Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: chevy volt, cool tech, energy efficiency, Lithium ION battery
MIT’s Technology Review has a piece in its May/June 2009 issue outlining the success of A123 Systems in developing a workable lithium-ion battery. Some top people took a number of years to discover and refine solutions to various technical challenges. The result is a product that is now powering Black and Decker tools and looks to be built into a number of planned electric vehicles, including the Chevy Volt.
The company, which has an impressive group of investors including G.E. Motorola, Qualcomm, and M.I.T., is still privately held. Their lithium-ion technology, which I would assume has plenty of patent protection, seems to have put them in a leading position in producing batteries for the next generation of plug in hybrids and EV’s. On the other hand, it is very early in the battery game. It certainly would not be a shock to learn that Toyota or Honda or Panasonic or some other company has discovered an even better approach.
I have not found a better way to play the hybrid/electric car phenomenon than through SQM. There are other lithium producers, but none that are sufficiently concentrated in lithium to make an important impact on the stock. A speculative play that was suggested by an EIS reader is a Canadian company called Western Uranium Corporation. If anyone knows that situation, I would be interested to learn more.
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