Robert Green: November 2008 Archives

A DIY Electric Car Member, david85, has been testing a 200 Amp-Hour LiFePo4 Battery for a few weeks now and has been keeping a public journal of the results.  If you're not familiar with LifePo4, it's a fairly new battery technology that promises greater safety than Lithium Ion or Lithium Polymer while still holding a good energy density and a decent discharge rate.  Many new LiFePo4 manufacturers are popping up in China and Japan and prices continue to get lower which is very encouraging for use in EVs.  So far the test results are encouraging and while the battery hasn't been tested for a full 1000 amp load, it is apparently up to par with storage capacity.  David says that as a general rule, the going rate seems to be about $0.50/ watt hour of capacity which is for the cells only, as in no charger, or BMS (battery management system).