General Motors (GM) is recycling used Chevy Volt batteries and putting them to good use by providing renewables-sourced power for the company’s new data center at its Milford Proving Ground. GM’s June 16 press release explains: Because the Volt typically draws its power from a band of energy in the battery pack, there is a lot […]
Quantum dots, battery boosts cap year in green materials
It’s been a great year if you’re the kind of techie that likes to dream up tomorrow’s gadgets. Mind you, it’s hard not to get caught up in this year’s stunning gear like the Nest smart thermometer or LG’s prototype OLED HDTV. But 2011 also brought us advancements in materials technology that could soon make […]
A123 spinoff: New battery tech reduces cost by 85%
Is that a cheap electric vehicle I see on the horizon? Yet-Ming Chiang, A123 Systems founder and an MIT materials researcher, claims to have come up with a new battery design that will cut the cost of battery packs — currently upwards of $10,000 — by up to 85 percent. The tech will be at […]
Cleantech VC Bright Spot: Batteries
The cleantech VC downturn isn’t all doom and gloom. That is, if you’re developing and producing the advanced battery technologies and fuel cells. Energy storage, it seems, is leading a venture-capital rebound. That may come as a surprise, given that…
