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Thin-metal lead acid battery/capacitor
By | July 1, 2009
Next Alternative, Inc. Over the past five years the company has developed a breakthrough “hybrid” battery/capacitor that produces capacitor-like power while maintaining the energy storage ability of a conventional lead-acid battery. Based on advanced thin-metal lead-acid battery technology, this new-generation hybrid battery is four to five times more powerful than conventional lead-acid batteries and is ideal for applications that demand high-power and high reliability. End markets include transportation and military applications. Based on advanced thin-metal lead-acid battery technology, this new-generation hybrid battery is four to five times more powerful than conventional lead-acid batteries and is ideal for applications that demand high-power and high reliability. End markets include transportation and military applications.
Essentially, the battery represents a unique extrapolation of conventional VRLA electrochemistry and design into a new, non-conventional configuration similar to a capacitor. One principal difference: long and very thin continuous sheets of flexible lead foil, which provide a very large surface area to deliver high power instantly.
The flexible nature of the current collector also allows different configurations of cells and batteries for different applications as well as easy scalability.
The technology will threaten foreign providers of traditional lead-acid, Lithium-ion, Nickel-Metal Hydride, Nickel-Cadmium, and Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.
In the transportation markets, the company is developing systems to power the next generation of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles (HEVs, PHEVs). This technology is also being developed for other transportation markets including starter batteries for autos, motorcycles, ATVs, buses and trucks as well as alternative transportation vehicles, industrial equipment, and even military aircraft and tanks.
As such, the battery is a classic “disruptive” technology in that it improves a product in ways that the market does not expect by redefining a mature technology to provide more power at a lower price, in a smaller package, and for a broader range of applications than anything currently available, in the U.S. or globally.
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