Hybrids Get More Power, Better Mileage with Cheaper Batteries

A low-cost next generation alternative of hybrid car batteries will benefit consumers and car makers by combining electric and gasoline power in more efficient and cost effective ways.

These emerging batteries could help the cost of lithium ion cell get leveraged by dropping costs per kilowatt-hour from about $500…down to $175 in the next five years say industy analysts.

The new technology, named microhybrid switches, is the same concept that turn hybrid engines on & off while sitting at stoplight and intersections for example.  It’s been around for years now, but the latest improvement adds a tweak that allows the hybrid battery to store extra energy that’s generated by hitting the brakes to make the car come to a stop.  That extra energy savings turns into gasoline savings…which doubles the fuel savings of traditional hybrid vehicles.

“Automakers want to squeeze as much efficiency as possible out of the internal combustion engine,” said MaryAnn Wright, a vice president at Johnson Controls, which makes both lithium ion and lead-acid batteries. “These technologies bolted together will cost a fraction of electric vehicles.”

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