Field test of the Electric Fuel/sup TM/ zinc-air refuelable battery system for electric vehicles

The Electric Fuel Limited (EFL) zinc-air refuelable battery system will be tested over the next two years in a number of electric vehicle demonstration projects, the largest of which is an $18-million, 64-vehicle, two-year test sponsored chiefly by Deutsche Post AG (the German Post Corporation). The German field test is the largest-ever EV fleet test of a single advanced-battery technology. It also represents a marked departure from other EV test and demonstration programs, in that it is being sponsored not by government or electric utility interests, but by large fleet operators committed to shifting significant proportions of their vehicles to electric over the next 5-10 years. The Electric Fuel battery has specific energy of 200 Wh/kg, an achievement that allows electric vehicles to go as far on a charge as conventionally fueled vehicles go on a tank of gasoline. Fast, convenient refueling eliminates the need for lengthy electrical recharging, and clean, centralized zinc regeneration plants ensure the most efficient and environment-friendly use of energy resources.