GM Taps Two Suppliers In Race To Make Hybrid Battery - Detroit News

Yay! GM is "racing" to make a hybrid battery. Shame Toyota won that race about, oh, ten years ago . . . :eyes:

EDIT

Finding an affordable battery with sufficient lasting power is critical to GM's efforts to build an electric vehicle, the company has said. GM is in a race with Asian automakers to develop that battery technology.

The battery contracts, announced in a news release Thursday, go to Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions LLC and Cobasys, a joint venture of a Chevron subsidiary and Energy Conversion Devices Inc.

Both will work to develop a lithium ion battery for a Saturn Vue plug-in sport utility vehicle.

Their challenge will be to create a battery that can recharge quickly, last long stretches of time and not overheat, while being small and cost-effective to sell on the mass market. GM made its plug-in efforts the centerpiece of its appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

EDIT/END

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070105/AUTO01/701050333/1148

Any development in battery technology is welcome news. This could also spill over into photovoltaic system development, maybe.

Thanks Hatrack for your prolific and informative posts!

a year ago, although I've not heard much about it since.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0503/05032903tosh1minbatt.asp