Lithium
shortage to kill next gen hybrid vehicles?
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Not
a chance!
So, last night I was nursing a glass of wine while
discussing why the Chevy
Volt should or should not be called a hybrid vehicle
with some GM Volt engineers and David Vieau, President and
CEO of A123Systems
- one of GM's Volt battery partners. Eventually, that
conversation ended and I started asking David a bunch of
questions about lithium batteries.
Unfortunately, I didn't bring anything to take notes, but
we covered why you can't just take a bunch of powertool
batteries and weld them together - it's great for
demonstrations, but just not cost effective. Likewise, hybrid
cars demand a broader temperature range than
powertools. Nonetheless, according to Mr. Vieau, lithium
batteries will power next gen hybrid vehicles, including
plug-ins and range extended hybrids.
Still, as some reports have suggested, is there the
possibility of a materials shortage if the entire US fleet
of automobiles converted to lithium-powered vehicles I
asked? Absolutely not, David strongly confirmed. This is a
conversation that A123 has investigated and discussed with
its suppliers. Supplies will not limit A123's chemistry.
Even if the Volt is vaporware - which I don't believe it
is - lithium is the near term future for the automobile.
And, I believe that A123Systems will be a big part of that
future.
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