IBM's planning an end to range anxiety with an EV power pack that runs on air and travels 500 miles on a single charge. "Lithium Air" batteries draw oxygen into a nano-structured carbon cathode, where it is stored and reacts with lithium ions and electrons to generate electricity. When you plug the vehicle in, the unmolested oxygen is released back into the air as if it was breathing. The technology's significantly lighter than what's found inside a Chevy Volt and IBM has enlisted the help of chemical giants Asahi Kasei and Central Glass to turn it from successful experiment to fully-fledged product by 2030. If you'd like to learn more, we've got a gallery of candid pics from inside the testing lab, explanatory video and, yes, even a press release full of information for you to steep your brains in.

Gallery: IBM Battery 500 Project Lab Gallery

Continue reading IBM's building an air-breathing EV battery that goes 500 miles on a single charge

IBM's building an air-breathing EV battery that goes 500 miles on a single charge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.