Smart Energy News

Littleton, Colo. – Infinite Power Solutions, a manufacturer of solid-state, rechargeable, thin-film energy storage devices for embedded applications, has raised $10 million in its fourth round of venture capital, which was co-led by investors Generation Investment Management, D. E. Shaw Ventures, Polaris Venture Partners and Core Capital Partners.

Founded in 2001, Infinite Power makes thin-film batteries to displace conventional coin cells, supercapacitors, and other micro-battery products.

The company’s batteries are paper-thin and support “ambient energy-harvesting” applications that create miniature, autonomous, perpetual power supplies.

Infinite Power’s products are used in Bluetooth devices and other wireless sensor nodes, as well as providing backup power for clocks, memory modules, and solid-state drives.

Other investors in the company include Applied Ventures, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, In-Q-Tel and two additional strategic investors.

Image credit: Infinite Power Solutions

Infinite Power Solutions website

Costa Mesa, Calif. — T3 Motion, a producer of energy-efficient electric vehicles, announced on Wednesday it has shipped the first container of sixteen, T3 Electric Stand-up Vehicles (ESV) under an order from a Nigerian distributor. The shipment is the first of a 126-unit order to be sent to the distributor.

The T3 ESV is a law enforcement patrol vehicle that is designed to decrease operating costs and increase patrol capabilities. More than 3,000 of the company’s T3 Series vehicles have been deployed in over 30 countries worldwide.

The zero-gas-emission vehicle, which is operated by a driver in the standing position, gets the equivalent of over 500 miles a gallon, according to T3. It uses about 1.5 kilowatt of electricity to fully recharge in less than four hours.

Based on California energy rates, the T3 Series costs ten cents a day to recharge, the company says, and the electrical recharge costs for a distance of 10,000 miles is less than $60 total.

T3 Series vehicles are built using a lead-free assembly process. The body is comprised of fully-recyclable ABS polycarbonate blend plastics. The Lithium-polymer batteries have a three- to five-year life span, after which T3 Motion offers its customers a battery recycling program.

Image credit: T3 Motion

http://www.t3motion.com

Newark, Calif. – Envia Systems, a developer of battery technology that is backed by the U.S. Department of Energy as well as General Motors, announced on Monday that independent tests at the Naval Surface Warfare Center have confirmed the company’s technology increases the energy density of batteries for electric vehicles by three times, and reduces the cost of battery packs for EVs by more than half.

Envia’s cathode, anode and electrolyte materials enable its batteries to deliver high energy density, safety and calendar life, according to the company. Its systems are used by manufacturers developing EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs.

The company announced on Monday its battery technology has achieved the highest recorded energy density of 400 Watt-hours/kilogram (Wh/kg) for a rechargeable lithium-ion cell. When commercialized, the 400 Wh/kg battery is expected to slash the price of a 300-mile range electric vehicle by cutting the cost of the battery pack by more than 50%, according to Envia.

David Cole, chairman emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit research group based in Michigan, told the New York Times that if Envia’s new announcement is accurate, “It’s a huge breakthrough, because the main problem for battery cars has been cost. Right now, the lithium-ion battery is about three times as expensive as it should be for reasonable commercialization. That kind of cost target is the holy grail, and once it’s achieved it’s game on.”

Envia said that the batteries should be in production within 18 months. “Rather than just a proof-of-concept of energy density, I am pleased that our team was successful in actually delivering 400 Wh/kg automotive grade 45 Ah lithium-ion rechargeable cells,” said Sujeet Kumar, co-founder, president & CTO of the company, in the announcement.

“Envia’s new battery technology represents exactly the kind of innovation and breakthroughs that ARPA-E is looking for from the American research and development community,” said Arun Majumdar, director of ARPA, which is the DOE’s research and development arm. “We hope that this low cost and high density battery technology enables wide spread adoption of electric vehicles across the country and around the world.”

Image credit: Envia Systems

Envia Systems website

Sunnyvale, Calif. – EnerVault, a developer of large electric energy storage systems, has raised $15.5 million in its second round of venture capital.

Founded in 2008, EnerVault is developing energy storage systems for large commercial and industrial facilities, renewables support and utility grids. The company’s technology is based on flow battery chemistry.

The company is focused on enabling the expanded use of renewable energy such as wind and solar by compensating for intermittent output, as well as allowing smart grid technologies to stabilize the grid and reduce blackouts by matching load demand and capacity as needed.

EnerVault has now raised a total of $24.5 million in its two rounds of venture capital. Investors in the company include Mitsui Global Investment, Total Energy Ventures, 3M, TEL Venture Capital, Commercial Energy of California, Oceanshore Ventures and US Invest.

EnerVault has also received $5.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), California Energy Commission (CEC) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Photo credit: EnerVault

EnerVault website

Easton, Penn. – Eos Energy Storage, a privately held developer of electric batteries for the utility and transportation industries, which two weeks ago indicated in a regulatory filing that it has raised $1.7 million in a venture capital round, disclosed that it has increased the amount raised to $5.5 million.

In its new SEC filing, Eos indicates that it plans to eventually raise a total of up to $20 million in its current round of venture capital.

Founded in 2007, Eos is focused on developing low-cost batteries using zinc-air technology, which are powered by oxidizing zinc with oxygen from the air. The batteries have high energy densities and are relatively inexpensive to produce, according to the company.

Zinc-air batteries can range in size from very small (button cells for hearing aids) to very large ones used to power electric vehicles.

Steven Amendola, Eos’ inventor, is also the inventor and founder of Renewable Silicon International (RSi), a silicon processing technology which has been funded by the Quercus Trust and has started manufacturing at its plant in Easton, Penn.

Photo credit: Eos Energy Storage

Eos Energy Storage website

Eos new SEC filing