Hybrid
Revolution: Do mild hybrid vehicles hold the key?
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Mild
hybrids on steroids
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.
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