On Tuesday Exxon made public a new development within it’s chemicals business which they feel will be key in future batteries for EV’s being lighter and more efficient. They have developed a film which is used to separate the positive and negative electrodes apart which can withstand much higher heat levels than the current alternatives. This will allow for larger Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries which won’t overheat. The beauty of Li-Ion batteries is that they hold a charge for much longer than nickel-methyl hydride batteries, and are much lighter. Unfortunately, it’s tendency to overheat, or even catch fire has been a hindrance in it’s use in EV’s. According to Jim Harris, senior VP of Exxon Mobil Chemical Co., although the Li-Ion battery will continue to be hot, the new film will allow for larger Li-Ion batteries stable enough to utilise in EV’s.

The first thing that came to mind for me was, if there supposedly is no problem with oil production and we continue to operate with the “business-as-usual” attitude (even though it’s plainly evident that something’s awry,) then why is an Oil Giant who is making huge profits at the moment suddenly interested in battery technology for powering of EV’s, unless only because they know something we don’t (or at least isn’t being made public?) O.K. this might be a little “conspiracy theory,” but check out this site, and then download and read this report, and let me know what you think. If you read between the lines, it certainly appears that there is at least some truth to this, and that’s pretty scary! I don’t carry the same cynicism though – I feel that it probably will be a tough road, but humanity will find a way – We always have!