There was a fair amount of buzz in the EV community a year or two ago about the batteries this Peoria, Illinois company was supposed to produce. Lead acid, but with carbon foam instead of lead plates which the company says:
- offers superior power density,
- cold weather performance,
- sulfation and corrosion resistance,
- dramatically extended cycle life,
- plus it's lighter than a comparable all-lead battery
Haven't seen mention of them on the EVDL since early 2009. Not a good sign.
Their web site -
Home - fireflyenergy.com - shows that they've gotten more defense contract money, but that they were turned down for consideration by the US Department of Energy for advanced battery research funding.
It's unclear if their "group 31" truck batteries (for hotel loads) are commercially available yet (beyond trial customers):
Specs:
http://www.fireflyenergy.com/images/...-%20110909.pdf
It's supposed to have over twice the cycle life of a comparable AGM battery, even at 80% DOD usage.
And this is their "3D" battery, where only the negative plate is carbon foam. The "3D2" battery (both plates = foam) is supposed to be even better.
Four of these 112 Ah batteries (4x12x112 = 5.4 kWh pack) might even work in the ForkenSwift (my average energy usage - at the wall - is under 4 kWh per drive cycle). And it would lighten the car by ~250 lbs.
I wonder if the all-consuming focus on lithium chemistry has left this potentially worthy technology in the shadows?