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

Israeli Army to Start Serving Vegan Food in All Mess Halls

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that plant-based food options, as well as non-leather boots and wool-free berets will be provided to vegan soldiers in order to accommodate the surge of veganism in Israel.

A protest last October led to this move, as vegan service members made it clear that their needs were not being met under the current policy system. Previously, vegan soldiers had to assert in the presence of a lawyer that they are vegan and were given a monthly allowance that was not sufficient to cover a full day of vegan meals.

The popularity of veganism in Israel is leading to policy changes that reflect the country's interest in plant-based, cruelty-free food and lifestyle options. As a simple comparison, 3% of Israel's population of approximately 8 million are vegan as compared to .5% of the US population of 300 million. This has led to Domino's Pizza offering its first ever vegan pizza in Israel, along with a vegan congress and vegan festival that took place in Israel that attracted over 15,000 attendees.

Read more about it here.

Off to enjoy a decadent vegan dessert, till next time!

J