Course:ECON371/UBCO2011WT1/GROUP 7 - f

http://www.greenprogress.com/transportation_article.php?id=1779 Toshiba Battery that Reaches 80% Charge in 15 Minutes to Power New Mitsubishi Electric Vehicles

Summary： Toshiba Corporation has invented a new type of battery called the SCiB. It has been selected by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation for use on their new models of electric vehicles, the i-MiEV and MINICAB-MiEV. SCiB is an extraordinary technology designed by Toshiba Corporation. The batteries have several characteristics such as a longer lifespan, higher levels of safety, rapid and excellent charging and lower temperatures of output that make them most suitable for use on electric vehicles. SCiBs employ lithium titanate oxide in the anode, this will reduce the risk of short circuiting and ensure better performance of the battery during severe situations. In the SCiB battery, lithium-ion can support 2.5 times the charge cycles than a general lithium-ion battery. One important feature about SCiB is that it is charge cycle is half that of a general lithium-ion battery. An SCiB battery can charge to 80 percent of full capacity in about 15 minutes, it only takes 10 minutes to charge to 50 percent and 25 percent only takes about 5 minutes. Another important things is that SCiBs have a very high level of performance efficiency and storage capacity. That means that driving electric vehicles can be safer and more exciting thanks to the increase in power. The range of these new batteries allow vehicles to travel 1.7 times the distance than before. The revolutionary aspect of the SCiB battery is smaller size and lower price. Mitsubishi’s new SCiB battery will be manufactured at Toshiba’s Kashiwazaki Operation in Japan.

Analysis: SCiBs utilize a technology that promotes and advances the charging process of electric vehicles. We can assume they will increase the use of electric vehicles and increase their attractive to potential users. The combination of existing moral suasion factors surrounding fuel-efficient vehicles and economic incentives that the average consumer can easily identify with make this product a very promising advance in terms of the expansion of EVs.These new breakthroughs in EV battery technology will also increase people’s confidence about EV industry. The attractive feature about EV batteries will potentially shift the demand of EVs. Due to all of these factors, we could expect to see the release of these batteries correlated with an increase in EV purchases. One avenue that seems worthwhile exploring is a serious government incentive to encourage consumer purchases of these vehicles. I believe a subsidy on the vehicles themselves would be most efficient since the decrease in fuel costs is already a factor in the decision to buy an EV and the high initial costs of the new technology related to the sector could be big factors in low demand. Another large factor raised by this article are the clear environmental benefits of a battery that can withstand a significantly larger number of charges. Improperly discarded batteries leak extremely damaging acids into the environment. The longer their operating life, the fewer will be disposed of in general and therefore the fewer will be disposed of improperly and result in harmful waste. This raises the possibility of governments implementing a technology-based standard. If SCiBs live up to Mitsubishi's claims, it seems the benefits from imposing a technological standard would far outweigh the costs (unless the MD curve is flat or the MAC curve is steep, in which case policy-makers should be very wary of making a mistake in setting the standard) SCiBs will, like all batteries, eventually expire. The disposal procedure could be another issue which may bring damage to the environment as well, although the advances in battery-technology have flattened the MAC curve. On the cost side, Toshiba has to devote a large amount of its budget to building an operating structure to incorporate SCiBs into the vehicle manufacturing process. I believe the greatest benefit this technology would achieve is a reduction in vehicle emissions brought about by an increase in EVs and a decrease in gasoline and/or diesel vehicles. This would have positive effects on the rate of atmospheric ozone depletion, greenhouse gas buildup, air pollution, water pollution and (presuming EVs to be quieter) noise pollution. All this on top of much lower every-day fuel and transportation costs for consumers makes this technology a large increase in EV potential.

Prof's Comments

Your organization is pretty scattered, but you've hit some good points. This battery, if not significantly costly relative to other technologies, can effectively reduce the cost of electric vehicles. This should increase demand, and correspondingly reduce demand for conventional vehicles and for fuel.

A big issue is the charging infrastructure. Can they be charged with the same system that other vehicles use? When a conventional vehicle runs out of gas, you can walk to the station and use a cheap can to bring fuel to it. Is there any practical way to do this with an electric vehicle of any kind?

8/10