Electric Batteries
August 5th, 2011
Electric batteries have been getting a lot of attention lately, as gas prices have skyrocketed and the global recession continues to hit hard. Consumers that rely on their automobiles for everyday use have been more and more receptive to fuel-efficient vehicles. With the launch of cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, the automotive industry is starting to indicate that changes are coming.
These new technologies are far from perfect, however. Both the Leaf and the Volt are limited to about 100 miles to the charge, far less than the standard gas powered car. People are uneasy about the possibility of being stranded with a dead battery and nowhere to charge it, as charging stations are still hard to come by. Battery manufacturing companies are furiously scrambling to get around these limitations, and investment in battery technology is higher than ever. San Francisco has emerged as one of the leading hubs of battery innovation, housing companies like Tesla Motors and plenty of other smaller startups.
The biggest issues these companies are facing are trying to increase the range batteries can go and the speed at which they charge – while keeping the price tag low. This has proved to be an extremely difficult task. As gas prices continue to rise, however, the incentive to solve these problems gets higher than ever.
Categories: Car Buying Tips
