australian uranium conference, page-8

just keeps coming..1 Phosphate to run hybrid cars...???


Company unveils gas-saving battery
09:52 PM CDT on Friday, August 19, 2005
By TOM HARRIS / KVUE News
Charlie Callihan bought his full-size truck when gas cost about $1.20 a gallon. Since then, the price of gas has more than doubled, and Callihan says he welcomes a new technology that would help him fight the price at the pump.

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"It's starting to break into the pocketbooks of normal everyday families so 150 miles per gallon it's going to be a big deal for many people," said Charlie Callihan, a motorist.

Another motorist, Barry Black said, "I think with the way prices are today with gasoline, the intelligent thinking person will head in that direction."

Now, one Austin company has developed technology that could help ease drivers' pain at the pump.

Valence Technology of Austin has unveiled a new battery that the company says is far superior to those currently being used in Hybrid vehicles.

Right now, most hybrids average 40 to 50 miles per gallon of gasoline, but the new battery could change that. They are called Saphion Lithium Ion batteries, and when used in a Toyota Prius, it got over 125 miles per gallon. In some cases, the car got up to 180 miles per gallon.

"We took it around the world to different shows and there was a tremendous amount of interest in the vehicles and what it can do from a performance standpoint," said Dean Bogues, with Valence Technology. The battery has been a big hit in Europe, where gas averages $6.00 a gallon.

Hybrid vehicles recharge the batteries while operating. Drivers can also plug the battery into a standard outlet overnight to give it an extra power boost.
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KVUE's Tom Harris reports

"The Valence batteries are based on safe phosphate technology. They provide more energy; they are lighter; they are environmentally friendly and they are low maintenance," said Bogues.

Right now, the cost to retrofit a current hybrid vehicle with the new battery runs about $12,000, but as the volume of orders goes up, company officials expect costs to go down.