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MU researchers find possible key to longer electric car battery life

Researchers at the University of Missouri say they have found a new way to extend electric car battery life.
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Researchers at the University of Missouri say they have found a new way to extend electric car battery life.

A research team at the University of Missouri recently released a study that can improve the quality of batteries for electric cars. Professor Galen Suppes is the leading researcher, and he says they constructed a small prototype lithium ion battery that could eventually allow cars to run purely on electricity up to 60 miles.  This is possible because they have incorporated a pump system in the battery, a system already used in many applications.

“We use it to pump water; you have a radiator pump on your vehicle.  Imagine your vehicle where you had to rely on water circulating itself. It would not work too well.  Well, that’s basically the way batteries work; they work without a pump,” Suppes said.

The team also says that this stage is just the beginning of the project, and that scaled up, the hope is the batteries will allow for storage on utility grids, which could save money for companies and consumers alike.  Suppes also says it is realistic that within ten years, many cars on the market could be solely powered by these batteries.

Brian Pepoon is a student newscaster for KBIA.
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