Low-cost electric cars are waiting on nothing but a simple battery breakthrough. That's been the long-held opinion of many experts for the last, oh, 50 years or so. Is lithium ion technology the tipping point we've been waiting for all these years? Well, naturally that depends on who you ask.
According to ex-engineer and author John German, tomorrow's lithium ion batteries are just the ticket... for affordable hybrid automobiles. Plug-ins and full electrics? Not so much, says German. Why? German suggests that the answer centers around the fact that lithium ion batteries can charge and discharge much faster than any previous power units, but they don't actually hold any more energy at maximum capacity, which means no more range than current EVs.
German opines that conventional hybrids will soon make sound financial sense to a large number of consumers. When will that take place? Oh, in about 10 to 15 years. There's plenty more to chew on, so click here to read German's full interview with the crew from Hybrid Cars.
[Source: Hybrid Cars]
According to ex-engineer and author John German, tomorrow's lithium ion batteries are just the ticket... for affordable hybrid automobiles. Plug-ins and full electrics? Not so much, says German. Why? German suggests that the answer centers around the fact that lithium ion batteries can charge and discharge much faster than any previous power units, but they don't actually hold any more energy at maximum capacity, which means no more range than current EVs.
German opines that conventional hybrids will soon make sound financial sense to a large number of consumers. When will that take place? Oh, in about 10 to 15 years. There's plenty more to chew on, so click here to read German's full interview with the crew from Hybrid Cars.
[Source: Hybrid Cars]
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