$12,000, 340 Mile Zinc-Air Battery Could Hit Markets Next Year

Battery packs remain a big problem for electric vehicles as their limited range, heavyweight, and high cost really limit access to EV’s. But companies and universities the world over are working on creative solutions, among them Eos Energy. Eos, which has secured a lot of financing in the past few months, believes it can bring a $160 kWh battery to market as soon as next year.

Low-Priced Batteries Right Around The Corner?

Eos Energy, who has graced these pages before as purveyors of a refillable “liquid” battery, is not planning to apply their zinc-air batteries to electric cars right off the bat. Rather, the batteries, which rely on much-cheaper zinc, will first be applied to grid storage (such as solar panel systems). However, Eos Energy may eventually migrate the technology over to the automotive market.

So far the zinc-air batteries have managed to survive 2,000+ recharge cycles without degradation, and they could even be refilled in the same way we refill gas tanks today. That would cut down on “charging” time, and the cheap nature of the batteries could mean a 70 kWh battery could cost just over $11,000.

That sounds like a lot, but considering the $30,000+ premium Tesla Motors charges to make the jump from 40 kWh to 85 kWh, it suddenly seems more like a bargain. A battery pack of that size could, depending on the size of the car, deliver 250 to 300 miles of range per-charge. All of this, perhaps as soon as 2013? Sounds like we’ll know soon enough if this project really does have any merit.

Source: Gas 2.0