EV Battery to Run on Air, Aluminum

Aloca, a lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing company, has partnered with clean technology company Phinergy to further develop an electric vehicle (EV) battery that runs on air and aluminum and could extend EV range by 1,000 miles.

According to Phinergy, the aluminum-air battery uses air and water to unleash energy stored in aluminum, with just one of the battery’s 50 aluminum plates capable of powering a car for approximately 20 miles. The technology boasts an energy density that surpasses conventional battery technologies and “creates electric vehicles with travel distances, purchase prices and life-cycle costs that are comparable to fossil-fuel cars,” according to a recent joint statement.

“Automotive manufacturers are looking for technologies that enable zero-emission cars to travel the same kinds of distances as gasoline-powered cars. The aluminum-air range extender has the potential to meet that challenge,” said Dr. Raymond Kilmer, Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.

The battery could also have stationary energy applications, such as commercial emergency generators for hospitals and data centers and general purpose generators.