Cobasys providing NiMH batteries for Saturn Aura hybrid
Cobasys, a corporate cousin of Energy Conversion Devices has been awarded the contract to supply batteries to General Motors for the new Saturn Aura Green Line hybrid. Cobasys is a joint venture between ECD and Chevron Technology Ventures. The battery for the Aura is a nickel metal hydride unit that Cobasys sells under their NiMHax brand. This battery will be a 36V unit that is integrated with control electronics and liquid cooling, that's designed as a plug and play system for hybrid vehicle applications. Cobasys designed the system to be easily scalable for different vehicle applications. The NiMH technology is obviously not as advanced as lithium ion solutions, but it's a lot cheaper and less prone to "runaway thermal incidents."[Source: ECD Ovonics]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 2:02PM (12/05/2006)
It's interesting that GM would pass over superior li-ion tech to select a chevron subsidiary’s inferior tech. It’s too bad that GM has earned another failing grade. It’s like politicians trying to run a war. I guess they must take another lesson and get smacked-down by the east yet again. Here's the real reason why they chose this inferior tech. http://www.ev1.org/gmoil.htm
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Gerry 3:46PM (12/05/2006)
Man, nobody cares about your EV1 rants. The EV1 was a lame car and nobody cares that it's gone. Good riddens to it. Top speed of 80 mph. Whoo-hoo.
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Ron Fischer 6:13PM (12/05/2006)
FWIW an EV-1 with speed limiter removed and gear ratio changed set speed records in its class at the salt flats.
Good to see Cobasys supplying product. They were kind of an ultimate vaporware company.
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Tim 6:26PM (12/05/2006)
Gerry- You didn't follow the link. The EV1 is NOT the point. The point is that the funds that own 59% of GM also own at least 10 times that much in oil company stocks mainly... yea, that's right... Chevron! GM is willing to sacrifice our nation's energy security, auto manufacturing supremacy and tens of thousands of American jobs just to prop-up a dying industry... BIG OIL! Get it now?? Yea, like dude, is that too lame for you?
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Mike Z. 7:38PM (12/05/2006)
This has to be a joke.
Tech Companies like Sun Microsystems and Apple Computer are also largely held by the same institutions! Does this mean that somehow big oil is trying to make the IPod less fuel efficient?
Besides, the you forget that as far as I know if these actions were true it would be illegal.
A lets not forget about Ford! The Ford family has control of the board, so there is no threat of 'evil oil' via 6-degrees--I'm sure you can buy one of their electric cars....oh wait...
I looked around on that website and it states that NiHM is *BETTER* than a Li-Ion so isn't GM making the right decision???!!!
These EV1 conspiracy nuts, seriously it's just a car--and not a very good one at that.
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Sam Abuelsamid 8:55PM (12/05/2006)
For what it's worth, the Honda Civic hybrid and Toyota Prius both use NiMH batteries.
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A5-14 9:50AM (12/06/2006)
Tim, You are not persuading anyone with your GM vendetta. Tone it down.
GM made a choice to provide a mild hybrid with the Aura. It's less expensive than a Toyota Camry Hybrid and it will allow more people to drive more fuel efficient cars. Is it the perfect answer? No. But constantly attacking any news about GM will not win you converts to your point of view. It'll just make others dimiss you as a whacko.
Do you want that? I don't think so.
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Tim 11:02AM (12/06/2006)
A5-14- I'm not just targeting GM. I own 3 GM vehicles and I really like them however when it comes to freeing us from fossil fuels, there is too much correlation to make any other conclusion except collusion. Maybe this will help… http://internalcombustionbook.com I’m not a “wacho,” I just care about America. Knowledge is power… So is Money!
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Paul 12:16AM (1/27/2007)
Well I just sat in the Aura Hybrid at the Detroit auto show and I was very impressed. It's a great sedan on its own, even without the hybrid system. While I couldn't open the hood, in the hybrid battery is visible under a hump-shaped black plastic cover at the back of the trunk on the floor. It's really not that large and the back seats are still able to be folded down, with items passing through. This may not be the best hybrid ever made, but FINALLY GM has released one and that's a good start. At least the system is supposed to be affordable, adding about $1600 they said, and with tax credits of about $600, that's not a bad premium. Especially because they said the Hybrid will come with some of the uplevel V-6 model's features like stability control.
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jackkeats 6:01PM (7/16/2008)
NiMH batteries don't explode, and aren't "perishable" over a 5 year life span
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rugratz2222 2:57PM (6/22/2009)
Well, it is now 2009 and Saturn is being phased out of existence, GM is in bankruptcy and so is Chrysler, though the government will probably keep them running somehow if they can restructure it. The advanced battery technology is being shelved so Chevron oil won't have any problems with competition. If you cannot squash your competition, buy them out and shelve it somewhere and hope that no one remembers. I can buy NiMh batteries for my CD player, but not my car. No car is using them nowadays in any car. Saturn Aura was a carrot on a stick and they've thrown away the stick now. And this guy sees his battery company go into obscurity. Too bad.
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