IBM’s lithium-air leaves lithium-ion and maybe EEStor behind

Electric cars, like the Chevy Volt and Tesla Roadster, needed a battery that would revolutionize consumers’ dependency on gas by creating an electric alternative. The result: the Volt and Tesla Roadster quickly decided on a lithium-ion battery that initially scored high marks from both industry leaders and consumers alike. That is, at least, before EEStor and lithium-air joined the competition.

Lithium-ion created a buzz among electric car enthusiasts because of its super-charged abilities (at that time) that blew the standard nickel and lead batteries out of the water and generated enough energy to power a vehicle; certainly, the low-maintenance, high voltage, high density, rapid recharge battery deserves its praise, but it simply cannot compete with the proposed specs of the EEStor and lithium-air batteries.

EEStor, from the start, wanted to remain low profile while developing its ultracapacitor technology. The problem, however, is word got out of a battery that could create unrivaled results.

According to reports, EEStor batteries can recharge in minutes, experience no degradation—even after millions of recharge cycles, and store more than 10 times the energy lead batteries can and 2 times the energy lithium-ion battery can—all while being extremely safe because of the minimal heat it generates. The same benefits, however, cannot be said of the lithium-ion battery that takes hours to charge, slowly ages over time, and is susceptible to explosive side effects.

Additionally, EEStor believes it can create the ultracapacitor at a price that is competitive with the lead battery and only an eighth of the price of the lithium-ion battery.

EEStor does not stand alone as the only innovative battery that could change the perceptions of lithium-ion batteries. IBM is in the development phases of a lithium-air battery that has an energy capacity nearly 10-40 times (depending on the report) that of a lithium-ion battery, which far exceed anything EEStor could put out on the market.

The lithium-air creates energy through the reaction that oxygen produces with the lithium metal and utilizes the abundance of oxygen present in the atmosphere. Instead of carrying around the chemicals in the battery, lithium-air uses oxygen to create an unmatched energy density to generate power. IBM, as a major lithium-air investor, hopes to cash in on the project’s goal of a 500-mile battery cycle in an electric vehicle.

Perhaps, Tesla’s decision to take out a $465 million loan to expedite production of its lithium-ion based vehicle may prove costly if the EEStor and lithium-air batteries turn into anything more than speculation. But for now, that’s all they are.