AeroVironment shows Altairnano 10 minute recharge

AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) has demonstrated the fast charge capability of Altairnano's (NASDAQ: ALTI) lithium chemistry electric vehicle battery pack for representatives of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

The 35kWh (kilowatt-hour) battery pack was designed for use in the Phoenix Motorcar Sport Utility Truck. The pack is designed to allow the truck to travel more than 100 miles on a single charge.

The demonstration, conducted by engineers at AeroVironment's Monrovia, California Energy Technology Center, was a milestone in battery fast charging, demonstrating the capability of fully charging the pack in less than ten minutes.

Altairnano's claim of a ten minute charge time has been met with some raised eyebrows. CEO Alan Gotcher answered skeptics and outlined his company's technology to the Cleantech Group this past February (see Altairnano power play.)

On-board battery packs that supply electricity to electric vehicles are perceived as being unable to provide sufficient driving range to promote widespread consumer adoption.

The expanded range of Altair Nanotechnologies’ battery pack, combined with its demonstrated ability to fast charge the pack in a short amount of time, could broaden the appeal of electric vehicles to a wider segment of the automobile driving population, the two companies said today.

AeroVironment engineers used a grid-connected advanced battery charger rated at 250kW. Prior testing of the Altairnano NanoSafe battery technology by AeroVironment demonstrated that such battery packs can sustain several cycles per day of ten minute charging and two hour discharging. Each cycle is equivalent to an electric vehicle traveling for two hours at 60 miles per hour.

AV was a pioneer in the conception and development of alternative energy vehicles such as the solar-powered GM Sunraycer, winner of the 1987 Australian Solar Challenge, the all-electric GM Impact, prototype for General Motors’ EV-1 electric automobile and several project-based hybrid electric and fuel cell powered vehicles.

AV created one of the first fast charge systems for early consumer electric vehicles. Its PosiCharge® fast charge systems now support thousands of electric industrial utility vehicles in daily use throughout North America.

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