Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., NEC Corporation, and its subsidiary NEC TOKIN Corporation, today announced that its joint-venture company – Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) – has begun full operations. AESC’s start of operation follows the announcement of the joint-venture in April 2007.

Researchers in Spain and the United Kingdom are reporting development of a new electrode material that could ease concerns about the safety of those unbiquitous lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, while giving Li-ion batteries a power boost, according to a new study.

The next generation of electric and hybrid cars may be a step closer thanks to new and improved polymer membranes that allow the development of bigger, safer, and more powerful lithium ion batteries, according to an article scheduled for the Feb. 18 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’ weekly newsmagazine.

After recalls and fires involving Lithium-ion batteries, battery manufacturers and scientists have launched an intensive effort to improve the safety of these rechargeable power packs found in dozens of consumer electronics products.

A new paper published in Journal of the American Ceramic Society proposes a new method of producing hydrogen for portable fuel cells. This new method negates the need for the complicated and expensive equipment currently used. With their ability to work steadily for 10-20 times the length of equivalently sized Lithium-ion batteries, portable fuel cells are ideal energy suppliers for devices such as computers, cell phones and hybrid vehicles.

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new approach to increasing the capacity and stability of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.