The suspense is killing us. How shall we interpret "a little more
optimistic?" Coming from a new voice from Toyota, this is the first
mention that "we need some breakthroughs" rather than simply facing
cost impediments -- though battery lifetime is the intermediary
between those two concerns.

<http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060727/BUSINESS/607\
27025>
Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville,KY,USA
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Toyota has new hope for hybrid batteries
By Robert Schoenberger

Toyota has had a change of heart about plug-in hybrids, said Dennis
Cuneo, senior vice president of the company's North American operations.

In March, Toyota engineers said the concept of a car that can be
recharged at home overnight and only use gasoline occasionally when
its batteries run low was interesting. But they said then that
high-tech batteries needed to make it work could take as long as 10
years to develop.

On Thursday, however, Cuneo said the automaker is now more hopeful
that the batteries could be ready soon. Speaking at the Kentucky
Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting at the Galt House, he said
Toyota believes it could have a plug-in hybrid on the road much sooner.

"We're a little more optimistic now of breakthroughs that would make
(lithium-ion batteries) viable in the near term," Cuneo said. "We're
working on this, and a lot of other companies are tackling this problem."

Today's hybrids use batteries made from nickel, but those are too
heavy to be practical in a vehicle that would derive most of its
power from electricity, Toyota executive engineer Dave Hermance said
earlier this year. Lithium-ion batteries are the likely successor,
but so far, reliable ones have not been available in the sizes needed.

In March, Hermance said lithium-ion technology could be as many as 10
years away.

Cuneo said much work still needs to be done on the technology, but as
gas prices have increased, more people have taken interest in
possible fuel-saving technologies.

"We need some breakthroughs, no question about that," Cuneo said.
"But if you look at the progress we've made with our regular hybrids,
it's clear that we can face these challenges."

Toyota, which builds Camrys at its plant in Georgetown, Ky., will
begin production of a hybrid version of the sedan there in October.
The Japanese automaker has its North American manufacturing
headquarters in Erlanger, Ky.

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Felix Kramer fkramer@...
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://www.calcars.org/news-index.html
http://www.hybridcars.com/blogs/power
http://www.bettah.org
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