Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Lightweight, Europe/EU
Remember the Mindset E-Motion? When last we had news of this Murat Günak creation, the folks behind it (Spirt Avert AG, now known as Mindset Holding AG) were seeking 152 million development dollars at a time when many of the world's major economies were sitting on their posteriors, looking up at the cliff from which they'd fallen. Well, the effort survived that turmoil and recently re-emerged boasting a battery tech that claims an energy density that's twice that used in other electric vehicles.
Developed by inventor Jörg Hempel and commercialized under the name H-Tech, the technology uses conventional lithium ion cells that have been pre-conditioned and charged using a newly developed method. The 52-kWh pack currently being tested in the Mindset prototype is said to weigh only 200 kg (440.9 lbs) while extending the vehicle's range by 75 percent. By way of comparison, the pack in the Tesla Roadster is 56 kWhs and weighs 441.9 kg (990 lbs). As you can see, that's an extraordinary improvement.
As Carl Sagan was wont to say, however, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" and so it's in this spirit we await more news of the company's testing, as well as independent verification. So far, the pack has undergone an assessment on the road, but will be evaluated further in the lab for "consistency over multiple charge/discharge cycles."
According to the company's website, production of all-electric and range-extended versions had been planned for early 2012. That timeline appears somewhat optimistic in light of the Mindset's current stage of development and the fact that Xenatech, its strategic manufacturing partner, recently declared bankruptcy. Hit the jump to read the official press release for yourself.
Continue reading Mindset E-Motion re-emerges with doubly-dense battery claim
Mindset E-Motion re-emerges with doubly-dense battery claim originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Tags: battery breakthrough, battery technology, h-tech, Jörg Hempel, jorg hempel, lithium ion batteries, mindset, mindset e-motion, mindset holding, switzerland
Mindset E-Motion re-emerges with doubly-dense battery claim was originally published by AutoblogGreen. Read the full story by clicking here.