Toyota Comes Clean on Solar Panels, Lithium-Ion Batteries

By Michael Kanellos

Car companies crack me up. They are very reluctant to divulge details early. However, they drop hints for about a year in advance of a release so by the time the release comes, it’s hard to say what constitutes new news, what constitutes the clarification of a rumor (versus an actual reversal of policy) and what’s been said before.

Toyota (TM) at the North American International Auto Show both cleared up an errant rumor and confirmed something of a reversal of earlier policies.

First, the clarification. The Associated Press and a few other outlets wrote that Toyota was working on cars that would be completely powered by integrated solar panels. It didn’t make a lot of sense to us: The solar panels needed to adequately charge a car’s battery would be about the size of two tennis courts. Imagine driving with that on the hood. Instead, we thought Toyota might be doing solar panels as an accessory.

Instead, Toyota unfurled a new version of the Prius that comes with solar panels as an option to charge incidentals in the car.

Now, the reversal. Toyota said it would make an all-electric commuter car, based around its gas-powered iQ, as well as a plug-in hybrid and both would have lithium-ion batteries. Historically, Toyota has disdained lithium ion. The batteries are expensive and, on occasion, they blow up.

Still, the energy density is quite good on these batteries so the company has been gradually warming up to them. Last September in Denmark, Toyota’s Masatami Takimoto said that the company reluctantly would likely adopt lithium ion.

“Lithium-ion batteries will probably be used in vehicles, but we still have problems,” Takimoto said. “We do think it’s appropriate to use lithium-ion batteries in commuter cars.”

The cars unveiled in Detroit thus confirm the earlier statements. Even with the all-electric iQ, don’t expect Toyota to become Tesla overnight. The company remains a strong believer in liquid fuels and fuel cells. It has also been a more staunch defender of plug-ins over full electric cars.

“We at Toyota believe that plug-in hybrids are the most practical way for an ordinary vehicle to take advantage of electricity,” Takimoto said then.

Comments

[MellowGuy]

I see GM is getting its lithium batteries from LG Chemical. I am not sure if I want to get a new lithium plug hybrid until the technology is proven. In the mean time, I will get a conventional hybrid.

2009 Jan 13 02:50 PM

[notsosmart]

anybody green figure out what happens to these batteries as the y die.there will be millionsof them.maybe they could be turned into granite counters.

2009 Jan 13 04:30 PM