Chevrolet's much-hyped hybrid Volt depends entirely on cutting edge lithium-ion batteries– which is kinda weird as the car has one of the shortest development times in modern automotive history. Any delay in battery testing and development and GM's 2010 launch date will pass quicker than bad curry. Kudos to Autobloggreen for staying on top of the Volt's progress– not to mention understanding battery technology enough to ask the Volt folk intelligent questions. In fact, the discussion is so damn intelligent I'm depending on Wired to interpret the answers. And the high tech industry mag says GM hasn't received the latest A123 batteries it was "supposed to be testing last month." Uh oh. On the positive side, perhaps, "Denise Gray, the company's director of energy storage systems, uses the phrase 'so far, so good' four times while discussing the test results." Fingers crossed? "GM still has to strike a balance between power, energy storage and performance during extremely hot or cold weather." Not to mention "normal" weather. While the Volt is the one part of GM that seems to operating with what industry analyst Mary-Ann Keller called for many moons ago– a sense or urgency– there's a long, long way between final prototype and working production model. And an even wider gap between initial production model and successful product. Just look at the first Toyota Prius. Or, if you really want a clear picture of the mountain the Volt has to climb, the next Prius.
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Anyone see the news blurb on the AFS Trinity Extreme Hybrid?
Finally, a “plug-in hybrid” powerful enough to accelerate to sixty miles per hour in about ten-seconds, with the range to run forty miles on battery power alone. …
After those 40 miles, the car switches to a standard gas-powered engine.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/12/eveningnews/main3704867.shtml
Seems like a reasonable strategy, but I suspect that stories like these are going to start coming out of the woodwork due to the increasing gas prices.
I was looking at the LionEV site, and they’ve switched from converting Accents and Tiburons to EVS in 2007 to converting Ford Escapes in 2008. They also do Ford Rangers.
http://www.lionev.com/Home_Page.html
Modern, lithium-ion batteries fulfil the criteria required for something to be classified as an explosive device: a lot of energy stored in compact form in a very small space.
And we’ve all read the stories of how mobile phones and laptops go up in flames or explode. That happens when the energy management malfunctions.
The proper term for this interesting state is “deflagration.” The action of heating a substance until it burns away rapidly. Batteries rarely detonate, but they do occasionally deflagrate. Not fun when you’ve got the device the battery is in, lying in your pocket.
The sudden energy demands involved in driving make for quite a few challenges when dealing with the energy pack that delivers power. No wonder they’re having to wait a bit for their battery.
GM has this lined up so they have no accountability. If (and I say “if”) they do launch on time it will be all GM’s success and boasting (first time they did something they hyped so much). If it sucks (likely) or is delayed 2-3 years b/c of the battery – GM can blame someone else. B/c why stand up and be accounted for and retain the responsibility and accountability – than do the GM thing – blame everything and everyone else.
And by coincidence, tonight Toyota announced plans to have a PHEV Prius powered by Li-ion batteries on sale by 2010.
The car that will never be.
@starlightmica
Very interesting. Last year Toyota said that they wouldn’t be using Lithium-ion batteries due to their instability. From your link:
Not Ready
The planned new plug-in hybrids would use lithium-ion batteries. Last year, Toyota officials had said that lithium batteries for plug-ins weren’t ready for consumer use and couldn’t gauge market demand.
“The advanced lithium-ion batteries that the Volt would use, batteries suitable for the long-term rigors of everyday automotive use, don’t exist,” Irv Miller, Toyota’s U.S. vice president for corporate communications, wrote on a company Web site in September.
…
Lithium-ion batteries aren’t currently available in large quantities, cost more and are harder to produce than nickel- metal batteries, and can burn if they overheat.
“The challenge for commercializing lithium batteries for plug-in hybrids is manufacturing,” said Menahem Anderman, president of industry consultant Advanced Automotive Batteries, in Oregon House, California.
I don’t think I’d charge these things in my garage. May out at the end of the driveway.