Car makers in a hurry to install lithium-ion batteries
Tue 04 March 2008
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General Motors has announced plans to begin using lithium-ion batteries in its next-generation hybrid system, due to be launched in 2010 in North America. The car maker says the li-ion batteries will make its next generation of hybrid vehicles three times more powerful than its current ones and, on their own, could improve fuel economy by up to two miles per gallon.
Lithium-ion batteries promise to make a new generation of lower-emission hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric vehicles possible by delivering more power relative to their size. However, they are reported to have a tendency to overheat, presenting carmakers with potentially serious quality and product liability risks.
GM's new hybrids mark the company's first use of lithium-ion batteries, in place of the current nickel metal hydride battery. The company thinks it can hit 100,000 annual sales once the vehicles are fully launched.
Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, the GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz told reporters that recent advances in lithium-ion batteries indicate that future electric cars might be able to travel 300 miles before they need to recharge, making them much more practical as a mass-market product.
Mr Lutz (reported by the Wall Street Journal) said: "If we get lithium-ion to 300 miles, then you need to ask yourself, Why do you need fuel cells?"
Daimler AG has also announced its intention to introduce a hybrid version of its Mercedes-Benz flagship S-class luxury sedan using a gasoline engine and a lithium-ion power source in 2009. Likewise, Toyota has said it plans to roll out low-emission vehicles using lithium-ion batteries in its own plug-in hybrid vehicle in 2010.
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