Batteries to hold back PHEVs and EVs many more years?
The ZENN electric vehicleIs the electrification of the automobile just around the corner? Not unless consumers are willing to significantly change their expectations regarding automobiles and, equally as important, be willing to pay more for automobiles, according to ex-GM CEO, Robert Stempel, whom set forth the EV1 program at GM before being removed from his post.
Regarding the EV1 Stempel told the Wall Street Journal, "The business side of the case wasn't there. The EV1 was too expensive…We were way off the cost target."
While consumer expectations might be opening to range shortcomings, charging, and other issues slowing electric drive adoption - mostly thanks to high gas prices - battery costs are still high today according to Stempel, whom has been with Energy Conversion Devices since his dismissal at GM. Stempel likes the NiMH battery, but believes it is simply not robust enough for either plug-in hybrid vehicles or pure electrics, and while he thinks lithium could solve this issue, he suggests that commodity costs could keep lithium batteries for automobiles expensive for many more years.
Labels: electric cars
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:01 AM
5 Comments:
Hey, your blog is very informative! I have a Lexus 450 H, it's great other than the impossible blind spots it has!!!! (I don't have the rear-view camera installed)
well, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCMiYYT_lXE
car washes...do you have any thoughts on those???
Stempel is a moron, quite simply. NiMH is proven and durable and robust and is PERFECTLY suited for EV's and PHEV's...
NIMH battery packs prove themselves every single day in hundreds of thousands of hybrid vehicles as well as the venerable Toyota RAV4 EV. Stempel should realize more than anyone else that NiMH works and it works today!
It is obvious to me that there is a concerted effort to discredit this great battery technology as it seems everyone in these powerful positions all parrot the same line. "NiMH is too heavy, is not energy dense, cannot be used for EV's", etc., ad nauseum.
Give me a GM Volt with a 350 pound NiMH pack and a 40 mile range and I will be happy as a pig in a poke...
Well Stempel and ECD have invested a good bit of money in NiMH technology.
Also I've seen the EV1 battery pack next to the Volt battery pack and there is a very significant difference in size and weight. So, I think lithium offers clear advantages in that regard.
NiMH battery technology, even with just the small increase in hybrid production that exists tday has already been greatly affected by commodity price increases. That is a fact. what if automakers were making 10 times as many hybrids, battery costs would probably be much higher.
and making that kind of investment is tough if you believe lithium offers far more advantages and is just around the corner.
today, aside from batteries, there is a significant supply chain shortage for many ev components at a time when auto suppliers are suffering bankruptcy. that's also a problem.
already most americans want hybrids, but they don't want to pay much extra for them. it seems hard to believe they'd pay significantly more for a plugin hybrid or evs with less range than they are used to having.
unfortunately, that scares automakers because it takes like a million units to achieve economies of scale with new and advanced technologies. with consumer and technology uncertainty, most automakers are just afraid of the risk. and for an industry that perfected bean counting, its not really surprising. disappointing yes, but not surprising.
To be fair, the picture of the Volt battery next to the EV1 was using the lead acid battery pack.
I agree with your points and am very aware of the price of nickel, which is unfortunate. I still am amazed by the talking heads always saying the same thing, namely that NiMH won't work. Bothersome to me! :)
Why can't we just use NiMH initially and get the product to market and then switch to Li ion at a later date? Automaker's stubborn refusal to use this approach confounds me. I have spoke with Bob Lutz via e-mail, and he will not even consider the possibility.
So, hopefully the engineer's will get the Li ion packs up to snuff by 2010...as always, time will tell...
I actually saw the NiMH pack when I was last in Detroit. If I'm not mistaken, the lithium pack is at least a 1/3 smaller and lighter. Granted, there have been improvements in NiMH technology since, so that isn't a fully fair comparison.
I don't disagree that NiMH could provide a scaled down version of the Volt, or a two-seater with 40 mile EV range. I think it won't happen because GM isn't well invested in NiMH.
Toyota has a put a lot of money into NiMH supply chains. For GM to replicate those supply chains would probably take 5 to 10 years, so I think that's why they are so focused on lithium, plus it gives them some more time before they have to put their ass on the line with these vehicles.
But, truthfully, they should've stayed more focused on NiMH 10 years ago, as did Toyota. That is a mistake that is going to haunt GM and the rest of the Big 3, in addition to most other automakers, for many more years.
Still, while GM's past failures are very disappointing, the Volt might just become bigger than the Volt. This is something that utilities, private business and government are starting to rally around. While I know the government has better success screwing things up, if the government would treat electrification like the Manhattan project, change could happen very fast.
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