LONDON: Read this tale with a pinch of salt. It sounds farfetched but a former navy officer-turned-inventor has inked a multi-million dollar deal to produce his electric car "battery" that he claims will take drivers 2,400km without needing to charge.
Britain's Mail On Sunday reported that Trevor Jackson, 58, has invented aluminium-air fuel cells that he said could also power buses, lorries and aircraft.
Electric cars today are powered by Li-ion batteries, where lithium is a rare combustible metal Aluminium, in contrast, is the planet's most abundant metal with the earth's crust containing 8% of the metal.
British engineering firm Austin Electric will produces the aluminium-air fuel cells, which it intends to install in electric vehicles next year.
"It can help trigger the next industrial revolution. The advantages over traditional electric vehicle batteries are enormous," said Austin Electric CEO Danny Corcoran. Austin Electric owns the rights to use the old Austin Motor Company logo.
Jackson, an engineer by training, has worked in the navy, managing nuclear submarine reactors. He set up Metalectrique Ltd in 1999 to find green ways to power vehicles.
The technology Jackson has refined was first developed in the 1960s. Scientists found that aluminium dipped into a caustic electrolyte, could trigger a reaction between the metal and air to produce electricity. Jackson said he had since come up with an electrolyte that is harmless enough to drink.
Sceptics have dismissed Jackson's technology, saying it was unproven, and its benefits exaggerated. In our case, we will believe it when his "invention" can be independently verified.
British engineer claims his fuel cell invention could offer 2,400km range
By CARSIFU | 21 October 2019
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