Ray-- Stop it with the LiPoly stuff. There were 750 million NiMh cells sold last year. Nomura stated at the Ft. Lauderdale battery conference that LiPoly only has, maybe, a 40% manufacturing yield. That's french for a 60% scrap rate. Several speakers pointed out (not just our Mike Fetcenko) that NiMh has more ooomph per unit volume than LiOn which in turn has more oomph than LiPoly. NiMh in high rates of production is approaching the oomph per pound. So lets see here: NiMh is far safer, is easier to recycle, is 40% cheaper (at least), is far more efficient volumetrically (important in many cars), and is almost on parity in specific energy.
Perhaps even more important, Detroit is cautious as we've seen with their "adoption" of EVs. I don't think the auto boys are going to risk whether you can start your $70,000 BMW 7 Series on a cold morning in Bavaria with a new fangled chemistry which has yet to sell even 3 orders of magnitude fewer cells as are churning out of the NiMh plants EACH YEAR. That is why BMW has selected Varta- cautious Germanic engineers and is trying to get a running start on the 2004 model year.
If things were going so swimmingly why did VLNC and GM stop dating?
GM and NiMh are still going steady, even if they don't seem to be procreating with abandon just yet.
LiOn and LiPoly aren't going away and certainly have their place. Interesting, isn't it that some people feel NiMh growth might accelerate as laptops get cheaper because a $1000 laptop can't afford a $150 LiOn battery? Interesting, isn't it, that NiMh, which does better on energy in a set volume does better (even tho' the specific energy isn't yet quite on parity, YET) as cellphones and laptops get SMALLER? |
