2007 – Year of the electric car | COSMOS magazine

2007 – Year of the electric car | COSMOS magazine: "The company claims that their battery shows a cycle life in excess of 20,000 charges and discharges while still retaining 85 per cent of its capacity to store energy. If proven, this would be a revolutionary breakthrough, especially since Altairnano also claims their battery can be recharged not in hours, but in less than 10 minutes.

By way of comparison, the typical lithium battery takes from two to six hours to recharge, its power density is less than 1,000 watts per kilogram (w/kg), and it operates over a temperature range of 0�C to 40�C. In contrast, Altairnano's data show that their battery has a power density of 4,000 w/kg and the ability to safely operate from -50� C to 75� C. But just how safe is 'safe'?

To answer this question, Gotcher gave me a description of the various tests to which the company subjected the battery: short circuit, forced discharge, over charge, over discharge, nail puncture, crush, over temperature, and a drop test. The battery survived all these trials without any smoke or fire."