${log.root}/lowem.log
Inflation, Investing and Everything


All | Energy | Java | Tech | Musings | Env | Biz

AddThis Feed Button
20080605 Thursday June 05, 2008

Running wars on batteries

defensenews.com :

From foot-slogging infantry to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, weapon designers look to high-performance electric batteries to deliver more capability. On the ground, increased demand for battery power comes from soldiers fitted with personal radios to keep them plugged into the battlefield network, as well as night-vision goggles and other electrical equipment. In the air, engineers have discarded hydraulics to drive the F-35's flight control flaps and are using electricity instead. That calls for a high-performance, 270-volt backup battery that can provide juice to fly a jet at 40,000 feet. In the sea, silver-based batteries allow heavyweight torpedoes to hunt for an hour and accelerate to 50 knots.

Saft, based in Bagnolet in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, makes batteries for civil and military applications on land, sea, air and space. Thus a military trend toward fielding more electronic equipment should spell easy business success for Saft. But there are headwinds, as readers of the commodities pages will know. Rising metals prices dented Saft's earnings for the first half of this year, with soaring demand for nickel from stainless steel makers crimping profits - nickel prices were at $45,000 per metric ton in the first half of 2008. Saft paid out an extra 25 million euros for raw materials, reducing the profit line. The chronically weak U.S. dollar also hurt profits, as some 40% of sales are denominated in dollars.

Ground troops are heavy users of lithium batteries. Every time troops deploy, demand surges. Saft made 18 million euros in sales of lithium batteries to the Army last year. Primary, or nonrechargeable, lithium batteries are in demand in the military market, offering lightness and power. Lithium prices were around $7,000 to $8,500 per ton [March 2008]. Much of the demand for lithium batteries comes from the global automobile market. In the military aircraft market, the choice of lithium for the F-35 is due partly to efforts to shave weight off the stealthy plane. A contract with the F-35 program, notionally set at 3,000 aircraft, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars for Saft. The most dynamic market is what Saft calls new defense systems, including rechargeable batteries for hybrid vehicles in the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems program. "Lithium's the answer," Saft CEO John Searle said. "It's an enabling technology. Kilowatts per kilo, it's orders of magnitude better than any other technology."

- As in many areas of technology, the military leads the way.

See also :

1. Lockheed Martin signs agreement with EEStor for energy storage solutions
2. Pentagon considering study on space-based solar power
3. Beam it down : How the new satellites can power the world

(2008-06-05 22:09:29 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

Comments:

Post a Comment:

Comments are closed for this entry.

Your Ad Here


Most popular blog postings on lowem.log :

1. Singapore MRT rail network length to double by 2020
2. 2010 Nissan Leaf electric car specifications : 107hp, 24KWh lithium-ion batteries, 100-mile range
3. Live spot gold price quotes chart on COMEX
4. 2010 Toyota Prius specifications released : 50 mpg, 1.8L, 134hp, Ni-MH, solar roof option
5. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011 direct download link
6. Real-time live gold and silver price quotes chart on COMEX
7. Singapore electric vehicles : Government agencies EMA and LTA to study EV introduction
8. Book review : Shut Down by William Flynn

Featured articles on lowem.log :

1. Book review : Shut Down by William Flynn
2. Singapore electric cars testing starts with 9 electric vehicles
3. Honda, GS Yuasa JV to make lithium-ion batteries for 2010/2011 Honda Civic Hybrid
4. 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid preliminary specifications released
5. 2010 Honda CR-Z hybrid, 2010 Honda Fit/Jazz hybrid models confirmed
6. 2010 Toyota Prius specifications released : 50 mpg, 1.8L, 134hp, Ni-MH, solar roof option
7. NYMEX crude oil recovers from $32.40 low after 2.2 mbpd OPEC production cut announced
8. Singapore : Nuclear power not ruled out



search
sponsored links


bookmarks

about
my profile
contact me

blogroll
biow/ken/wenn
reviewem
dividend investing

sites
photo gallery
wiki

quotes
live oil prices
live gold prices

charts
live forex rates
live oil chart
live brent crude chart
live gold chart
live silver chart

historical
crude oil chart
gold chart
silver chart


navigation
decals

Click for Singapore, Singapore Forecast





rss feed for lowem.log

Get Firefox!

powered by
hosted by