Just an FYI... this from a Paris newspaper, 9/10. -Mark =================== FIFTEEN years ago Vincent Bolloré, a French industrialist, decided to get into the business of electricity storage. He started a project to produce rechargeable batteries in two small rooms of his family mansion in Brittany. I asked him, what are you doing? and I told him to stop, that it wouldnt go anywhere, says Alain Minc, a business consultant in Paris who has advised Mr Bolloré for many years. Fortunately, he says, Mr Bolloré continued.
[deleted] The real aim for Mr Bolloré, however, is to showcase his battery technology. His group has developed a type of rechargeable cell, called a lithium-metal polymer (LMP) battery. This is different from the lithium-ion batteries used by most of the car industry. Mr Bolloré believes fervently that his batteries are superior, mainly because they are safer. Lithium-ion batteries can explode if they overheatwhich in the past happened in some laptops. Carmakers incorporate safety features to prevent the batterys cells from overheating. Mr Bollorés LMP batteries are said to be more stable when being charged and discharged, which is when batteries come under most strain. Just two European carmakers have seen the batteries, which are made only by the Bolloré Group. One car-industry executive says that though the LMP technology is attractive from a safety point of view, the batteries have to be heated up to functionwhich takes power and makes them less convenient to use. ===================
