Anyone read about these yet? I just read an article in Automotive Engineering about
Prieto Battery, and I must say they look very interesting! I'm not sure about their claims about higher energy density, but I can see huge advantages in their power density.
The how it works is somewhat simple to understand. A conventional battery has a flat plate anode / electrode / cathode sandwich. This battery is made of a copper nanowire or foam, so TONS more surface area than a flat plate. They electroplate the anode to the copper. The electrolyte is deposited by electropolymerization. Then, the whole thing gets dunked in a cathode slurry. The result is a 'dry cell' lithium battery with vastly more surface area.
I have yet to check it out throughly, but the dry electrolyte could also possibly hold up to higher temperatures (what is causing Leaf battery issues) possibly making heat a non-issue?
The battery is still in development of course, but they claim low manufacturing costs...
Energy density estimates.
Power density estimates. As you can see, they're claiming 2.5X higher power density than A123 cells, and A123 cells are already very impressive cells.
