Slashdot Mirror
Elon Musk Offers Boeing SpaceX Batteries For the 787 Dreamliner
An anonymous reader writes "Boeing is currently dealing with a bit of a disaster as the company's 787 Dreamliner has been grounded due to safety concerns. Boeing is currently investigating the situation, but they aren't alone. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, has stepped in to offer his help and technology if Boeing wants it. Musk has had to harness battery tech not only to run his Tesla Motors, but also to function flawlessly aboard SpaceX spacecraft as they travel both in and out of the Earth's atmosphere. If you need a battery to work at any altitude, you'd trust Musk to supply one, and that's exactly what he's offering Boeing."
The lithium battery is supplied from the Japanese company GS Yuasa. This company was chosen by Thales (the 787 subcontractor chosen by Boeing for the Electrical Power Conversion System). FWIW, this has been in the news lately as the stock of this company rose shortly after it was announced that the battery wasn't likely defective.
You can read all about it on their website...
I'm an EE, but not a battery expert, but a quick glance indicates this is a fairly vanilla Lithium Cobalt Oxide Cathode technology which is the most common (probably similar to the chemistry used in your laptop or cell phone battery). Also, by all accounts these folks seem to be a competent battery supplier (they've apparently flown batteries in satellites and got a contract for the international space station).