Ceramic Battery Could Be Breakthrough for Electric Cars

The Holy Grail keeping the electric car from supplanting today’s gasoline vehicles has always been energy. Batteries that have been used in electric vehicles of the past — and even the recent Tesla electric sports car — are large, have limited ranges and take hours to charge.

A new company called EEStor is working on a ceramic device — don’t call it a battery — that will deliver a range of 500 miles on $9 worth of power, which equals about $60 worth of gasoline at today’s prices. The technology is still being worked on, but the device contains no hazardous materials and can be fully charged in five minutes.

The Tesla proves that an electric car can be fast. It hits 60 mph in 4 seconds and has a top speed of 130 mph. Unfortunately, it also has a range of just 250 miles and needs more than three hours to charge. A power pack like the one EEStor is working on will make any electric car both practical and efficient, and may even kill the gasoline-powered car.

[Gentlemen, Stop Your Engines, Business 2.0]