The plant will initially produce nickel-metal hydride batteries for Toyota’s current hybrid fleet as well as the next-generation Prius hybrid due at next year’s Detroit Auto Show. The Nikkei reports that a second battery plant will be built for newer lithium-ion batteries that will eventually make their way into Toyota’s new plug-in hybrid vehicle due at the end of the decade.
Mercedes-Benz is expected to be the first major carmaker with a lithium-ion powered hybrid vehicle when it launches a new S400 hybrid sedan next year, and GM is also hard at work readying its Volt plug-in hybrid for a 2010 launch. Earlier this month GM engineers reached a new milestone in testing, with initial prototypes of the car reaching the goal of 40 miles of electric-only driving.
Nissan, which still hasn't developed its own hybrid system for commercial sale, said it will have its original hybrid and electric vehicles by 2010 and announced a new its joint venture with NEC this week to start mass-producing lithium-ion batteries next year.
Reader Comments
Fri May 23 2008 11:22 AM
burke says
...they still need to keep working on that front...
Fri May 23 2008 12:04 PM
chris says
burke, i know what you mean.. its rediculously asian, and I can prove it.. see the shape of the head lights? looks like typical closed-squinty anime eyes. and that ear to ear grin line in the front bumper. and then the little mohawk on the hood.. anime characters always have some funky hair. and then those huge side sections that go from those tiny slit like air vents all the way up the side of the fender in front of the wheel.. well those are huge side burns... and the wheels.. well they dont look like ears.. at all really.. but they're kinda the right shape and they're where they should be. thats what i see when i look at this concept. an anime guy.
anyways.. i love the 200M investment in technology they know will be antiquated in 5 or so years. heres an idea.. how about you take that 200 million... put it in a savings account... just build the LIon plant, and then use that 200M that you would have spent on past technology, and use it to subsidize your own technology. that way, people wont have to buy a lexus prius in 2010 just to get Lion hybrids. I'll tell you why,.. cause you're milking it just like everyone else does, and you need to give people an incentive to get the first gen lexus prius.
Disclaimer: i'm not shooting down toyota for "milking it"... hell ford NA has been milking the C178 platform for 10 years and counting. I'm reminded of that every day. It's business. Just saying... everyone goes on about toyota spending their money in smart ways to get the best product they can to their customers. bull.
Fri May 23 2008 12:24 PM
bambam says
I love it, its unique and fresh
When was the last time something new
came out and is being accepted straight
away but not perfect. Every other car
looks the same.
this is fresh, no other front look like this.
Fri May 23 2008 1:18 PM
chris says
bambam.. i know what you mean.. its risky.. you love it or hate it. which is good. but the spy shots we have dont really look like this will be the final design.
Fri May 23 2008 1:27 PM
bambam says
yeah that's Toyota for ya.
They will change it if they can because its risky.
without one or two tough guys in there, its back to basic for them.
They prefer corolla or camry's or prius but not Rx8 or Chevy volt.
something new and acceptable.
Fri May 23 2008 3:23 PM
burke says
You got my point Chris, reliability and performance apart, there is a lot of "Origami-Mania" in the Japanese car design..other Japanese cars remind me of characters in the "Pikachu" cartoons...
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