LiIon will power third generation Prius
Lithium ion batteries will power the third generation Toyota Prius hybrid according to Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe. "We will change the battery from nickel hydride to the lithium battery," stated the CEO in a recent BusinessWeek interview.Additionally, Toyota confirmed earlier reports that indicated that there will be serious improvements in weight, fuel-efficiency and costs of the third gen Prius, which should be available in either 2008 or 2009.
More on the Third Generation Toyota Prius.
Labels: toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
4:23 AM
3 Comments:
I fear that by the time GM gets a 1st gen hybrid in production, they may find that the Pac Rim has a chokehold on the market.
I continue to remain worried about GM. They are definitely taking positive steps, but I wonder whether they are being aggressive enough. Actually, I don't wonder, I know that I want them to get far more aggressive with hybrids.
I loved the convertible Saab flex-fuel hybrid concept GM displayed at NAIAS. While I'm not an SUV fan, their Yukon hybrid seems ready to go as well. Both of these hybrids could be good momentum builders for the Chevy Volt and provide some good 'image value' for GM in the interim.
Yet, since neither of these vehicles are available for sale and since not one dual mode hybrid is yet available for sale I cannot help but speculate that there is some sort of problem.
I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for a little while longer, but I'm not sure how much longer I can wait.
GM has to gamble big, and win, or else its all over next time gasoline prices jump (for example, if Hawk Man and Bubble Boy bomb Iran).
I recommend building the Chevy Volt. Don't wait 5 years until the lithium ion batteries are rock solid, by then everybody and startups like Tesla will have them too.
Get some promising company like A123 Systems, make sure they can build a safe battery now (no fires!), and commit to some long term contract for adequate batteries (5-10 years, say).
Lock in a supplier that will get their costs way down in 5-10 years, and give you battery packs you can get going with now, and great, cheaper ones later. Maybe GM overpays for batteries the first 2-3 years, but establishing a kick ass brand and proving they can build cutting edge technology could save their company. Lose a few thousand on the battery pack the first year, lose a bit less the next, break even the third year, make a small profit (on the battery pack) the fourth year, etc. Thomas Edison did this with the early light bulbs. Conquer a big segment on the market, let economies of scale save your costs later.
GM could easily sell 100,000 Volts in the second or third year. Even if they have to replace 1/2 the battery packs in 5-6 years, the costs for long lasting lithium ion batteries will be way down by then, and they will have dominated plug in electric hybrids along the way.
Roll the dice, bean counters. This is no time to focus on third quarter 2007 profits...
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