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High-tech company expands downtown
Folgers coffee perks up Smucker earnings
Region's stocking full of ideas for those on the prowl for holiday gifts
Ohio sues credit-rating companies
Study tracks newspaper, online readership
Michelin chief says revenue won't increase
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Retired firefighter who broke color barrier among those being honored
Indians add 7 players to 40-man roster
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Two blowouts, one night
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Automaker ends its secret lithium Prius tests
By Alan Ohnsman
Bloomberg News
Published on Tuesday, Sep 15, 2009
Toyota, the biggest seller of hybrid autos, is sticking with nickel as the preferred battery material for most of its vehicles after three years of secretly testing Prius hatchbacks with lithium-ion packs.
Toyota last month ended road tests of 126 Priuses in the U.S., Japan and Europe that began in 2006, Jana Hartline, a company spokeswoman, said in an interview. Details of the program, in which the cars' nickel metal hydride batteries were replaced with more expensive lithium models, weren't released.
Automakers are introducing models all or partly powered by lithium-ion batteries holding twice the energy of nickel packs.
While Toyota's lithium version performed well and gave ''small'' fuel-economy gains because of lighter weight, nickel is favored for conventional, mass-market hybrids for its cost, said Kazuo Tojima, senior staff engineer for batteries.
Lithium's ''durability, stability and safety are assured,'' company tests showed, Tojima said.
The tests appear to be among the most thorough done by companies planning to introduce the batteries, said Menahem Anderman, president of consulting firm Advanced Automotive Batteries in Oregon House, Calif.
''We now know that a lithium-ion battery can work; that's not really the question,'' he said. ''Cost is critical, and we still don't know enough about long-term durability.''
Toyota has sold more than 2 million hybrid cars and light trucks worldwide since introducing the Prius in Japan in 1997, almost all using nickel. The automaker hasn't announced plans to sell standard hybrids with lithium batteries in the U.S.
This year, Toyota will begin delivering test fleets in the U.S., Japan and Europe consisting of plug-in Priuses that can run 12 miles solely on lithium-ion battery power after charging at an electrical outlet. The car is being shown this week at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The company also plans to sell a small electric car for urban commuters, powered solely by lithium packs, by 2012.
Nissan will begin offering battery-electric Leaf compact cars next year, which it says will travel 100 miles on a fully charged lithium pack. Mitsubishi is selling in Japan the i-MiEV, a $51,000 electric minicar that also travels as far as 100 miles using only lithium-ion batteries.
Toyota, the biggest seller of hybrid autos, is sticking with nickel as the preferred battery material for most of its vehicles after three years of secretly testing Prius hatchbacks with lithium-ion packs.
Get the full article here.
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