Electric cars may sound boring to most people, but the reality is that electric cars will be the primary form of automobiles in the future. The internal combustion engine (ICE) as we know it, the one that spits out CO, CO2, and NOx while singing a lovely tune, is bound to become extinct. Currently the obstacles holding back the adoption of electric cars are the technology and the infrastructure. On June 1st, 2017, a groundbreaking battery advancement was just announced by Purdue University that will certainly transform the way we think of electric cars and may eliminate the problems we currently see with it.

John Cushman, Purdue University's distinguished professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary science and a professor of mathematics, just presented his research on “Redox reactions in immiscible-fluids in porous media – membraneless battery applications." To put that in plain English, it's a battery technology that relies on Electrolyte fluids as a method of energy delivery. Recharging your electric car would be similar to, and as fast and easy as refueling with gasoline or diesel.

John Cushman John Cushman

This technology would eliminate the two major factors currently slowing the adoption of electric cars: Charging infrastructure and range capability. “Designing and building enough of these recharging stations requires massive infrastructure development, which means the energy distribution and storage system is being rebuilt at tremendous cost to accommodate the need for continual local battery recharge,” according to Eric Nauman, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering, basic medical sciences and biomedical engineering.

Cushman, Nauman, and Mike Mueterthies, co-founded IfBattery LLC (IF-Battery) to develop and commercialize this breakthrough battery refueling technology. Nauman elaborates, "Ifbattery is developing an energy storage system that would enable drivers to fill up their electric or hybrid vehicles with fluid electrolytes to re-energize spent battery fluids much like refueling their gas tanks.”

Once you have spent your battery fluids, it can then be recycled and reconstituted through renewable energy methods such as solar farms and wind turbine methods. According to Cushman:

“Instead of refining petroleum, the refiners would reprocess spent electrolytes and instead of dispensing gas, the fueling stations would dispense a water and ethanol or methanol solution as fluid electrolytes to power vehicles. Users would be able to drop off the spent electrolytes at gas stations, which would then be sent in bulk to solar farms, wind turbine installations or hydroelectric plants for reconstitution or re-charging into the viable electrolyte and reused many times. It is believed that our technology could be nearly ‘drop-in’ ready for most of the underground piping system, rail and truck delivery system, gas stations and refineries.”

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There will certainly be problems to encounter with this battery advancement, however, Ifbattery seems to have an edge over older flow-battery technologies, as described by Mueterthies, Purdue doctoral teaching and research assistant in physics: "Other flow batteries exist, but we are the first to remove membranes which reduces costs and extends battery life. Membrane fouling can limit the number of recharge cycles and is a known contributor to many battery fires. Ifbattery’s components are safe enough to be stored in a family home, are stable enough to meet major production and distribution requirements and are cost effective."

Ifbattery is currently looking for additional financing partners to further develop the technology and build prototypes. If you're the venture capitalist type, I suggest you talk to these scientists fast.

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# ev # battery # electriccars # shiftinglanes

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