Yes, you are right - Toyota prefers Ni-Mh batteries - but I have...

Yes, you are right - Toyota prefers Ni-Mh batteries - but I have heard they are considering a change.

The table in the article you supplied indicates that Lithium Titanate batteries have a "high" performance in cold weather so this seems to contradict your statement, if I am reading this correctly.

Also, there is one flaw (IMO) with Jack Lifton's article - the discussion of cost. We don't have time to sit around debating whether this or that battery will be cost effective. The fact of the matter is we will be faced with a choice of 1. continue the way we are going and make the planet uninhabitable and vastly more costly to inhabit or 2. do something now and reduce costs by scale of production. Obviously cost is an issue but the cost of doing nothing is so potentially vast we have to do something now.

Why is it then that every car manufacturer on the planet is planning a Li-ion concept EV? Maybe there is a car manufacturer that isn't (please enlighten me if you know of one)... Hummmer perhaps, but they are owned by GM and we all know about the GM Volt.

The fact of the matter is we have a seemingly viable alternative and we should move ahead with it. Remember there will be cost savings with EV's and battery technology - the cars themselves require less maintenance and the electricity will be cheaper than fuel. Plus there are all the environmental benefits!

Unfortunately here in this country we can't invest in any battery research, at least that I am aware of. We prefer to dig crap out of the ground and flog it to whoever will take it. We seem to be very, very good at that. Hang on, this is the ADY forum... I take that last statement back!