Rafael, Harvey D, Stan and others.
I´m confused with the 25 Kw you are speaking about. The article says "AeroViroment´s high voltage 125 Kw rated" and this is the power needed to charge 18 Kwh in about 10 minutes(1/6h).
125 Kw*1/6 h=20.83 Kwh consider the charge-discharge efficiency.

critts - I totally agree. And that is presumably why SmithEV ( http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com ) is specifically targetting the return-to-base delivery fleets with its current range of roadgoing all-electric vans. Come the day when serious progress in battery development makes the recharge argument irrelevant, every maker on the planet will be targetting every driver. But for now, SmithEV are coining it, and Tanfield Group (their UK owner) has seen its share price soar nineteenfold in little over a year (I know because I own some!). In December their first US-built vehicles will begin production at Fresno, California (1000 in year one, and several times that in year two when a new 250,000sq.ft US factory is finished)

I've been looking into stock in both A123 and Altair nano. As far as I can see A123 isn't publicly traded, has anyone found different?

I'm watching for Altair to settle some, because I want it. Why haven't they found a bigger customer than Phoenix yet? Are they managed well?

Oops. Ninefold is what I meant in my last post, not nineteenfold!

One point to make on the charging stations...

Altair is using its own batteries to store a charge which is then transferred to the vehicle (at least that is part of their overall plan). These stations will have battery capacity enough to quick charge 3 or 4 vehicles. Thus, unless numerous vehicles were backed up waiting for a quick charge, a station could use a much lower power requirements to recharge the charging station itself (and thus do away with the need for high-voltage lines running directly to the station as well as the potential problems of peak power draw). This is much the same concept as the power-leveling stations that they are working on with power companies. It is part of the appeal of Altair batteries--they can both charge and discharge (and thus transfer) power at the same extremely rapid rate. Sure, you still need a hefty cord connecting the station to the vehicle, but I'm pretty confident in the possibility of making this at least as safe as petrol fueling.

Instead of quick recharging why not exchange the battery and then the station recharges the exhausted battery for the next client, and so on ...

Ivan

Ivan: the main objection to battery exchange is that the battery packs will be of different quality.

Who wants to have a new car with brand new batteries under warranty and take the luck of the draw 200 miles later when a four-year-old battery pack slides into your car? Who warrants that one?

So exchanges must have an $$ adjustment for battery quality. And accurate assessment of that quality is not easily done.

The quality problem is not fatal but it is a concern. There are other problems too. A standard pack can't be too big or small vehicles can't use it. The pack can't be too small or large vehicles will use several with a weight penalty.

Access to the pack compartment of the vehicle must be standardized. That is a bit more complex than using a simple filler hose or electrical plug.

Ivan: the main objection to battery exchange is that the battery packs will be of different quality.

Who wants to have a new car with brand new batteries under warranty and take the luck of the draw 200 miles later when a four-year-old battery pack slides into your car? Who warrants that one?

So exchanges must have an $$ adjustment for battery quality. And accurate assessment of that quality is not easily done.

The quality problem is not fatal but it is a concern. There are other problems too. A standard pack can't be too big or small vehicles can't use it. The pack can't be too small or large vehicles will use several with a weight penalty.

Access to the pack compartment of the vehicle must be standardized. That is a bit more complex than using a simple filler duct or electrical plug.

Station charging does eliminate the on-board charging electronics. That is good, but electronics is not the cost problem. And some is needed anyway to recover braking and coasting energy.

I doubt that PHEVs and BEVs will be charged directly with 25Kv or 125 Kv. It will most probably use existing voltage standards such as 660 VAC @ 100 amps = 66 KWh/hour or about 11 KWh/10 minutes.

Appropriate 660 VAC/100 Amps flexible cable and connectors already exist. Of course you would plug your car in with the power source switch (OFF). An interlock would prevent you from doing otherwise.

Once properly connected, pushing a microswitch (ON) button would do the rest. Disconnecting the power source would be automatic when your batteries are full or manually by pushing the microswitch button once again.

Let's not complicate something that is easy to do.

Although it seems likely that petro and electric franchises will be competitors - some forward looking companies like BP would do well to get onboard with quick charge stations from the get go. Establishing a brand name in support of PHEV/BEV vehicles will go a long way to build customer recognition and will help the launch of BEVs with Altair-type batteries.

Building a separate electric charge island in most fuel stations should not prove difficult especially with some incentives and a local fleet contract to help financing. Another possibility is to build out "fast, medium and slow" charge stations and price the time factor accordingly.

Looks like good news for Alti investors.

Hi everybody,

NEWTEON is the european distributor for Micro-Vett EV and others.

I just wanted to inform you that FIAT IS working together with Micro-Vett on EV.

During the world first présentation of the NEW FIAT FIORINO, the 4th of October at Transpotech Milano, FIAT proposed on the same stand the electric version prepared by Micro-Vett for FIAT (and for NEWTEON ;)

www.newteon.com

http://www.motorsport.it/articolo/3045/fiat_fiorino.html

best regards,
Sergio Contaldo

You can see a video of the vehicle being charged here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcbx57Azisw
The same youtube account also has some other footage you may enjoy of the vehicle in motion.

One important precision: the standard Micro-Vett Doblò uses lithium-ion batteries and not lead-acid batteries as mentionned in the article.
Sandie Giacobi

Investment capital can be very difficult to come by. If we want innovation to lead the way, we will have to form the capital more readily.

Who can tell me how much for this cool all-electric wagon? Thanks

I'm an Altair shareholder from Norway. I have been accumulating here since February 2007. I see some of you ask about the price of the Altair batteries. Actually this is given in the presentation at Go Greens homepage.

By now, as far as I know, one battery-package has been delivered. The price charged by Altairnano is 2$ pr watt.

Go Green are now working in two areas: Getting potential customers in the fleet market for these rebuilt Fiat's and financing a smaller network of fast recharge stations in the rural Oslo area.

Hi, I've discovered ALTAIR tecnology recently, i'm from Italy, but FIAT and the national media dont have spent a word about this bettery innovation or collaboration of Micro-Wett with FIAT or ALTAIR, not a word!!!
Fiat Leader MONTEZEMOLO is too occupied to think a FERRARI world championship or a selling of 500!!
Our politics wants stop our gasoline vehicles euro 0 to help the selling of new model, not a word on the Evs!!

alti go ahead make my day....
this company looks like a hot air balloon....
exclusive contract with phoenix???????
looks to me like a fake....if they got the good then they would not have done this....their technology is not belonged to them it is probably belong to the government?????
good luck in getting your hand on one of these gooffyy stuff.....hahahahahaha

nice blog find salvage auto links here http://autobuysell.wsnw.net

hi i m from amsterdam and i want to say there are more state of the art batteries in america i know Altair nano and A123 but also look at Valence and Enerdel but fore now
i think altair is the best and i hope i will drive an ev powered bij one of these in the near electric future.don t think about waterloosecells it,s a waste of money and energy.

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