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AFS Trinity Reports Its Battery/Ultracap Plug in Hybrid System Is 6 Times More Durable Than Lithium Batteries Alone
LOS ANGELES, Nov 17, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
AFS Trinity Power Corporation today
reported independent test results demonstrating that the company's "Extreme
Hybrid" technology that utilizes batteries in combination with ultracapacitors
will enable a plug in hybrid vehicle using the system to have a useful life
that is 6 times greater than plug ins that use lithium batteries
alone -- 150,000 miles for an AFS Trinity Extreme Hybrid versus 25,000 miles
for a conventional plug in hybrid that uses lithium ion batteries alone.
Battery tests were conducted by America's leading independent battery
testing laboratory, Mobile Power Solutions of Beaverton, Oregon.
EDITORS' NOTE: Extreme Hybrid prototypes and further details of today's
news will be available to the media in Los Angeles, CA, at 10:30 a.m.
tomorrow, Tuesday, November 18, at 1500 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, 90015
across from the Los Angeles Convention Center. To arrange interviews or video
coverage contact Tim Kent at 310-409-3861.
"For plug in hybrids," according to AFS Trinity CEO Edward W. Furia, "this
means that the off the shelf lithium ion batteries in cars incorporating our
patent pending dual energy storage technology will probably last for the
entire life of the vehicle whereas the lithium batteries of conventional
plug ins with battery-only technology will need to be replaced every 25,000
miles. A number of companies have announced plans to build plug in hybrids
that can power a car for 40 miles in all-electric mode. Even if the batteries
can deliver this much power, how viable are these plug ins if they are only
good for 25,000 miles?"
"However," Furia said, "AFS Trinity does not rule out the possibility that
more durable cost effective batteries could be invented that could be used
alone and which might be sufficient to handle the duty cycle of a PHEV.
However, no such battery, of which AFS Trinity is aware, currently exists."
David Shemmans, CEO of Ricardo, the world's leading automotive engineering
firm and a preferred supplier to AFS Trinity, said, "Batteries are the single
most expensive part of an electric vehicle or plug in hybrid EV. From a cost
standpoint, replacing the batteries is analogous to replacing the engine in an
internal combustion-only car. Replacing the battery after they are used for
only 25,000 miles, which could occur in just over 18 months in an average
American driver's car, would make plug ins impractical. A plug in hybrid with
an energy storage system that can survive 150,000 miles of driving is an
enormous advantage and a potential economic game changer."
Furia explained why AFS Trinity's dual energy storage system of lithium
ion batteries and ultracapacitors managed by advanced power electronics
results in the batteries being so much more durable than when the batteries
are subjected to the same current demands but are used alone.
"When a battery in a plug in hybrid is subjected to high current demands,
which occurs every time the vehicle accelerates, either from a stop light or
while merging from an on-ramp onto a freeway, resistive heating occurs in the
battery. This resistive heating can easily become excessive with stop and go
driving. Such excessive resistive heating damages a battery, and, in some
cases can destroy it. In any event this phenomenon reduces the number of miles
that can be driven during the life of the battery. In our system, however, the
high current demand events are handled by the ultracapacitor, allowing the
battery essentially to coast. Between such high current events, the battery
trickled power into the ultracap, so that when the next acceleration occurs
the ultracap is ready to handle it," Furia said.
XH150 performance
Describing the prototypes, Furia said AFS Trinity's XH150 is not only a
roomy SUV but "a fully operational Extreme Hybrid(TM) that can go at least 40
miles without burning a drop of gasoline in the electric vehicle mode with a
top EV speed of 87 MPH...and from zero to 60 in 11.6 seconds in all electric
mode and 6.9 seconds in full hybrid mode. After 40 miles as an electric
vehicle the Extreme Hybrid automatically converts to gas."
Calculating mileage
Furia explained, "As the U.S. EPA is still in the process of determining
how it will calculate fuel economy of electric vehicles (EV) or plug in hybrid
electric vehicles (PHEV), no EV or PHEV has yet received an EPA certification
of mileage, including AFS Trinity's XH150. Eventually, EPA will issue
guidelines regarding EV and PHEV mileage which are expected to translate
kilowatt hours consumed per hundred miles to the more familiar mile per gallon
units. The Department of Energy is also using an adjustment factor for such
calculations that takes into account not only energy content but scarcity of
fuel and reduction and distribution efficiency, which will yield even more
impressive mileage figures."
He said, "No matter how EPA resolves the question about how mileage will
be calculated for EVs and PHEVs, a vehicle such as the XH150, which can travel
40 miles per day and 280 per week without burning a drop of gasoline, will
achieve fuel economy previously unheard of in any passenger vehicle, let alone
a 5 passenger SUV. Therefore, until the dust clears regarding new EPA mileage
certification methodology, for the time being AFS Trinity will use its own
calculation that estimates the amount of gasoline that would be consumed by a
typical American driver using her vehicle in a typical week of driving 320
miles."
Furia said, "Since, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics
of the U.S. DOT, over 78% of Americans drive less than 40 miles a day, in this
car they would burn zero gasoline on most days. On weekends, they might drive
twice that far on one day, 80 miles, half of which would use gasoline. Even
assuming a heavily laden vehicle and an aggressive driver, the gasoline
consumed in a week would still only be 2 gallons. Thus, based on a total of
320 miles per week, fuel economy will average over 160 miles per gallon, which
we round down to 150 mpg. No additional new technology is needed to achieve
these results. The AFS Trinity technology is ready to be immediately
integrated into vehicles that could be mass produced."
About AFS Trinity and Ricardo
AFS Trinity develops Fast Energy Storage(TM) for vehicular, spacecraft and
stationary power systems utilizing batteries, ultracapacitors, and flywheels.
The Company has conducted programs with private and government organizations
including DARPA, NASA, the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. DOT, California Energy
Commission, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Labs,
Lockheed, Honeywell, Mercedes and Ricardo. AFS Trinity's patent-pending
Extreme Hybrid(TM) drive train utilizes ultra-capacitors, batteries and
proprietary power and control electronics for plug in hybrid electric vehicles
(PHEVs). Ricardo, the world's leading independent automotive engineering firm,
with over 1900 engineers in facilities around the world, has assisted AFS
Trinity in building the first XH-150 prototypes and is a preferred supplier to
AFS Trinity for drive train integration support. For more information visit
http://www.afstrinity.com and http://www.ricardo.com.
Some statements in this news release are forward-looking. These statements
may be identified by the use of words such as "will," "expects," "believes,"
"targets," "intends," and words of similar import. Actual results may vary
depending on circumstances both within and outside the control of the Company
including market acceptance of products, technology development cycles and
other risk factors. AFS Trinity Power Corporation takes no responsibility for
updating any forward-looking statements made in this release.
Extreme Hybrid(TM), ExtremeFleet(TM), XH(TM), XH-150(TM), XH-250(TM), Fast
Energy(TM), Fast Energy Storage(TM), Just Plug It In(TM), Powered by Fast
Energy(TM) are trademarks pending of AFS Trinity Power Corporation. Patents
Pending. All Rights Reserved.
SOURCE AFS Trinity Power Corporation
http://www.afstrinity.com
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