While many other car-makers (with the notable exception of Toyota) are jumping on the lithium ion bandwagon for new hybrid models, Honda will stick with nickel metal hydride for now. Honda President Takeo Fukui told Automotive News that lithium ion batteries are not yet reliable or durable enough for high volume applications. When Honda debuts a new dedicated hybrid model early next year to take on the Prius, it will continue to use nickel metal hydride batteries.Honda hopes to top 200,000 annual sales with its new hybrid model, a car that is expected to be priced below the current Civic hybrid. Honda has chosen to use a lithium battery in its FCX Clarity fuel cell car, but those will be very low volume initially and much more expensive. The continued use of nickel probably has as much to do with cost as anything else at this point. Given Honda's price and volume targets, there is probably no lithium battery available right now to the meet the need. According to Fukui, the new model is being engineered to allow for a running change to lithium when the batteries do meet the company's specifications.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]
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1. Makes sense.
Nimh batteries are largely proven tech at this point. Prius Taxis have put 400 000 KMs on the original pack and I have heard next to nothing about failures of these packs.
Lithium batteries don't have a very great record in devices, dying out after two years of even limited usage, certain types have tendency to melt down/burn up.
If I was building a vehicle I would use the proven tech and let someone else pioneer lithium.
Posted at 1:00PM on Mar 24th 2008 by Snowdog