The first presentation after lunch was all about juice, as in the power of the recharged battery.
AeroVironment Inc. presenters Adam Szcepanek and Paul Glenny recounted the rich history of their company, which has been involved in clean transportation since the 1980s.
More recently, the company developed a solar-powered aircraft that flew to 97,000 feet and in 2005 a hydrogen-powered plane that topped 65,000 feet.
The company is all about charging infrastructure, Glenny said.
“We try to address all levels of charging,” Glenny said.
Fast charging is a reality that has already been proven in the industrial market, Szcepanek said.
“We should be charging in minutes, not hours,” he said. “There are thousands of systems already in operation.”
Advances in lithium ion batteries was outlined by John Battaglini, vice president of business development and sales for International Battery Inc.
The company has been able to extend the life of batteries and make them safer, in part through the development of monitoring every cell in every battery pack.
The company has also worked on new applications that can be applied to “heavy” hybrid electric cars and light trucks and even larger fleet programs, he said. The U.S. military is exploring some of these options, too.
Meanwhile, Mark Shanahan, the executive director of the Ohio AIr Quality Development Authority, praised the OSU-PJM conference for addressing the future growth in Ohio.
“The things you are talking about and the integration of these challenges are critical paths to rebuild the Ohio economy,” Shanahan said.
Ohio is one of the largest users of electricity in Ohio and in fact, only 18 nations in the world use more electricity than the state, Shanahan said. Most of that electricity -- 86 percent -- come from burning coal.
“We have to explore new energy technology and think about how to develop these sources,” he said.
One way to do that is to expand the way the supply chain is viewed.
“We’re thinking in much broader definitions that starts with ideas and innovation, the commercial stages, the need of an educated workforce and dealing with new manufacturing processes,” Shanahan said.
The energy and automotive sectors of the state are the underpinnings of the economy for many communities.
“There is enormous potential there but we have to realize it,” he said.
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