![](http://investorshub.advfn.com/images/default_ih_profile2_4848.jpg?cb=0)
Monday, March 10, 2008 7:32:44 PM
07.03.08 05:54
( Motor Authority )- 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.
Last Shot Hydration Drink Announced as Official Sponsor of Red River Athletic Conference • EQLB • Jun 20, 2024 2:38 PM
ATWEC Announces Major Acquisition and Lays Out Strategic Growth Plans • ATWT • Jun 20, 2024 7:09 AM
North Bay Resources Announces Composite Assays of 0.53 and 0.44 Troy Ounces per Ton Gold in Trenches B + C at Fran Gold, British Columbia • NBRI • Jun 18, 2024 9:18 AM
VAYK Assembling New Management Team for $64 Billion Domestic Market • VAYK • Jun 18, 2024 9:00 AM
Fifty 1 Labs, Inc Announces Acquisition of Drago Knives, LLC • CAFI • Jun 18, 2024 8:45 AM
Hydromer Announces Attainment of ISO 13485 Certification • HYDI • Jun 17, 2024 9:22 AM