BETTER CHEAPER EV BATTERIES BY 2017

Prices for Lithium Ion Batteries Will Fall by More Than One-Third by 2017, Helping to Drive EV Adoption
March 12, 2012 (Pike Research)

"Managing transportation emissions and reducing energy insecurity due to a volatile oil industry are on the top of the agenda of many countries across the world. Electric vehicles (EVs) have a significant role to play in both...EVs will continue to be a niche market through the remainder of this decade…[but] the global automotive industry is beginning to move away from the internal combustion engine and toward electric drivetrains…

"…For auto manufacturers, the key to this shift will be the continual advancement in the capabilities of the vehicles’ batteries, which will be led by lithium ion (Li-ion) chemistries…The convergence of the automotive industry toward battery power and the engineering of safe, reliable, and economical Li-ion batteries will slowly reshape the automotive industry as it moves toward electrification. According to a recent report from Pike Research, as manufacturing efficiencies improve and access to lithium expands, the installed cost of Li-ion batteries will fall by more than one-third by the end of 2017."

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"In terms of revenue, the market for Li-ion batteries for transportation will grow from $2.0 billion annually in 2011 to more than $14.6 billion by 2017, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts…

"…[M]ost plug-in electric vehicles today have a range of between 40 and 100 miles…[but] concerns over range and the availability of charging infrastructure remain among the biggest impediments to the wider adoption of Li-ion batteries. On the supply side, challenges such as achieving higher energy density, better safety, and greater discharge/charge rates linger…[No Li-ion chemistries available today can] claim to be the ideal solution…"