Eco Factor: Fast recharging battery for trains and buses charges in 10 minutes.
The main reason electric buses aren’t that common all over the world is that batteries usually take hours to recharge, which makes them unfit for use in buses plying on longer routes. Considering the importance of electric engines, a Japanese research team at Nippon’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in association with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, have invented a new nickel-hydrogen battery that doesn’t take hours but just 10 minutes for a complete charge.
The prototype battery is slated to work perfectly even after 1000 charge/discharge cycles, and is planned to be commercialized by 2013. The nickel-hydrogen batteries offer more charge capacity and doesn’t contain flammables, but they are big enough to be used in cars. However, their use in buses and trains is definitely a green way to power these large vehicles, which with the use of these latest developed batteries would be able to be charged on the street in just a few minutes.
Via: CrunchGear
