Charlestowne Premium Beverages Inc. (FPWM)

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Firefly technology powers Oasis batteries
By Susan Wilson
June 3, 2008


This summer a new lead acid battery will arrive. Initially, the advanced battery technology will be used in Oasis truck batteries to power long haul trucks. Plans are in the works to develop batteries for hybrid and electric cars.

Lead acid batteries have been around for decades, but suffer from several shortcomings. Traditional lead acid batteries are subject to a short life span from corrosion of the positive grid and sulfation of the negative grid. Symptoms of this corrosion can be seen in that white stuff that collects on your battery connectors and cables preventing the battery from properly powering your car.

Firefly has solved the corrosion problem by replacing the typical lead grid with a new Microcell composite graphite foam grid. The Microcell grid is then filled with a “slurry of lead oxides”. The new foam grid reacts the same way as the older grid did except that it lowers the weight of the battery while improving the life span.

The Firefly technology, developed as a research and development project at Caterpillar, has also increased the efficiency of the battery and reduces the recharge rate. The technology also increased the number of deep discharges the Oasis can handle to four times what a normal battery can handle

Environmentally, the Oasis with Firefly technology, is much cleaner than nickel or lithium based batteries. Why? Because 97% of lead acid batteries are recycled for free. There is no comparable program for nickel or lithium batteries. Most recycling programs for the two newer technologies require you to pay them.

Because the life span of the Oasis is so much longer than other batteries, fewer of these batteries will need to be recycled. The graphite foam grid can simply be burned away, releasing the lead oxides to be used again.

This battery is expected to be available this summer. Since the process to create it is cheap and uses regular battery manufacturing processes, the cost should be similar to regular lead batteries but with the huge advantages outlined above.

Hopefully, this technology will be available for cars soon. The reduced weight, increased longevity and improved efficiency would be wonderful for hybrid and electric cars.
http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2008/06/03/firefly-technology-powers-oasis-batteries/