In the race to bring to market the first scalable PHEV, it all comes down to developing the best battery that delivers the furthest range, longest life and lowest cost. And one company may have it figured out. Altairnano, a Reno, Nev.-based company with prototyping and design operations in Andersen, Ind., has patented a battery that can power a vehicle for hundreds of miles, charge in ten minutes and last upwards of 20 years and 20,000 cycles. This battery relies on nanobattery technology comprising ceramics and lithium materials and, according to Altairnano CEO Dr. Alan Gotcher, it’s completely safe. The battery is already in use in the Phoenix Motorcar‘s SUT, which recently made an appearance at a White House press event with President Bush. Altairnano is also involved in studying Vehicle to Grid technology, and is working with several other industries that may benefit from nanobattery technology. In this podcast, Gotcher provides a close look at the technology and the promise it represents, explaining how it differs from current batteries and the challenges his company faces in bringing the battery to market as a public company — one which just announced a 54 percent increase in 2006 revenues.

Tags: Alan Gotcher, Altairnano, nanobattery, PHEV
 
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