Ex-Navy engineer built a car battery with a 1,500 mile range, made from recyclable Aluminium cans.
British engineer Trevor Jackson has now signed a multi-million pound deal with Austin Electric, an engineering firm based in Essex, to start mass producing the battery.
According to Austin’s chief executive, Danny Corcoran, the new technology is a ‘game-changer’.
Métalectrique is a new way of powering transport and remote places. Metaltriques’ 21st century technology gives more mobility, costs less and is in harmony with the environment.
Métalectrique’s Aluminium-Air Technology
How it works
Aluminium-Air technology has long attracted attention due to its cheap, lightweight and high-energy nature. Aluminium is the most abundant metal on Earth and is easy to handle, store and is safe as a way of storing electrical energy.
A Métalectrique power cell is actually quite simple. A piece of Aluminium is in contact with a special electrolyte. This electrolyte reacts with the metal on the negative end and on the positive end, air reacts with the electrolyte. When those two reactions are combined, aluminium is transformed into hydrated alumina and electrons are transferred from the second layer, through the conductor, ready to power a device. After use, the hydrated alumina can be reprocessed by smelting it, recovering the water and oxygen as it forms fresh aluminium. This cycle can be used over and over again.
These aluminium smelters are green, usually hydro powered. However smelters could also use solar power, wind power, etc. In effect, with this process, energy is transferred, through the aluminium cycle, from green sources of energy into mobile green energy. The whole cycle is green and since the aluminium is recycled, it can be used indefinitely. The ‘aluminium-air well’ never runs out.
How a cell is made
A cell in an Aluminium-Air system is built of three layers. The first layer is the aluminium plate, which reacts with the second layer, which is an electrolyte. The third layer is the cathode, allowing air to flow to the second layer. These cells are stacked together to form a battery of the required power output.
Understanding the technology on a small scale can help us understand the technology on a much larger scale. Below are two videos demonstrating the theory in reality. The first one, on the left, is one showcasing 10 cells powering a simple fan. The second video, on the right, is quite unique. Instead of a traditional cell, this version of the technology uses an aluminium can. We call it, the beer can battery!
How it works
Aluminium-Air technology has long attracted attention due to its cheap, lightweight and high-energy nature. Aluminium is the most abundant metal on Earth and is easy to handle, store and is safe as a way of storing electrical energy.
A Métalectrique power cell is actually quite simple. A piece of Aluminium is in contact with a special electrolyte. This electrolyte reacts with the metal on the negative end and on the positive end, air reacts with the electrolyte. When those two reactions are combined, aluminium is transformed into hydrated alumina and electrons are transferred from the second layer, through the conductor, ready to power a device. After use, the hydrated alumina can be reprocessed by smelting it, recovering the water and oxygen as it forms fresh aluminium. This cycle can be used over and over again.
Read more at Metaltriquehttps://www.metalectrique.com/