Posted on Thursday 6 March 2008
By now most of us are well aware of the benefits that lithium-ion batteries are purported to bring to hybrids: lighter weight, longer range and better power. We’ve also heard the downsides of lithium-ion batteries: unexpected fires and explosions, heat, and high costs. Toyota, already slow to join the lithium-ion camp, has decided that the smart money is on what’s next - although it will still use lithium-ion batteries in some vehicles.
Alternative materials like air-zinc are being eyed, and Toyota is devoting new resources to a unit that will investigate the issue. The company has a goal of 50mi (80km) on a battery that can be charged from a standard home electricity outlet, reports Automotive News Europe. With hopes to commercialize such a battery by 2020, the company has its work cut out - but it’s not impossible. The 2020 goal falls in step with the broader goal of having a hybrid version of every model in its lineup.
Toyota’s move toward the technology of the generation-after-next comes just as other makers are beginning to firm up their implementations of next-generation lithium-ion technology. Toyota itself hopes to have a new plug-in hybrid on the market as soon as 2010, a year after Mercedes expects to come to market with its S400 BlueEFFICIENCY hybrid. BMW is using lithium-ion batteries in its most recent hybrids, and Ford just delivered its first lithium-ion plug-in hybrid SUV test vehicle in January.
this thing looks wicked.
wow,.. this is a mistake. i mean, sure LIon wont be the end game battery tech, but they’re saying outright that they wont back a battery technology that will for sure be the best technology for AT LEAST the next TWELVE YEARS according to THEIR OWN estimates? they’d be foolish to not throw everything they have into LIon right now, and then just as that technology is starting to really return a profit, invest THAT into air-zinc.
as far as the looks, it has the same awkward roof as the GT-R. it looks like the C pillar is the roof, and the windshield comes up and over the drivers seat. just looks odd to me. the styling cues in general are really interesting and i can definitely see how when this car is toned down for production, it will still make for a very stunning and unique car.
Might end up been a smart move. If you buy a car powered by lithium-ion and somthing goes wrong the company who made it will get sued. I hope whatever car builder that uses them will house the batterys in a crash proof/ fire proof box to reduce the risks of using lithium-ion.
mark; realize that lithium ion isnt intrinsicly flammable, it is just that poor designs in the past have lead to excessive heating which causes melting of the battery casing (most often plastic) which then burns. in some situations, the container doesnt break or melt and causes the heating battery to undergo compression and then “explode” open, releasing hot material.
with nanotechnology being used in the lightning for example, heating is SIGNIFICANTLY reduced due to much better design and production techniques.
the point in my last statement is that toyota is going to skip the upcoming generation of battery technology and invest into a battery technology that wont even be ready for production for another 12 years by their own estimates which are most likely VERY optimistic.
just look at it with the knowledge of how the hydrogen fuel cell issue has been handled. in 1990 people were abuzz about this new technology that was going to power all of our cars by 2000. we wouldnt be flying around, but we would be zipping along. then by 1995 they were saying 2010 and now that were near 2010, theyre saying 2025 at the earliest.
air-zinc batteries are just being used in laboratories at the moment. Their only real world application is in hearing aids and other smaller electronic devices that cannot be recharged or accessed often. the technology is very far away from being used in large power applications. think of it as LED technology… great for small power electronic applications but its taken 30 years before audi has been able to put them in their cars for anything more than an indicator light, and it will be a while before you see LED light bulbs for home use. Fuel cells were space age technology in the 80’s and 30 years later, we’re still developing them for cars. expect the same situation with air zinc.