A new test for Honda as it jumps into race for lithium battery hybrids

Sunday 26th April, 05:03 AM JST

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12 Comments

memyselfI at 08:32 AM JST - 26th April

Go for it Honda !!!! I support you !!! Please make an electric sports car. No, gasoline !!!
TheMarion at 09:49 AM JST - 26th April

Honda: Check with Toshiba and build a super fsst battery recharger and the cost will drop to 2 cents per mile. It is all in the mill at this moment...........
Smythe at 09:51 AM JST - 26th April

Since 1946 being my first yrs of riding motorcycles to also driving cars I was always looking for more decent batteries then the old wet-cell ones. Yes still driving a car & riding two Honda Sportbikes.

With the introduction of battery powered cars, to bicycles, to scooters obviously in mind has been better & more compact batteries.

Unfortunately I have some power tools for home use, but missed out on the better Lithium ones.

So I am pleased at the step forward that Honda has made in their battery for battery powered cars & other vehicles.
noborito at 11:42 AM JST - 26th April

Heard that the Volt will go 60km a day without gas. Is this true? Now can we plug it into a normal wall socket? And, how much will it cost to charge it? Seeing if I am traveling and want to charge it for a return drive, how much should I give my friend to plug it into his home socket. Day 1 I want one of these. I just hope they keep the price in Japan the same as the US. (LOW)
Otaru at 02:28 PM JST - 26th April

OK Honda jump on that feel good green bandwagon.

But please work on bringing back the Prelude with the 2.4L turbo you now have in production. I can't believe you are losing market share to Hyundai...it's embarrassing man.
TheMarion at 09:47 PM JST - 26th April

Honda: Yes, the Fit is a great step forward and there is much more to be realized from this battery powered auto, however I am aware that I once had a great auto when I purchased three of your S 600-s which gave me 70 plus miles to the gallon (Sometimes as a much as 90 mpg.) Honda you deserve to ne number one in this world - Now how about the two seat airplane that Honda once showed me - I am ready for this.......
888naff at 12:57 AM JST - 27th April

"Honda’s earlier focus on clean diesel engines for medium-sized and larger cars " where was this written europe or the states? ..diesel cars in japan???
Badsey at 05:46 AM JST - 27th April

Those lithium-ion batteries used (unused) in power tools have problems = only last a few years max even if unused!!) NiCd, NiMh maybe better for some users.

About 3x the power over NiCd though.
sf2k at 01:41 PM JST - 27th April

nice but...there probably isn't enough lithium on earth to replace cars as electric cars. I was reading that a lot of lithium is mined out of Bolivia so unless the other players have more mining reserves they're not talking about, this will be a nice run but will hit natural limits to growth. Something Asia isn't close to understanding. Oil is enough of an egg in one basket approach, moving to lithium is a smaller egg and with thus last even less.

also any battery has to be replaced after 5-7 years. What to do with all those batteries?

The trick will be in removing cars from the roads, building public transit, and living within proximity to each other. What are we going to do with all these cars when oil runs out (another limit to growth)??
Yelnats at 02:48 PM JST - 27th April

Can you remove the batteries to charge them in your apartment or mansion?
LIBERTAS at 11:22 PM JST - 28th April

Next time you're in the Shinkansen, look out the North side windows as you whiz between Toyohashi and Hamamamatsu and right east of the Nitto Denko plant is an ever expanding series of Panasoni Li-Ion battery factories. So far Toyota & partner Yamaha have a major chunk of the output, but the word is that this is going to be B I G! Although the Prius type technology is still evolving one order of magnitude per annum, the electric only market is where the big guns are aiming. Honda, whose Hamamatsu plant is scheduled to be closed (because of a dispute with the ASDF base in Komatsu) is moving production (starting last year) to Kumamoto and Tochigi. There is "chatter" yet unconfirmed that the Insight might be revamped into an electric car, with a more attractive body to entice buyers.
thedeath at 05:25 PM JST - 30th April

sort of agree with sf2k what they will do with the old batteries? why not focus more on public transportation? after all i don't see any thing change much. going green is still something for the big companies out there to make the point and tell people to buy more and more of their product. later it is turned to garbage, and end up pollute the world anyway.