Just over the horizon is new battery technology I hope can be used in
our 06 Hybrid Civics when it is time to replace. I heard that Lithium
batteries can have 2 or 3 times more storage and be lighter and
more compact.

Does anyone have any information on this?

alster

 

You are correct. Lithium Ion are great but they are volatile and can heat up. I expect in the future they will be used for the reasons you state, but not until they are considered safe in an automotive application.

 

Litium ion-batteries are great, and safe for automotive use. Draw-backs are that they are still relatively expensive, sensitive for being discharged completely, sensitive for overcharge, and require some kind of battery management system, monitoring and controlling each cell. Most are also limited in charge/discharge rate, which I think is the second reason hybrids still use NiMH-batteries (cost is main reason probably). It's tough for a 1 kWh battery to handle charge/discharge power of 15 kW, during many years of use.

If litiums weren't safe I wouldn't trust millions of people carrying them around in their cell phones, cameras and laptops.

Rumours has it that Toyota plan to use litium-ions in their next generation Prius. Let's hope it happens soon, it would be a real break-through for the technology.

 

I think that the batteries you are talking about are the new Lithium Sulphur being developed by companies like www.sionpower.com


They have between 4 and 6 times the capacity per kilogram of Lithium Ion and are cheaper to make too.

So, you can expect to see 600mile electric cars very soon!!!

 

I have seen various articles stating that it could be 5-10 years before Lithium Ion is feasable in cars.

 

Sounds very much like Toshiba's Lithium Ion Charges in One Minute

The company's new battery can recharge 80% of a battery's energy capacity in only one minute, approximately 60 times faster than the typical lithium-ion batteries in wide use today, and combines this fast recharge time with performance-boosting improvements in energy density.

The battery has a long life cycle, losing only 1% of capacity after 1,000 cycles of discharging and recharging, and can operate at very low temperatures.

The battery's advantages in size, weight and safety highly suit it for a role as an alternative power source for hybrid electric vehicles

Toshiba's press release - March 2005

EETimes Lithium ion battery recharges in one minute

Toshiba plans to begin mass producing the battery in its fiscal 2006 ending March 2007.

 

Rumor has it the next HSD Prius ('09 model) will be Lithium...that's 2+ short years from now. Not to mention Toyota's early hybrids (just in Japan, start-stop type systems) had/still have lithium batteries.

Cheers,

Curt.

 

Search the web for the Exploding Dell Laptop video.

Not all Lithium Ions are safe.. though Dell states Lithium batteries have an extremely 'low fail rate' But there is a fail rate. Now.. hopefully that low fail rate doesn't involve exploding/flaming batteries

I don't want my car burning up.. that would be horrible.