'Holy grail': Enhancement process could make EVs more efficient, practical

MOSES LAKE — Americans like to drive. What Americans don’t like is the cost of filling their gas tank. In recent years, electric vehicles, powered with a rechargeable battery, have been presented as a possible solution. It would seem a match made in heaven for the Inland Northwest; Washington has the second-highest gasoline prices and the third-highest diesel prices in the country, according to the American Automobile Association, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, eastern Washington enjoys some of the lowest electricity costs. Problem solved, right? Well, no. The lithium-ion batteries that power EVs are expensive to manufacture, and thus expensive for the consumer. They can only go so long between charges, and the charging process can take hours in between drives. What’s needed, then, is a battery that lasts longer and charges faster.