The EV future is bright with unnamed programs at makers.

Battery technology has advanced to the point that it is viable for powering vehicles and they could be in dozens of new electric vehicles within the next few years, the leader of a growing battery company said Thursday.

Christina Lampe-Onnerud, founder and CEO of Boston Power, called on those attending the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City to join in developing the vehicles that will run on batteries.

Battery costs of $500 per kilowatt/hour are now low enough for BEVs to make sense when the total cost of ownership is considered, she claimed. Other industry estimates put cost of lithium ion batteries for automobiles at twice that – before any markup.

While she would not give figures for her own company because of its venture-capital funding, Lampe-Onnerud expects as many as 100,000 EVs on roads in as little as two years. And phone calls from consumers who want to know about EVs show the public is clamoring for them, she claimed.

The company is currently building electric vehicle batteries for pilot programs, but she would not say how many the company has in production.

“I can’t wait to see our children driving electric transportation,” she said, not without self interest. “I believe the electric vehicle will be a thrill for most users.”

Half of the electricity in the U.S. is generated by burning coal, a dirty fuel that causes large amounts of CO2 emissions critics maintain.

While battery technology has advanced rapidly, Lampe-Onnerud said there is more that can be done.  “On the all-electric side, there is tremendous opportunity for innovation,” Lampe-Onnerud said.

She called on others in the auto industry to work with her company on those challenges.

“Let’s explore, let’s invent to make this new technology real,” she said.

Backed by more than $190 million in venture capital funding, Boston Power made its first three-cell lithium ion battery for HP computers in 2008.

Lampe-Onnerud said her company’s advanced battery design ends the frustration for laptop users who see the capacity of their batteries quickly dwindle after purchase. In fact, HP warranties the battery for three years, and she said, it will last longer if cared for properly. That same durability will extend when the company increases the number of cells needed for use in a car.

She said the company is currently producing batteries at a plant in Taiwan and is planning a plant in mainland China.

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