True, lithium (even LiFePO4) beats NiMH for specific energy. However, I'm not yet sure that it can beat NiMH for cycle life. Look at the RAV4-EVs running around on their original NiMH batteries at 100k miles and more.
Practically speaking, though, NiMH wasn't available when the EV world needed it, so the EV world has moved on. Even if NiMH were "liberated" today, I can't imagine enough manufacturers jumping on the wagon to make for a competitive marketplace like we have in lead and is developing in lithium. Suppose a LiFePO4 battery lasts 5 years and an NiMH battery lasts 15 years but costs 3 times as much and has less specific energy. That probably doesn't sound attractive to EV hobbyists, but there might be some EV engineers who would appreciate the reliability, and EV bean-counters who might want reduced warranty claims. Isn't Toyota pretty well married to NiMH for those reasons? They've had all these years for NiMH to prove itself to them in Priuses. But for most, I suspect it's a weak pull against the intensity of current trends and fashion. I'd guess that EV engineers don't much think about NiMH any more. They go straight to lithium because (1) it's available and (2) everyone else does. Interestig to muse about what might have been. If Ovonics hadn't dropped the ball in selling NiMH's future to GM, they COULD have been a major player in the EV business. Ah well, the EV world is thickly populated with such missteps. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
