[Oeva-list] Ev Batteries & LifeBatt.com

[Theoldcars at aol.com]

In my opinion batteries at reasonable prices that can last in an EV are the 
holy grail. Everything else about an EV is fairly rock solid when you look 
at the failure rate the weak link is the batteries. 
 
So many times new batteries are announced but are either just a concept or 
sound as if they are just what we have been waiting for. It is when these 
batteries become available that the real world testing starts to happen. I had 
high hope for Valence batteries and kept in touch with one of the first 
users to install them in an EV. One driver spent over 30,000 dollars for a 170 
volt pack in a 2000 pound EV. It was great at first but range dropped fast 
and after a couple of years his range has gone from well over a hundred to 
almost half of what it was. This is from a battery that was to have thousands 
of cycles when not deep discharged. This pack was treated very kind and 
still did not perform.
 
This above event was a good thing for me as I was looking for a pack that 
would have twice the voltage. 60,000 plus dollars was way beyond my budget so 
that was not going to happen but it is sad that a fellow EV driver had to 
lose money like this. It also took a couple of years before the real world 
testing became known.
 
I know there are a few Thunder Sky buyers on this list that found out real 
world information several years back in a group buy. As an EV drivers we are 
all testing out batteries and finding out how good they will be. Some times 
we far exceed what they were designed for and an early failure should have 
not been surprising.
 
I would agree we are expecting a lot from batteries but that is what it is 
going to take to power an EV. Right now one of the few batteries I know of 
that we can buy and holding up is the A123. They are expensive up front but 
if they last as long as the manufacturer claims then in the long run they 
would be the most cost effective. These batteries have been tested to the 
extremes in the RC hobby. At far higher demanding rates then for normal EV use. 
They also are used in drag racing EVs and have shown they can take a lot of 
punishment. 
 
I would be very leery of EV batteries sellers now on the market as the 
number is really increasing from manufacturers overseas.
 
I inquired on LifeBatt with a well connected long time EV friend it was not 
a good review. I decided to do a Google search on LifeBatt and Don Harmon 
and found this.
 
_http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/future-fuels-and-vehicles/message/12529
_ 
(http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/future-fuels-and-vehicles/message/12529) 
 
There was a lot of posts by Don Harmon promoting these cells just about 
every where. I did not come across anyone saying how great they are but read 
several that would stop me from buying their product until I get reports from 
known EV drivers. 
 
This is just my point of view. I have no connection with any battery 
manufacturer or investments in their stocks. 
 
Don
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