Hybrid Revolution: Do mild hybrids hold the key?
Mild hybrids on steroidsThere has been a lot of talk in the auto world regarding lithium-powered mild hybrid vehicles for some time. Multiple automakers have been discussing prototypes and concepts designed around such potential drivetrains for months.
BAM! Then, BMW kicked it up a notch with the debut of the BMW X5 lithium-powered mild hybrid.
BAM! A couple of short weeks later, Finish reading....
Labels: Hybrid Vehicles, lithium battery
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:53 AM
3 Comments:
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There has been a lot of talk in the auto world regarding lithium-powered mild hybrid vehicles for some time. Multiple automakers have been discussing prototypes and concepts designed around such potential drivetrains for months.
BAM! Then, BMW kicked it up a notch with the debut of the BMW X5 lithium-powered mild hybrid.
BAM! A couple of short weeks later, Mercedes kicked it up another notch with the announcement of its S400 mild hybrid. Unlike BMW, however, Mercedes wasn't just announcing a new hybrid, the company was announcing patents Mercedes has obtained in lithium and lithium battery management.
"What we have here is a groundbreaking key technology that is going to be a decisive factor for the future success of the automotive industry," said Thomas Weber, head of Mercedes-Benz research and development."
Today, GM joined the lithium-powered mild hybrid crazy train in Geneva with the Saab 9-X BioHybrid.
The lithium question?
So, have the thermodynamics of lithium been resolved, at least for mild hybrids?
Continental believes so. So does GM's battery partner, Hitachi Vehicle Energy Ltd
In fact, later this year, Continental will begin mass production of the batteries to be used in the patented Mercedes hybrid powertrain that integrates the lithium battery pack into the cooling system - to be followed within the "next few years" with the mass-production of lithium batteries for "full-hybrid and electric-powered vehicles" as well.
It's on!
Hybrid Wars
The hybrid revolution and the drive towards the electrification of the automobile is now fully underway. Yes, we all wish it could happen faster, but the technological competition towards fuel economy and reduced emissions is finally - after years and years of retardation - happening, developing, adapting and evolving into a new automotive future.
While some might pooh-pooh mild hybrid vehicles, lithium-powered mild hybrid cars might achieve similar fuel economy to a NiMH-powered Toyota Prius, at least on the highway. So, that's an interesting and important development.
Thus, it's hard not to wonder, will Toyota be able to mass produce lithium powered Hybrid Synergy Drive hybrids by 2010? Hundreds of thousands of them?
If not, how will third generation NiMH hybrids compare to mild lithium hybrids? Does Toyota have any other hybrid trucks up its sleeve, such as the aerodynamic materials of the 1-X plug-in?
Has Toyota stumbled? I don't think so.
Maybe Toyota is just waiting for the market to mature enough so that the economies of scale to achieve more cost-effective lithium production matches consumer interest?
Then again, maybe mild hybrids are just a small, but a necessary key step in the hybrid revolution.
But what is the point of these cars? They are not really mainstream, beyond the budget for most and if not out of budget, smart people just won't pay the stupidity high prices these latte barges are asking for.
I never understood the really backward-ass approach companies in general, but automakers in particular, take when introducing new products...always placed out of reach of the general public and available to a few. Lexus is a perfect example...do I really give a rat's ass that Lexus makes an L600h costing close to what? $80K ???
Is it really that difficult for automakers to produce a slick looking hybrid in the form of say, a VW GTI? Or Civic SI? Or Clio Sport? Would it be really that offensive for these wannabe traffic-light racers to see hybrid versions of their hot-hatches running around next to them??
I just can't believe the myopic-ness of the industry as a whole. Lucky for them all of us have pretty much no choice but to have a car as transport...otherwise these idiots would really be out of business.
But alas, there are more than enough idiots to keep BMW and Benz afloat regardless of what crap products they push out.
Mild hybrids are really just a money making scheme....just like SUVs. They are cheap to build...but people will pay a premium. Otherwise engineering-wise, technology-wise, and advancement-wise, they are pointless.
Mild hybrids do not make any sense for me as I am beholden of the major auto manufacturers triumphs of the late 90's, namely this vehicle that I would DIE to have:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:GMEV1serieshybrid.jpg
I could care less about Lithium AT THIS POINT, because I know that lead acid and NiMH are PROVEN and WORTHY. When Lithium EV's have been produced in significant numbers, have gone through the daily grind for 6 or 7 years and more than 100,000 miles, then I will be ready to give the chemistry its props.
So, for me, mild hybrids are yet another in a long, well documented history of auto manufacturer delay tactics and avoidance of producing gasoline free vehicles.
Having pontificated thusly, I agree with Dachredyn's postulation that mild hybrids most certainly do hold the key and at some point in the US future, all vehicles need to made this way.
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