Metal-air batteries seem to be pretty good for hearing aids. For EVs, I'm not so sure. The main problem is that they're primary batteries - not rechargeable. When they're discharged, you have to rebuild them. (Some people call them metal fuel cells.)
Alcan and Unique Mobility worked with Aluminum-Air batteries in the late 1980s. They had a prototype system running in an Electrek EV (UM's intriguing limited production purpose-built EV) but eventually concluded it wasn't practical. In the 1990s, an Israeli company, Electric Fuel Corporation, developed Zn- Air batteries with rebuildable zinc "cassettes." They collaborated with the German Post on a trial program of EVs using these batteries. After several years, the Post concluded that it wasn't a viable system. Electric Fuel seems to have pretty much abandoned Zn-Air battery research and now concentrates on conventional battery chemistries for industrial, medical, and military uses. http://www.efbpower.com/oem/ This isn't to say it's hopeless, just that there seem to be some substantial hurdles for metal-air batteries in EVs. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
