Lithium-ion battery chemistry is discussed these days as if it is the default battery technology for the global auto industry.  But adoption of lithium-ion batteries is not exactly just around the corner.

At the Green Conference and Exposition being held today in Detroit, sponsored by industry trade magazine Automotive News, executives and engineers for automakers and suppliers said that the cratering auto business is making it difficult to automatically assume that expensive efficiency-enhancing alternatives are going to be widely adopted.

Battery-intensive plug-in hybrids, they said, may not enjoy the same level of  industry support now that cash-strapped customers have quit buying cars, automakers are bleeding money and global oil prices have regressed to lows many pundits predicted would never return.   

David Vieau, president and chief executive of A123 Systems, one of the most prominent developers of lithium-ion batteries and one of two companies currently working with General Motors Corp. on batteries for the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle and for plug-in hybrid versions of current GM production models, admits one of his company's current concerns is "getting costs out of the system."

A123 makes the aftermarket lithium-ion battery packs that have been rolled out to immense demand from Toyota Prius owners seeking to convert their cars to plug-ins with extended all-electric range. But Toyota itself continues to seem reticent about the near-term prospects for lithium-ion chemistry in its production cars.
 
Jaycie Chitwood, Toyota Motor Sales USA's senior strategic planner in the advanced technologies department, flatly said that less energy-dense - but also much less expensive - nickel-metal hydride batteries "will be the technology for hybrids for many years to come."

Tags: gm, chevrolet, toyota, volt, prius

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By - Hybrid Guy
Bio: My fascination for hybrid cars came about long ago. I've been living green before gas hit $1/gallon. It's really a way of life and I hope I can share with you all I know about Hybrid Cars.
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