Buy Into These Cells - The Batteries Used in Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars use a combination of traditional petrol-power and electric energy. They typically feature a petrol engine and an electric motor, and use sophisticated computer technology to manage the use of these two energy sources to maximise fuel efficiency. Many hybrids are user-configurable, and feature several driving modes which change how much energy the car employs from each source - they can operate purely on petrol power, use different combinations of electric and petrol energy, or operate on electricity alone. When doing away with petrol, hybrids essentially become ZEVs - zero-emission vehicles.Despite hybrid cars generally being more expensive than traditional vehicles, they can pay dividends in terms of long-term savings - and because they release fewer emissions, they are more environmentally friendly as well. Better fuel economy means less petrol stops, saving you money and saving you the frustration of long queues at the petrol station.The secret behind this improved efficiency lies in the batteries that hybrid cars use. Generally, a hybrid will recharge its own battery as you drive - meaning that flat batteries are potentially of little concern. In technological terms, these high-performance batteries continue to be improved year upon year, so we are hopefully looking towards a brighter future for hybrids. It might even be possible - as prices fall and technology improves - that we'll see hybrid vehicles replace petrol-guzzlers as the public's car of choice.The first type of battery used in hybrid cars is lead-acid. These were invented in 1859 by Gaston Planté, a French physicist, and have been popular for use in motor vehicles because they are able to supply powerful surge currents - which is essential for automobile starter motors. They tend to be used as standard car batteries in petrol vehicles, and are not considered particularly efficient for use in hybrid electric vehicles because they are quite toxic - thus reducing the potential environmental benefits - and because they are heavy, which could cut down on fuel efficiency. However, recycling programs for lead-acid batteries have been very successful, with 97% of all battery lead in the US being recycled from 1997 to 2001.The second type of battery, nickel-metal hydride (or NiMH), is less toxic than its lead-based counterpart. As a result, they have proven to be more popular for use in hybrid cars than lead-acid batteries, with the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 all using this battery type. They are also popularly used in consumer electronics because they can be easily recharged.Many see the future of hybrid cars to lie in lithum-ion (Li-ion) batteries. These batteries are the least toxic variety of the three mentioned, and are one of the most popular batteries used in portable electronic devices. This is partly because they don't gradually lose their maximum charging capacity with repeated recharges. The first commercially-available lithium ion battery was released by Sony in 1991. Car companies are investing a lot of time and money into researching this relatively new energy technology for use in hybrid cars. Hopefully this research will be successful, and we'll soon see cars running on the same greener technology that our favourite MP3 players use.