I always heard Lithium is the safest of the battery metals. Nickel is a heavy metal and like most heavy metals can mess up body functions in large doses. Lithium is the third lightest atom and usually turns into a salt or carbonate naturally. (it still has body affects as it is used to treat bipolar disorder)

 

Yikes...battery landfill safe? Who is your source? Was it based on a study? Did they look at a model for large quantities dump? THat is just hard to fathom!

 

What I wonder is this: how is Ford going to build a PHEV in 5-10 years when that company is going to be out of business in 3-4 years? Maybe they are talking about whatever company that buys Ford's cadaver being the one that starts making PHEVs.

 

I sold cellular phones between 1995 and 2005, so I dealt with a whole lot of batteries in my time. The NiCd batteries were very heavy and very toxic. The only good thing about them is that they could be recharged an amazing number if times (if you were careful enough not to impose memory effect). The NiMH batteries were lighter, held a greater charge, and were much less toxic. They were also much less likely to develop memory effect. Then the lithium ion batteries came out. They were even lighter, even LESS toxic, and even LESS likely to develop memory effect. The lithium ion batteries allowed cell phone makers to place high-drain functions on the phones (like cameras, video, mp3 player, etc.)

Now, the retail-grade lithium ion batteries only seemed to last about two years. I suppose automotive-grade lithium batteries will have to be reformulated somehow to last ten years or else the technology will not be viable.

 

Lithium Titanate. From Altairnano Nanosafe batteries. 15,000 100%DOD cycles and still at above 80% chargeable capacity. It's too bad that these guys own the patent but cant seem to produce them cheaply (or wont, yet).

 

In the book "Plug In Hybrids" (or maybe it was in the discussion on BookTV), the author says that about 99% of car batteries are recycled effectively. Toyota actually has some program to get the old batteries. Problems with batteries are more with the little batteries (watch to D say) that are more a throw away type item-- and often come in throw away type applications.

--des

 

Did you know every Hybrid out there ( that I know of, even the few plug ins ) are powered by D batteries?

That is correct.
The Ford Escape, having the largest pack out there has 250 "D" cell batteries wired in series. Toyotas and Hondas have the same size cells, just fewer of them in each car. The plug-in type batteries have about 1500 "D" cell batteries.

To date, we ( the industry ) are not building large batteries.
We are only building large battery arrays.

During the "recycle" process, I'll bet you a box of donuts the battery cells are discarded to the landfill, and only the metal cases, and computer components are recycled. IF a little D cell is dead, it is dead. Even if it could be "revived" somehow, I'm sure it falls under the category that it is easier and cheaper to replace with new, then to fix the old. Along the lines of the microwave oven and VCR.

 

In the old days (Insight and earliest Prius), the packs were indeed made with D-cells.

The majority of today's hybrids do not use D-cells any more, but use prismatic types. See vehicle adoption list here:

http://www.peve.jp/e/shouhin.html

 

Okay, only the newer Toyotas use "prismatic:".
( and it may be for cars sold in Japan only, you know they get stuff years ahead of the U.S. )
That's no advantage other than ease of assembly.

The current model Fords ( 2005 to 2008 ) use 250 "D" ( or extra long D ) in the hybrid pack.
And most if not all plug-in models use cells from A123 systems, which are D like, but a little smaller.

My point is that same even with the newer Toyotas.
Hundreds of small batteries per car.
Not one large one.
-John