The new Li-ion starter battery. Porsche will offer a lithium-ion starter battery option—the first automaker to do so—as of January 2010 for the 911 GT3, 911 GT 3 RS, and Boxster Spyder. Menahem Anderman of Advanced Automotive Batteries calls the SLI business “ a long shot ” for advanced batteries such as Li-ion.) MORE >>

AllCell Technologies LLC launched two new standard li-ion electric bike batteries. By absorbing and conducting heat away from the lithium-ion cells, AllCell’s PCM plays the same role that complicated liquid cooling systems perform in today’s electric cars, but at a fraction of the cost. kg and 5.9 Brief MORE >>

Envia has developed Li-ion cells with an energy density of 400 Wh/kg using its proprietary HCMR cathode and Silicon-Carbon Composite anode. Demonstrated in a 40 Ah pouch cell, the new system could lower Li-ion cell costs to $180/kWh, according to Sujeet Kumar, Co-founder, President & CTO, with further reductions to come. MORE >>

will soon start producing electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries, initially at its Daikin America plant in Alabama, and begin selling them in January. Nikkei. Japan-based Daikin Industries Ltd. Daikin says its product can be charged at higher voltages than conventional electrolytes, helping to lift battery capacity by 20%. Brief MORE >>

Li-ion battery maker A123 Systems will supply a Grid Battery System (GBS) to Maui Electric Company (MECO), a utility serving residents and businesses on the islands of Maui, Lanai and Molokai in Hawaii. The system, NSTAR’s first battery energy storage project, is proposed for installation at a substation in Medway, Mass. Maui Electric. MORE >>