Hybrid Batteries – A Key To Lowering the Price of Hybrid Vechicles
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Ever since the Toyota Prius came to market over 10 years ago, the hybrid car has become more and more popular.
Hybrid cars are the most fuel efficient cars on the market today and with prices at the pump not getting any cheaper, the case for hybrid vehicles becomes stronger. In this article we will take a closer look at one of the integral parts of the hybrid car, its battery.
The word hybrid means two or more things combined to achieve a higher goal than the individual parts are capable of. Hybrid cars, then, are cars that are powered by two or more different sources with the most prevalent being an electric motor and traditional gasoline engine.
The electric motor is used for low speed and low acceleration driving while the gasoline engine kicks in when extra power is required such as overtaking, climbing hills and driving quickly.
The role of the hybrid battery varies depending on the car model. In some models the battery will be allowed to fully discharge and then charge again while the gasoline engine takes over while, in others the battery and engine are used in tandem more and the battery is recharged when the car is at idle.
At the moment, most hybrids use Ni-MH batteries (nickel metal hydride) due to their durability. However, Toyota has recently announced that their new line of hybrids will use Li-ion (lithium-ion) batteries and these are due for release late 2008 and early 2009. There are many reasons for moving towards Li-ion batteries. The main benefits of these kinds of batteries are that they are lighter, more powerful and can be easily formed to fit the device that they are powering.
Being lighter is an important factor in a car that is designed for maximum fuel economy since less fuel will be consumed in powering a lighter vehicle.
One of the criticisms of hybrid cars is that they cost more than their traditional gasoline only equivalents. Since this means that the consumer will struggle to make up the savings over the course of their hybrid vehicle’s lifetime, this inevitable discourages from purchasing the eco-friendly alternative.
However, as part of their announcement on Li-on hybrid batteries Toyota have stated that they project that this will enable them to cut down on the cost of hybrid car production. This can only be a good thing for the car customer and the environment as a whole and it is to be hoped that companies such as Toyota will continue to make similar advances in this market.
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