Toyota already looking beyond lithium-ion batteries

If you can believe it (and we think you can), Toyota is already hard at work on a new battery system to replace its lithium-ion units currently slated for use in upcoming models. According to a report in Automotive News Europe, the company is hoping to adopt a more advanced battery for its hybrid vehicles in about 12 years as part of its Global Vision 2020 plan. The automaker won't say what technology it plans on moving towards, though it has suggested that air-zinc batteries could be a possible solution for maintaining its dominance in the hybrid vehicle market. In June the company will launch a new division dedicated to developing technologies for future cell power, while its lithium-ion vehicles will hit the roads around 2010.

[Via Autoblog]

[Ayman @ Mar 7th 2008 9:03AM]

So Merc is going to be the first after all in the lithiam ion

[Temple @ Mar 7th 2008 11:57AM]

Nope, Toyota has had a lithium-ion powered hybrid in Japan since 2003, way before any other manufacturer.

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/11/05/toyota-secretly-selling-lithium-ion-priuses-since-2003/

[sitruc @ Mar 7th 2008 9:45AM]

Sometimes I hate it when the Weblog sites link to each other. Considering the reception I remember this getting yesterday, I'm not a fan of seeing this here.

[Jagannath A @ Mar 7th 2008 9:48AM]

I guess 'future cell power' must be 'fuel cell power' ;)

[Ryan @ Mar 7th 2008 10:31AM]

Zinc-Air batteries cannot be recharged. The oxidized zinc metal must be dumped and replaced. I don't know how they would work in a hybrid?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_air

[mr friggles @ Mar 7th 2008 11:17AM]

Well, Einstein, who did you sleep with to find these trade secrets?

Because Toyota hasn't (1) announced what the tech will be yet, and (2) hasn't even developed the tech yet. So either you are a very sorry corporate spy, or a flimsy psychic.

Give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it.

[Ryan @ Mar 7th 2008 11:28AM]

There are only so many ways the tech can be used. None of them involve any sort of recharging in a way that we would recognize as hybrid tech. Maybe as a new generation fuel cell, but not a gas-electric hybrid like the prius. A educated mind is all I need, psychic powers not necessary.

[wicker24 @ Mar 7th 2008 12:26PM]

@ Ryan

" A educated mind is all I need, psychic powers not necessary."

Check your grammar when talking about being educated.

[Ryan @ Mar 7th 2008 2:16PM]

Can anyone actually comment on the science here other than just petty flame wars about spelling?

"An"! wicker24 you loser

[wicker24 @ Mar 7th 2008 3:14PM]

Remember you were the one talking about your education. I was just making the point that if you are bringing schooling into this you might want to use proper grammar and not be such a sack of shit when someone corrects you?

[Dan @ Apr 29th 2008 3:10PM]

@mr friggles

I hate to put it like this, but you're an asshole.

[roger_huston @ Mar 7th 2008 10:44AM]

They only want to double the capacity of batteries in twelve years? Don't think they will be in the lead if they can only do that.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Mar 7th 2008 10:45AM]

This is really POSITIVE news (Pun intended).

[Tony @ Mar 7th 2008 11:22AM]

Yes, ELECTRIC, even.

[fanman @ Mar 7th 2008 12:02PM]

I am ecSTATIC.

[fanman @ Mar 7th 2008 12:02PM]

Shocking.

[Matt @ Mar 7th 2008 12:42PM]

WOW!!

[thedesolate1 @ Mar 7th 2008 1:41PM]

I am buzzing with excitement.

[Brad @ Mar 7th 2008 8:28PM]

That's it, you're all grounded.

[russwilliams @ Mar 7th 2008 11:58AM]

"The goal is a battery that can run 80 kilometers (50 miles) on a single battery charge from a home outlet, Japan's Nikkan Kogyo newspaper reported."

50 miles on a single charge is crap by existing standards?? How can this be a goal when its already a pathetic number of miles???

[majortom1981 @ Mar 7th 2008 12:35PM]

YEs but how many of these Batteries does a prius have? Remember they say one battery to go 50 miles so say the prius has 3 wouldnt that make it able to go 150 miles in one charge?

[russwilliams @ Mar 7th 2008 12:56PM]

true. i dint look at it like that. BUT still when you research the battery advancements being made currently in the lab with nano tech then 4 years time this 50 miles wont look great.

One company i believe from Texas has already come up with an ultra capacitor battery based on nano that gives 10x todays battery storage

[nikster @ Mar 8th 2008 11:01PM]

You can be sure that if other amazing battery tech comes along in the meantime, Toyota will jump on it. But as Toyota has shown with its Hybrid tech, this is a company that isn't about loud announcements - they do the research, they put it on the road. It's quite the achievement, and a lot harder to do than boasting about some new technology you are researching.
Everyone and their brother is working on better battery technology but so far none of it has panned out, or perhaps none of it is anywhere near ready for mass production.

[russwilliams @ Mar 12th 2008 2:52AM]

of course its not anywhere near mass production and thats why they boast about it. to attract further funding and research to try to advance it further.
what im saying is technologies in this field are in their infancy and ever progressing that in a few years time they'll probably jump ship to a superceding tech

[fanman @ Mar 7th 2008 12:03PM]

Reading the buzz.

[Mark @ Mar 7th 2008 1:59PM]

Just sell me a god-damned plug-in, and I'll be happy, ok Toyota?