Hitachi announced it has created a new lithium-ion battery with extremely high output designed specifically to be used in hybrid and other eco-friendly vehicles.
Compared to the lithium-ion products already available from Hitachi, the new fourth-generation batteries will create 1.7 times the energy output, Hitachi researchers said. Furthermore, the 4,500-watts per kilogram output, which is 70% more electricity than other Hitachi batteries, it also has a power density of 3,000 watts per kilogram.
The Japanese company will begin to distribute the new batteries to domestic and foreign auto makers before the end of the year, with mass production expected to take place in 2013. The company already has lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid public buses and some trucks.
As automakers face government and public pressure to become more eco-friendly, the use of lithium-ion batteries is expected to become even more popular because the batteries are smaller than regular lead batteries. According to auto makers, lithium-ion batteries can be half the weight of a nickel hydrogen battery, which is one-third the weight of a normal lead-acid battery.
Hitachi will begin receiving feedback from automakers, and will spend the next few years modifying its lithium-ion battery design. The company should be able to sell the battery directly to automakers without needing to focus on selling directly to the consumer market -- a fickle process that normally is a lot of work.
