In Quest for Better Battery, Keep an Ion Nationalism

[plane]

In 2005, General Motors Corp. executives -- blue over their company's less-than-green reputation and envious of eco-darling Toyota Prius -- began searching the world for advanced batteries they hoped would power a new generation of gas-electric hybrid cars.

...

One beneficiary of this battery war is a small Watertown, Mass., start-up called A123 Systems, which has developed a small pack of lithium-ion batteries that can be retrofitted into the spare-tire well of a Toyota Prius. The batteries turn the Prius into a "plug-in hybrid," which can be recharged through an electrical outlet and run almost exclusively on electricity in the first 40 miles of driving. During a test drive around Watertown, near Boston, there is nothing noticeably different about how the converted black Prius drives, except for a screen in the center of the car's dashboard that flashes its eye-popping fuel economy, sometimes 100 miles to the gallon and at other points 150 miles to the gallon.

This is the kind of technology GM wants to use, to develop, among other future vehicles, a Saturn Vue Green Line plug-in hybrid SUV and a real-world version of the Chevrolet Volt show car the company has been promoting to demonstrate its seriousness about clean technology.

Article continues at link.....

http://online.wsj.com/public/article...f_main_tff_top

[Joevette]

hurry the hell up and bring it to market now

[BusyBody]

bring it to market!!

[redimpss5]

Must be one of those items that will be only in one car.

[natesriv]

This is GM's chance to seal the deal. If they become a leader in plug in hybrids, we'll hear no more talk of GM & bankruptcy...

God speed GM!

[CaptainDan]

Originally Posted by redimpss5

Must be one of those items that will be only in one car.

You're right - IF this set up doesn't work, or it's too expensive, or there are severe drawbacks they haven't mentioned.

But if this works as stated, you WILL see it everywhere.

[Al465]

Originally Posted by Joevette

hurry the hell up and bring it to market now

The US should treat this challenge just as great as the race to the moon we had decades ago. Even more so because the benefits would be much greater and maybe we could tell the Mid East oil to shove it. Also, this could put the American auto industry back on it's feet.

[AmericanRevv]

"During a test drive around Watertown, near Boston, there is nothing noticeably different about how the converted black Prius drives, except for a screen in the center of the car's dashboard that flashes its eye-popping fuel economy, sometimes 100 miles to the gallon and at other points 150 miles to the gallon."

What is noticeably different?

[Al465]

Originally Posted by AmericanRevv

"During a test drive around Watertown, near Boston, there is nothing noticeably different about how the converted black Prius drives, except for a screen in the center of the car's dashboard that flashes its eye-popping fuel economy, sometimes 100 miles to the gallon and at other points 150 miles to the gallon."

What is noticeably different?

Are you insinuating that the Prius in it's factory form already gets that kind of mileage? If so that's ridiculous.

[bcjohnso99]

Originally Posted by plane

The batteries turn the Prius into a "plug-in hybrid," which can be recharged through an electrical outlet and run almost exclusively on electricity in the first 40 miles of driving.

Only if you putt around below 30mph. How realistic it that?

At least the Volt is being designed to drive at highway speeds in pure electric mode.

[SUPERBADD75]

GM should team up with another automaker (or two) to get the battery technology and their car to market before Toyota. Honda would almost certainly like to have it before Toyota, and they wouldn't be a major threat to GM due to their size. Ford would also be a good partner. anything to beat Toyota at their own game and be the first to the market with this technology.

[plane]

Originally Posted by bcjohnso99

Only if you putt around below 30mph. How realistic it that?

At least the Volt is being designed to drive at highway speeds in pure electric mode.

What? Are you kidding? You've got to be out of your mind!!!!!
Oh, wait, that's a reasonable post.
Actually it's quite convincing.
You're right! You are absolutely correct.

30 mph putting around is not realistic.
The Volt avoids mechanical complexity and provides better functionality at a much higher efficiency.

[CaptainDan]

Originally Posted by AmericanRevv

"During a test drive around Watertown, near Boston, there is nothing noticeably different about how the converted black Prius drives, except for a screen in the center of the car's dashboard that flashes its eye-popping fuel economy, sometimes 100 miles to the gallon and at other points 150 miles to the gallon."

What is noticeably different?

Well, actually the screen on the dashboard is misleading, if not an outright lie.

The only difference between a factory Prius and this version is an additional battery. That's the same engine, still running in an inefficient mode (not like the Volt), and the car now weighs more. It's gas mileage would be WORSE, not better. Unless you're counting the extra charge you got from plugging it in, but that charge was not made by ANY gasoline, so there is NO gas mileage at all for that. If you ran it on just the "plugged in" electric charge, without the engine kicking on at all, what's your gas mileage? 100 mpg? 150mpg? A billion mpg? It's just a made up number. In such a situation, the gas mileage is infinite - you didn't use ANY gas.

Now don't get me wrong, this is still a good set up. You're getting your driving energy from a much cheaper, and more efficient source than using gasoline. But trying to mislead people with bogus mpg claims is not a good idea.

[slbviper]

GM needs to buy A123 Systems, to keep the technology away from Toyota!!

[jason4225]

Originally Posted by CaptainDan

Well, actually the screen on the dashboard is misleading, if not an outright lie.

The only difference between a factory Prius and this version is an additional battery. That's the same engine, still running in an inefficient mode (not like the Volt), and the car now weighs more. It's gas mileage would be WORSE, not better. Unless you're counting the extra charge you got from plugging it in, but that charge was not made by ANY gasoline, so there is NO gas mileage at all for that. If you ran it on just the "plugged in" electric charge, without the engine kicking on at all, what's your gas mileage? 100 mpg? 150mpg? A billion mpg? It's just a made up number. In such a situation, the gas mileage is infinite - you didn't use ANY gas.

Now don't get me wrong, this is still a good set up. You're getting your driving energy from a much cheaper, and more efficient source than using gasoline. But trying to mislead people with bogus mpg claims is not a good idea.

You are completely right. The only benefit would be that they could achieve a high fuel economy number (which can be achieved by driving the current Prius a short distance on battery only and a short distance on the motor) for a longer distance due to the fact that the new battery would let them extend the battery only portion of the drive.