Ford and IBM have partnered to collaborate on a project that promises to be very insightful into the future of battery production and vehicle development. IBM has been a name synonymous with research and innovation. The project was determined necessary by IBM since current battery technology limits travel distance to 40-100 miles.
IBM is developing the lithium-air battery due to its energy density being 10 times that of the current lithium-ion cells. It could be two years before a battery capable of mass production and for use in vehicles to travel 500 miles.
The other aspects of this new battery include creating one of reasonable size and weight. Battery technology won’t advance to suit the needs of electric vehicles without efforts like those of IBM. A demand for this type of battery in future vehicles has made IBM willing to invest in the project and meet with the car manufacturers as this new technology begins to gear up.
In addition, IBM isn’t the only company that has battery capabilities. Johnson Controls is the worlds largest manufacturer of batteries is currently supplying Ford with the lithium-ion batteries for its Transit Connect battery electric van. Johnson Controls will be creating new engineering jobs at its headquarters in Milwaukee WI for this new contract with Ford.
A collaboration between IBM and Johnson Controls would likely make sense considering their combined knowledge would possibly produce this lithium-air type battery sooner than the 2 year time frame that IBM is proposing. It could bring us closer to a 500 mile battery, which at that point would exceed the distance most vehicles could travel on a full tank of gas.
Tags: 500 mile project, Ford, ibm
