Battery Suppliers

Panasonic TMC joint venture

 

Ford will use batteries from Sanyo. 250 in the pack. They are just the ordinary "D" rechargeable NiMH type, literally the kind you can buy off-the-shelf.

I'm not sure who supplies the NiMH batteries for Honda, but those are the "D" type too.

Only Toyota uses a propriety design, which offers tremendous benefit; the energy-density is higher than the ordinary NiMH and the form-factor is smaller. There are 28 modules, rather than "D" batteries shrink-wrapped together in sets of 6, allowing the modules to take less physical space. An interesting bit of trivia though is that the module is internally arranged as 6 cells, each providing the same voltage (but more amperage) as a "D" battery.

 

The Honda vehicles, (Civic and Insight) both use Panasonic batteries. More info at:

http://www.peve.panasonic.co.jp/e_top.html

 

So people who buy the Ford Hybrid can incrementally increase their capacity any time they want
BTW, I hope there are 252 D cells since there are 6 in a 'set' ,

 

> I hope there are 252 D cells since there are 6 in a 'set'

Nope. One set is shorter. 1.2 volts * 250 cells = 300 volts

That's same voltage that has been posted in the specs.

 

if they're all in series, 1.2*250=300volts, but it's the voltage, not the amperage, that's increased. you put them in parallel for more current, but you only get 1.2volts.

it would seems strange to me to have one module of 4 cells, rather than 6, to get an "even 300v". the problems that would come from having two different kinds of cell-stacks, including ordering, inventory, manufacturing, etc., would outweigh the "downside" of adding 2.4 volts to the whole stack, which is 2.4/300, or 0.8% "error", which is hugely smaller than overvoltage tolerances that the whole system would be designed for! i'd be ashamed for them if they had one stack of four and all the rest were six!

and stacks lend themselves to series, not parallel.

just the EE in me...

 

American Automobile Engineering at its best!!

 

Looking to capitalize on this portion of the supply chain?