Lithium-ion batteries for cars move closer to production

The number of reputable motor manufacturers and suppliers betting on lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries as energy-storage devices for cars and other vehicles is growing. Daimler has recently announced that it will be going into production with a hybrid vehicle using Li-ion batteries, the Mercedes S 400 BlueHYBRID, in the coming year. Daimler says it holds 25 patents for the use of this technology in motor vehicles, and expects to begin large-scale production in 2010.

Li-ion storage module by Magna Steyr

While Daimler, a Swabian company, is cooperating with supplier Continental, the Austrian company Magna Steyr, known as a specialist in all-wheel drives and the make-to-order production of complete cars for various motor manufacturing groups, is putting its money on a safety design it has itself developed called the "battery management safety concept", and has applied for patents on it.

Both Magna Steyr and Daimler are relying on a cooling or air-conditioning system for their storage units, reports heise Autos. Keeping Li-ion batteries within a controlled temperature range doesn’t just increase their performance and useful life, it is also one of the safety measures required for cars using this technology to be licensed for road use. For many years, spontaneously combusting or exploding Li-ion batteries in notebooks and mobiles brought this storage technology into disrepute, and obliged the electronics industry to undertake costly recalls.

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(trk)