Lithium Drive: DBM Energy: 1,000 Euro Lithium Battery with a 375-Mile Range: Too Good to be True? tnr.v, czx.v, lmr.v, rm.v, alk.ax, sqm, fmc, roc, lit, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, res.v, ree, avl.to, nsany, f, gm, rno.pa, dai, byddf, hev, aone, vlnc

  The German economy minister, Rainer Bruederle, (second from right) inspects the Kolibri-powered Audi A2 after its arrival in Berlin last October  

 Sebastian Blanco from AutoBlogGreen.com has run an article on DBM Energy and its Lithium Metal Polymer Battery in New York Times couple of days ago. Finally, this story has made it to the U.S. and in a grand fashion. Claims about the 375 mile range for an EV on a single charge - this new Lithium Battery technology can provide - are already outstanding, and we had discussed it in the great detail last year, but  now we have some pricing points to discuss and this is where this technology can be a truly disruptive one.

  According to the article mass-production cost of a 98.8 kWh version of the Lithium Metals Polymer Battery would range from 800 to 1,000 euros. Just compare it to the price of GM Volt 16 kWh battery of approximately 8,000 dollars and Nissan Leaf 24 kWh battery is at the same price level of 8,000 - 10,000 dollars. Battery cost and Range Anxiety are the two major road bumps for the mass adoption of   Electric Cars.

 All these claims must be verified by the third parties, but in any case this example shows that once we have moved the question of our society survival after the Peak Oil into the technology space progress can be very fascinating.

"DBM Energy - We Have Done Nothing Wrong. We have found information on the recent developments from the source - DBM Energy stands behind its claims about the world record drive in Electric Car on one charge. Situation is definitely far from the the crystal clear, but we will not discharge the lithium battery  technology break through with Lithium Metal Polymer Battery all together at this stage - we will monitor the situation. This invention is too big to keep it on the shelf and out of independent public verification.

Lithium Metal Polymer Battery from DBM Energy - Secret of The World Record With Electric Car Revealed.

"Last week we saw the news on numerous websites about the new magic battery from German start up DBM Energy, which allows to power an Electric Car for...600 km! We were digging the information and now can tell you - that if this information will be confirmed - we have a breakthrough in lithium  battery technology. We do not know the cost of this battery at this moment, its specific power and other specs, but claims are so impressive, that we still need further confirmation and verification by the third parties.
Over 300 Wh/kg - to put it in perspective - Nissan Leaf 24 kWh battery will be in this case 80 kg! Now weight of the battery pack for Nissan Leaf is 300kg. Renault Fluence 22 kWh battery weight is 250 kg.
Lifetime of 2500 Charge cycles without degradation - if you drive 200km every day and have to charge this battery every 3 days - you have 20 years of lifespan of this battery! Everything with a solid 10 year warranty will work for Electric Cars mass market. Solution so far was 8 year warranty by GM Volt and Nissan Leaf and Renault actually announced that they will lease the lithium batteries - we called it the breakthrough for EV mass market at the time. 
6 min charge time for 100 kWh - it is important to know with what kind of a fast charger it was done, but in anyway - if battery can sustain 2500 cycles with this kind of fast charger - it is another breakthrough. Question will in Charging Infrastructure, but it is 6 min for 100 kWh - too good to be true.

and it is ... LMP Lithium Metal Polymer!

Even if these claims will be true by only half in a normal market and industrial conditions we, maybe, have already stepped in another era for EVs. Lithium and REE resources will gain their strategic importance overnight now. Confirmation of these claims by DBM Energy means that we can move today to Electric Cars, even without the claimed cost advantage vs "normal" lithium cells technology. Even if the price now will happen to be the same as known technology - mass market production of electric cars will bring prices of the batteries down faster than 8% per year according to Elon Musk from Tesla Motors."

TheNewYorkTimes:

February 3, 2011

A 375-Mile Battery Range: Too Good to be True?
By SEBASTIAN BLANCO

Intrigues are not difficult to find in the world of electric vehicles. Whether it’s the saga of General Motors’ EV1 or Renault’s executive-sabotage case, E.V.’s generate intense controversy. The latest involves a battery pack employing what is called Kolibri alpha-polymer technology.

Last October, a Kolibri-powered Audi A2, converted by DBM Energy GmbH and Lekker Energie with funding from the German economy ministry, traveled from Munich to Berlin, around 375 miles, which the car covered in about seven hours without recharging. Upon arrival, its 115-kWh pack was only around 80 percent depleted, implying a total range of more than 400 miles from a pack weighing just 770 pounds. For comparison, the Tesla Roadster’s pack, which claims 245 miles of range, weighs 990 pounds.

If verified — and DBM states on its Web site that the inspection organization DEKRA checked the vehicle and also cites 30 eyewitnesses — it would be a world record. A specially designed battery-powered Daihatsu Mira went 623 miles on a track last May, but while only averaging 25 miles per hour. The 375-mile journey by the Lekker Mobil is notable because it was done on public roads in wet weather at an average speed of 55 m.p.h.

As for the controversy? The A2 disintegrated in a December fire while parked in a warehouse, though DBM claims that a makeshift battery unit, and not the one used during the supposed record run, was installed at the time. The fire is under police investigation, but it has prompted skeptics to further question whether DBM has anything to hide.

Peter Hoffmann, who publishes The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Letter Web site and newsletter, discovered that the organizations that were instrumental in the vehicle’s development were not backing down and intend to bring a Kolibri battery and another converted A2 to the CeBIT electronic industry show in Hanover, Germany, in March. Mr. Hoffmann reported that DBM planned to convert a third A2 as well as a BMW X5 and conduct more “confidence-building” tests later this month.

For its part, DBM exclaims on its Web site, “We have done nothing wrong!”, adding that its plans to bring the battery to market have not changed. DBM also claims to be working to bring Kolibri technology to stationary storage for renewable energy producers. A version of the battery is in service on a forklift operated by Papstar, a paper manufacturer.

Battery specifications provided to Mr. Hoffmann by DBM might prompt further incredulity among skeptics. The firm expects its pack to operate for 10 years, or 2,000 charge cycles. Mr. Hoffmann also cites estimates that the mass-production cost of a 98.8 kWh version of the pack would range from 800 to 1,000 euros, or from about $1,100 to $1,400, which is thousands below current costs.

“Needless to say, if these claims for vastly extended battery ranges are proven to be true, it could change the entire ballgame of battery electric power vs. hydrogen fuel-cell technology,” Mr. Hoffmann wrote.

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