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Electric Car Drives 375 Miles at 55 mph, Recharges In 6 Minutes

 
42,318 views Oct 27, 2010
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Screenshot of DBM Energy's Audi A2 crossing the finish line of 375 mile drive.

Screenshot of DBM Energy's Audi A2 crossing the finish line of 375 mile drive.

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We all know that  battery packs are the weakest link in electric vehicles. Not only are they heavy and expensive, but they take a long time to recharge and on average can only provide around 100 miles per charge. 

A German-based company has changed all that with a new vehicle capable of driving up to 375 miles at moderate highway speeds.  

That’s roughly the equivalent of driving from Santa Barbara, CA to the Hoover Dam, without a recharge. 


It doesn’t end there. The company responsible for the battery pack, DBM Energy, claims a battery pack efficiency of 97 percent and a recharge time of around 6 minutes when charged from a direct current source. 

Unlike the small Daihatsu which was heavily modified by a team in Japan earlier this year that achieved a massive 623 miles on a charge at around 27 mph, the Audi A2 modified by DBM Energy was able to achieve its 375 miles range at an average speed of 55 mph. 

In contrast to the Japanese Daihatsu which had just one seat to enable more batteries to be squeezed into its diminutive frame, the DBM A2 retained its four original seats. 

At the end of the historic drive, DBM’s CEO Mirko Hannemann, who has been driving the car for around seven hours between the German cities of Munich and Berlin even offered to charge up the cellphones of the waiting journalists with the remaining power left in the car. 

Funded as part of a joint venture between German utility company Lekker Energie and the German Economy Ministry, the prototype battery offers a glimpse into the future of the electric car. 

DBM Energy Audi A2 Electric Car

DBM Energy Audi A2 Electric Car

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Don’t think for a second that this is a one-off battery pack. DBM’s battery technology, called KOLIBRI AlphaPolymer, is already in use in the unglamorous role of warehouses, where forklift trucks running on the same battery pack are capable of 28 hours of continuous operation before recharging is required. 

We’re always a little cautious of battery technologies offering ultra-fast recharge and a magnitude of range improvement on other battery chemistry types, but everything we’ve seen and heard from DBM Energy thus far points to a battery technology we’re all keen to watch. 

Could this be the future of electric vehicles? Is it ready?

If the battery technology is truly as revolutionary as this impressive journey hints and the battery packs from DBM are ready for the arduous duties of daily abuse at the hands of electric car drivers worldwide it is conceivable that this could be the answer to range anxiety. 

Even more, dare we suggest it, the conventional combustion engined car may have met its match. 

Only time will tell. 

 





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Comments (36)

  1. LS Posted: 10/27/2010 10:34am PDT

    Why have we never heard of this battery technology before? If it is used in fork lifts, surely automakers would be aware of it. What aren't we being told about this battery? Does it have a short lifespan or is it unsafe? What is the downside with it that prevents other manufacturers from using them in hybrids?
     
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  2. Chris O Posted: 10/27/2010 11:38am PDT

    If it sounds too good to be true...you check out their website for starters. I took a look at DBM-energy's website which is surprisingly uninformative about the exact nature of the battery technology they claim to possess. No specs no pictures, nothing that could make their claims credible. I did find a weird press release about how their 240 AH "kolibri"battery lasted longer than a 750AH lead acid battery in a forklift test. Does that make sense to anyone?
    The only thing they do seem to have on offer is some book with the information on current battery technology "they don't want you to know" for only €249,- which of course is a real bargain for such forbidden knowledge. I really hope I'm wrong here but is this "record"just some kind of book (or stock?) promotion tour?
     
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  3. ev enthusiast Posted: 10/27/2010 12:21pm PDT

    guys, dont worry about the technology being created. when the bigwigs want it to come out, it will come out.
    if we need cars that go 350 miles on a charge IN ORDER TO SELL CARS, we will have cars that go 350 miles on a charge.
    AND NOT BEFORE THEN.
     
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  4. fb_100000473084758 avatar Joe Tomicki Posted: 12/11/2011 3:37pm PST

    there are people that make there owne stuff and have things that are way ahead of time.
     
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  5. cdspeed Posted: 10/27/2010 1:18pm PDT

    This is very exciting news a new battery, 6 minute charges would be fantastic. And @ ev enthusiast, my cousin frequently drives between two and three hundred miles in a work day, and sometimes he drives over 600 miles in a day. I think optional ranges would be the way to go, you wouldn't have to buy more than you need, although people always want to buy more than they need. I'd like a high range, most of my family live on the east coast of my state, it's a little over two hundred miles one way.
     
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  6. Jerry Posted: 10/27/2010 1:57pm PDT

    Why was this link removed from the "AllCarsElectric" main page?
     
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  7. ruimegas Posted: 10/27/2010 3:58pm PDT

    If I would LEAF buyers I'll give the buy and will wait until this new battery will be out and ready. In the meantime I'll get me LEAF earlier ;)
     
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  8. fb_100000458268753 avatar Neil Blanchard Posted: 10/27/2010 6:23pm PDT

    If this is real, then the end of the ICE age is in sight.
    Sincerely, Neil
     
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  9. solar thekpv Posted: 10/27/2010 8:58pm PDT

    I sure hope it is legit
     
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  10. ev enthusiast Posted: 10/27/2010 9:45pm PDT

    hi cd,
    if you and i were designing the ev industry, that is a wonderful conclusion.
    however, keep in mind what i previously stated - they will only release what is needed to sell the cars that they can make.
    so i dont think you will see that until we have a very mature ev market. the reason being if they came out with one model that could go 400 miles on a charge, everyone would know that the technology exists, and would clamor for it.
    at this point, the overwhelming amount of the masses believe that we havent gotten the technology just yet, so they will get the best that is available.
    and the bigwigs want to keep it that way, cuz they will get more new cars sales that way. just look at what happens with sales on every other product.
    for a long time, the tv standard was a 19 inch screen. then came the 20 inch screen, the 21 inch screen, and so forth. they did not go from the 19 to the 45 in one fell swoop.
    you and i would be designing what is best for us consumers. unfortunately, that is not how it works when the bigwigs are in control.
     
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  11. fb_550541923 avatar Neil Carmichael Posted: 10/27/2010 10:59pm PDT

    From the digging I've done, the battery seems to be a variation of lithium polymer, lipo's drawback is that like almost all new battery formulations it requires careful management particularly when charging.
    If this can make it's way into production it'd be great news for EV's
     
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  12. Lad Posted: 10/27/2010 11:14pm PDT

    I cannot believe this battery technology slipped by the electrical engineers at the various auto companies. Surely they evaluated its use and positive and negative considerations. For example, Nissan has been evaluating batteries for decades now,why would they not use this chemistry?...got to be some good reasons...what aree they?
     
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  13. Chris Herrmann Posted: 10/28/2010 1:28am PDT

    Hi there,
    German press says, that the batteries take 20 minutes to reload, not 6 min. In fact, the battery-system seems still to be suffering from some security-issues. Not long ago a test vehicle battery (in a forklift) melted down and caused some trouble at the production site (papstar).
    Cheers Chris
     
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  14. fb_100000458268753 avatar Neil Blanchard Posted: 10/28/2010 5:44am PDT

    Yes, I agree the car is not super efficient, but the battery seems to be the revolutionary thing.
    If this is real, then the end of the ICE age is here.
    They are also saying the batter is 97% efficient, which a bit better than current batteries (which are ~94% as I understand it?).
    They had ~18% charge left, and since we don't know what the DOD is, a wild ass guess is they used ~90kWh, and this works out to ~240Wh/mile. Which is very plausible, though not outstanding. At 660 pounds, this battery could be used in Dave Cloud's Dolphin and since it is 1,300 pounds lighter, it could get below 100Wh/mile -- and have a range of about 1,000 miles!
    *That* would be a revolution!
    Translated from this page: http://adacemobility.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/das-wunder-von-berlin/#more-744
    "Technical Data Audi A2 DBM *
    * Subject
    Empty weight (including driver) 1260 kg
    Perm. Total weight 1600 kg
    Battery lithium-iron-polymer (260 Ah/380 V) cell voltage of 3.8 volts
    Battery weight about 300 kg
    Charging time about 4 hours due to mains phase current in the household (380)
    battery requires 6 minutes (future solution)
    Life time 2500 charge cycles (without loss of capacity)
    = Service life target: 500,000 km
    Top speed 160 km / h
    5-speed sequential gearbox (race gear: shifting without the clutch)
    E-motor 300 Nm torque"
    So, the 6 minute charge is future/theoretical limits of the battery. The actual time is 4 hours; which is still very impressive.
    Sincerely, Neil
     
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  15. jrup Posted: 10/28/2010 7:43am PDT

    I agree with EV ENTHUSIAST. Imagine where we'd be if the oil companies hadn't prevailed 100+ years ago over the electric car. And all the time they had us chasing conspiracy theories about 100mpg carberators - the real conspiracy was (and still is) the ultra-efficient battery electric! And it will be released a pinch at a time, else where are the excessive profits?
     
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  16. James Posted: 10/28/2010 7:54am PDT

    You are all surprised? Seriously? The longer range is all about cost. Nissan stated that they went with the 100 mile range to keep the car affordable. Once the Tennessee battery facility comes on line Nissan will be able to reduce the cost even more. Gen 2 LEAF (2013-2014) will have a 200+ mile range and will still be affordable.
     
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  17. fb_100000458268753 avatar Neil Blanchard Posted: 10/28/2010 8:13am PDT

    Here's a translated link to a related article, and a picture of one of the cells:
    http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.handelsblatt.com%2Ftechnologie%2Fforschung%2Fhochleistungsakku-kraftpaket-mit-grosser-ausdauer%3B2543289&sl=de&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8
    Sincerely, Neil
     
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  18. Chris O Posted: 10/28/2010 11:10am PDT

    Neil, thanks for the links. Hannemann's story doesn't quite seem to add up though. He claims his technology which at 330 wh/kg; 2500 cycle life and incredible fast charge capability is an absolute game changer was rejected by Siemens, apparently because EV's with long range capability "aren't in the interest of the clients". Obviously had this been real everybody who's business was threatened by this highly disruptive technology would have made very sure they were all over this company to either stop/delay the technology from reaching the market (think Chevron's involvement in NiMH) or at least make sure they were the ones making the multi billion profit (well, assuming this can be produced at a competitive price). Also there were some irregularities during the record attempt: the press bus lost sight of the Audi a few times and a notary who would drive along in the test vehicle to witness the attempt was somehow unable to make it.
     
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  19. Dave Posted: 10/28/2010 12:21pm PDT

    Sounds like EESTOR all over again.
     
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  20. LarryB Posted: 10/28/2010 9:08pm PDT

    If this technology is really able to increase the energy density this significantly, it could be a game changer. However, claiming a "6-minute charge" is extremely disingenuous. Giving them a very efficient 60kWhr for their 375 mile drive, you would need a 600kW feed to recharge that in 6 minutes. Even off a 14.4kV main, that would require a 40A current. I don't think refueling stations are going to be comfortable with that sort of liability, or the 3" cables it would take to deliver that much power. Sorry folks, electric cars have to be plugged in overnight.
     
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  21. Foo Posted: 10/28/2010 9:13pm PDT

    @cdspeed: You can buy consumer laser printers for $100 too, but if you tried to print 1,000 pages per day on them in a business environment they'd die well within their warranty, which would be invalidated because of the "excessive usage" pattern.
    Your cousin driving 200-300 miles per day would obviously be buying a business version EV, like an EV Mercedes Sprinter, and not a consumer version EV, like an EV Toyota RAV4.
     
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  22. techs Posted: 10/29/2010 12:44am PDT

    TVs did not change from 19" to 45" in one product cycle because any company trying to replace their 19" TVs with a 45" model would have gone out of business.
    Yes, last year you could buy a 19" TV for $500. This year we replaced that model with a 45" TV which runs $175,000. Get them while supplies last.
    If there was some breakthrough in battery tech then great. Battery tech has not been improving anything like TVs, cameras, computers, or other consumer electronic devices. Battery improvements are not linear.
    Sure, maybe there are interests focused on holding back technology leaps but those leaps will come from discoveries not a simple "let's design the next better model" approach like TVs.
     
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  23. John Posted: 10/29/2010 1:06am PDT

    For the guy saying "there is nothing on their website regarding the technology"... I just went to Ford's website and I didn't see any decent specs on their cars, no graphs either. And I also went to Microsoft's website, no Windows available for free, so we can see how good the product is. Expecting a company to tell you everything from their product is not understanding modern society...
     
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  24. Essiemme Posted: 10/29/2010 2:00am PDT

    Anyone knows if Nissan is looking into this new technology ??
    I know it's too early, but it might boost the Leaf acceptance worldwide. Besides, I don't think the japs would like to "stay behind"... ;)
    Greetings.
    Essiemme - Portugal/Europe
     
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  25. Oppersjaak Posted: 10/29/2010 2:56am PDT

    The battery technology used here is not a very new one. If u have a 'new' phone and check your battery it will almost always say Li-Po, LiPo or Li-Polymer. It is the same technology as DBM has used in its Kolibri battery pack.
    source (german): http://www.dbm-energy.com/index.php?ms=Faq&PHPSESSID=5284e9159236c9873e6962da921fdc7e&ft=1265026644
     
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  26. Paul Rako Posted: 10/29/2010 8:00am PDT

    Sorry, either this guy is a con artist or there is a severe translation problem in the information coming from Germany. As a previous commentator pointed out, a 6-minute recharge is impossible, you can't practically deliver that much energy into anything, other then pouring in liquid fuel. The speed of your EV charging is not limited by the battery chemistry, it is limited by the size of the transformer on the pole outside your house. We cannot have charging stations only at power-plant substations.
    The same goes for this "revolutionary" battery chemistry. I have never heard of lithium metal polymer, simply because lithium IS the metal. This huckster has taken some Kokem li-polymer cells and stuffed them into pack. He put them in a fork truck and neglects to tell us cycle life, temperature range (this really kills lithium batteries) or any other real data. Don't tell me that his website does not need to have information-- this is a component and he should have a data-sheet and tons of data. Please don't think the entire world is incompetent or conspiratorial-- this is is just a criminal and an attention whore, simple as that.
    Finally, 350miles at 55mph is not that big a deal. A Nisan Leaf with its 100 mile real-word range will probably get 200 if you drive it at a constant 55mph. It's all about the drive cycle.
     
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  27. Bill Furry Posted: 10/29/2010 8:09am PDT

    The US would have been the one to do this if they hadn't thrown all their will behind aborting the electric car.
     
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  28. cdspeed Posted: 10/29/2010 1:32pm PDT

    @ foo, you've assumed a bit much. My cousin is an executive who drives luxury and exotic cars like I do. If I were to steer him toward any EV at this time it would be the Tesla Model S.
     
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  29. motornature Posted: 11/3/2010 11:02am PDT

    Just a little correction. The batteries used by this car are not used by forklift trucks anywhere. Only one forklift has been fitted with them, by DBM Energy itself, to showcase their technology before they had enough confidence to try it in a car.
    Lithium-Metal-Polymer batteries are different from regular lithium-polymer batteries because they have metal-coated anodes, whereas they are carbon-coated in standard lithium-polymer.
     
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  30. HHJ Posted: 11/4/2010 10:50pm PDT

    Like always, journalists gallop away with fuzzy information and create half-truths. In another article about this event I read that the current normal charging cycle to 100% is 4 hours, which is still very good. The 6 minutes were stated by the DBM company "as calculatory, theoretical possible charging time". We will see in the future, how it will develop.However, imagine 375 miles endurance at normal speed, a standardized battery that can be automatically exchanged at gas stations in 90 seconds, as proposed by Renault-Nissan and Shai Agassi’s Better Place Company and already reality in Yokohama, Japan, the gas/diesel car definitely and really will meet its match.
    EVs without the battery will be cheaper than gas cars, as the basic EV as such is much simpler designed and cheaper to mass-produce. With the battery "leased" from the gas/service station and customers paying the share of the battery amortization (miniscule at 2500 charging cycles....wow), the actual charge and a service fee, we will see a revolution. At $10,000 battery price the amortization (including interest) will be probably in the range of 5-6 bucks, the charge about 2 and the service fee another $1-2. So for about $10 "fuel" costs 375 miles - that will be hard to beat!
     
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  31. Dave Posted: 11/14/2010 6:56pm PST

    This story ought to light a fire under EESTOR.
     
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  32. Gene Posted: 11/14/2010 7:54pm PST

    I was at an auto show today and I asked the dealer representative if the Nissan Leaf used a Li ion battery. He said no, a Li ion polymer battery. Look this up in Wikipedia. There is an extended discussion. The microphone I am using is a Plantronics USB-CS 50 wireless headset. When I opened the microphone on rare occasion to disconnect the battery to reset the base and headset pairing, the battery is identical to the one described in Wikipedia. A small foil pouch inside a rigid plastic receptacle. I have always wondered why the plastic cover to that was so difficult to remove. After reading the Wikipedia article, I now know why. The microphone manufacturer did not want battery expansion to pop off the cover. this type of battery has been in use since about 1996. Anymore "mysteries?"
     
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  33. Jim Posted: 12/2/2010 6:54am PST

    It takes longer than 6 minutes to recharge the battery in my notebook computer ??????
     
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  34. JRP3 Posted: 12/13/2010 3:08pm PST

    The LEAF does not use a lithium polymer battery, it uses Lithium Manganate, LiMn.
    Laptop batteries are LiCo. Different chemistries have different characteristics.
     
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  35. Paul Bennett Posted: 1/3/2011 3:34pm PST

    Ya no what the folk lift Batts have been around for years its obvious why we are not using then wake up smell the coffee guys WE ARE NOT PUT ON THIS EARTH to benefit from any thing that is practically free and easy the big fat cats wont us to fill their pockets with millions of dollars drrrrrrrr
    Listen i have been investing in alternat energy for 10 years and like my self we are looking to deep and complicated
    Not any more the obvious has hit me smack in the face And get this i am of to china to put it together.Don't need loads a batteries either (THINK ABOUT IT )
     
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  36. fb_1416462684 avatar Andrew Igliori Posted: 4/5/2011 11:40am PDT

    .
     
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