Aluminum-Air Battery System: Israel’s Phinergy Tests 1,100-Mile Range Electric Car

Israeli start-up Phinergy Ltd. is road testing a 1,100-mile range electric car based on a hybrid lithium-ion and aluminum-air battery system based on technology originating at Bar Ilan University and produced in Canada in collaboration with Alcoa Canada.

Phinergy’s prototype uses the lithium-ion battery for short trips and the aluminum-air battery for longer hauls.

The aluminum-air technology uses oxygen naturally occurring in the air to fill its cathode. Aluminum-air batteries discharge turns the metal into aluminum hydroxide, which can then be recycled to make new batteries. This makes it far lighter than liquid filled lithium-ion batteries to give the car a far greater range.

The aluminum battery has to be replaced every few months, but its components are recyclable. Alcoa Canada partnered with Phinergy to produce the batteries.

Phinergy has already successfully road-tested the prototype in Canada. The car is expected to hit the market in 2017.

Source: Globes