Wheels on fire 

There’s an interesting post on the American website HybridCars.com about the Lithium Ion (Li-ion) batteries planned for the next generation Toyota Prius. It seems that Toyota won’t now be introducing the batteries until a couple of years into the Prius’ lifespan, around 2011.There’s speculation that the hold-up is because Toyota is mindful of the few laptop fires last summer, and the subsequent huge product recalls by Dell and other manufacturers. Given the success and environmental kudos of the current Prius, the company wants to be sure that the batteries it fits to thousands of cars are safe and reliable.

It’s clearly a subject that has exercised the imagination of people reading HybridCars.com, with not everybody convinced that Li-ion will ever be totally safe for cars. Exposing Li-ion batteries to a hard knock is one way they can be destabilised and begin to overheat, so a small accident could potentially have big consequences. One comment says:

I think Toyota is being smart. Just let one lithium battery hybrid catch fire in the middle of rush hour traffic and it could be the end of hybrids. I don’t want a vehicle that’s not safe.

Others seem more confident that car manufacturers will solve the potential safety problems, though. One correspondent points out that the fully-electric Tesla roadster is due to launch in the US this autumn, with a battery pack around 1,000 times more powerful than a typical notebook. Fortunately, the pack also includes multiple safety systems.

IMAGE by Flickr user Stewart