Can Lithium Deliver the Goods?

[IsrAmeriPrius]

<a href=\'http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/wonews/nov04/1104nlith.html\' target=\'_blank\'>Can Lithium Deliver the Goods? Click here</a>

By Peter Fairley

Laptop battery is bulked up for service in hybrids

4 November 2004—Ten new Federal Express hybrid-electric vans that took to the New York City road in October are carrying much more than the usual surprise packages and parcels. The vans are powered partly by lithium-ion batteries—a scaled-up version of the batteries in cameras and laptops, not the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries that have been the technology of choice in the pioneering hybrid cars sold by Toyota, Honda, and Ford. The Fed Ex trail is a test, one of several, of whether lithium ion batteries could displace NiMH in the hybrid vehicles of the future.

Lithium batteries already surpass NiMH batteries in terms of power density, the metric of choice for hybrid vehicles, where electrical energy typically is needed in short bursts—either to help start the car or to supplement traction from a gasoline or diesel engine. (For electric cars, which rely entirely on batteries, energy density is the more important measure of performance.)

Battery supplier Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo, which provided prototype 40-kilowatt power packs for the FedEx trucks, says that the truck’s batteries can deliver up to 2000 kW of power per kilogram—at least 60 percent more power than the NiMH battery pack in Toyota’s popular hybrid Prius sedan.

[Jerry P]

I really hope these work out. We should be able to upgrade the battery in our Prii without much problem, and the increase in the 'stealth' range would be great. This will probably be the one thing that will allow us to drive our Prii for an extremely long time.

[john1701a]

That really isn't realistic.

Besides the higher cost, the number of charging cycles available is quite a bit lower.

[DanH]

According to the article, it looks like lithium does have the potential someday to outlast NiMH.

" “Fundamentally, we think [lithium] should last longer [than NiMH] and should be less expensive,” says Savagian. Analysts price lithium car batteries at more than US $1000 per kilowatt-hour versus an estimated $800 per kWh for NiMH, but they are betting that volume production will close that gap as it has for other electronics applications. "

It seems though the main problem is they catch fire too easily.

" Simmering says battery developers are often surprised by the fireworks that the Big Three’s tests elicit from their cells. “We’ve got lots of interesting video,” he says. "

I'd love to see those...

One interesting mistake they made, but didn't make it in later in the paragraph... They stated that lithium currently delivers 2000 kW of power per kilogram. That's 2 Megawatts! I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that when it shorted out.

[bruceha_2000]

It seems though the main problem is they catch fire too easily.

And people are concerned they might get electrocuted by the Prius battery?

[TonyPSchaefer]

Hitachi provides batteries.
More cars are being developed using batteries.

Might have to look into purchasing some Hitachi stock.

[slortz]

I'm really wondering just how explosive and volatile these lithium-ion batteries are. I'm mean a 16-gallon gas tank full of fuel can be pretty explosive under the right conditions.
I guess I'd like to see that video of the tests too.

[DaveinOlyWA]

lithium is the most reactive element in the universe.

however, as i remember it, Li-ion batteries have less than half the duty cycles of NiMH batteries.

will that be enough to outlast the normal life of a car?? maybe but realize that even NiMH batteries used normally wouldnt have lasted in a normal car. its Toyotas charge control system that is the real revolution.

the question is, will Li-ion batteries react as favorably?

Lithium ion is used in the 58mpg Toyota Vitz hybrid, but it's only sold in Japan at the moment.

The Nissan Tino hybrid also uses a lithium-ion pack, and has been on sale in Japan since 2000.

Also, Hitachi have joined forces with some others to increase production of Li-Ion for hybrid vehicles, so it's a fairly safe bet they've already negotiated some deals with other Japanese auto manufacturers to supply them with LiIon. I reckon LiIon will get a big boost from the fact that Panasonic EV can't supply Toyota with enough batteries for the Prius/Lexus/Highlander hybrids, and Sanyo can't make enough NiMH for the Ford Escape hybrid!

[ken1784]

Lithium ion is used in the 58mpg Toyota Vitz hybrid, but it's only sold in Japan at the moment.

Toyota Vitz is not rated as a Hybrid Vehicle.
It does not have any electric motors to drive the vehicle. It has small Li-Ion battery to do automatic idling stop.

The Nissan Tino hybrid also uses a lithium-ion pack, and has been on sale in Japan since 2000.

Nissan Tino Hybrid was sold only 100 in 2000 and was discontinued then.

Regards,
Ken@Japan