipolar Lead-Acid Battery (BLAB) technology. Now nearing prototype development, AIC’s BLAB addresses at least three of the major design issues with the industry’s current generation of HEV batteries: expense, safety, and weight.

Rechargeable batteries made from nickel metal hydride and lithium-ion power most HEVs on the road today. But unlike lead-acid batteries used to power gasoline vehicles, these batteries can’t be easily recycled and can be highly flammable. What’s more, batteries made from nickel and lithium ion are expensive to manufacture, have comparatively shorter lifespans than lead-acid batteries, and are weightier and often prone to failure given their distributed design. AIC’s BLAB design uses far less lead, reducing weight by as much as 50 percent. Less lead also reduces corrosion, dramatically extending the battery’s lifespan.

“All battery problems come down to a question of materials in the end,” explains Selywyn Mould, chief executive officer, AIC Labs Group. “The real science and innovation is in finding the right materials and developing cost-effective ways for manufacturing them.”•••

Source
The 2007 Advanced Automotive Battery Industry Report, by Dr. Menahem Anderman, Advanced Automotive Batteries.