Batteries for Hybrid Cars
This development has been ongoing since the 1990s, and mostly by the demand for advanced features and longer battery times in laptop computers and mobile phones. In many cases, the hybrid car battery is one of the most expensive components of the hybrid car, which is why there are now companies offering cars where the battery is leased or rented instead of bought outright. The types of batteries in today's hybrid cars range from lead-acid, NiCd, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, Li-ion polymer, zinc-air, to molten salt batteries. There have been estimates that, for example, one 10 kW·h of battery energy in a Toyota Prius, the top selling hybrid car, provides a range of about 20 miles (32 km), but in the Prius, the battery is not the primary power source. In comparison, there have been reports that the Chevrolet Volt battery system is to achieve efficiency of about 12 kW·h for 50 miles (80 km). On the issue of leasing a hybrid car battery to lower the initial costs for purchasing a hybrid or an electric car, there are at least 3 companies that are working on battery lease plans. Of these three, Greenstop is to provide a network called ENVI Grid Network that provides a way for the consumers to easily monitor and recharge vehicle batteries. Another, Think Car USA has plans to lease the batteries for its City electric car that are to on sale 2010. Finally, a company called Better Place is formulating a network, where consumers can "subscribe" to leasing service that offers both recharging stations and battery exchange for electric cars. There have been a lot of discussion about the hybrid cars batteries lifespans. The individual batteries are arranged into battery packs in different voltage and ampere-hour capacities, that are needed by the car. The rate at which the individual batteries in these packs expire does depend on a number of factors, including how they are recharged in the case of 100% electric vehicles.
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