2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid First Drive on Inside Line Mercedes-Benz has developed an electronically controlled cooling process integrated into the air-conditioning system that keeps the S400 BlueHybrid's battery cells operating at an optimal temperature of between 59 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Altogether, the battery and cooling system uses 25 unique patents. Vollrath claims the batteries will be good for up to 600,000 cycles, or a life of over 10 years. Where it really begins to makes sense, though, is at the gas station. With combined fuel consumption on the European cycle of 29.8 mpg, the S400 BlueHybrid betters the S350 by 7 mpg — enough to provide a 165-mile boost in cruising range from its large 23.8-gallon tank to 708 miles.
Looks pretty good, but I like the look of this better, even though its not that economical... Paris Preview: BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid - Autoblog
Come on! Honda Civic hybrid has 20 hp electric motor too. This is nothing new. Accord hybrid had V6 and 20 hp electric motor as well.
some info on the battery supply Continental Starts Series Production of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Hybrid Vehicles - ATZ online
19 kW from the 55 lbs pack that would last 100,000 - 150,000 miles. The NiMH pack in Prius is 21 kW from 99 lbs pack has warranty between 100k - 150k miles but proven to last much longer (300k+). Lithium is about twice more expensive than NiMH. No wonder Toyota is sticking with NiMH for the next gen Prius.
Uh, that's kind of crappy for what it is. It's a V6 hybrid and can only muster 30mpg average? I can do 24 mpg average with a 282hp V8 keeping up with traffic, not driving crazy slow and close to 30 mpg highway. However, in response to the above post, Li-ion is the superior battery technology even if it is more expensive.
The cost per kwh is still a problem, plus they still have a tendency to burst into flames. It's one thing when your laptop melt down with a 6 cell battery in it, it's quite another when your rear seat flames out.
'tis not true!! see the A123.com battery video. Sorry, I'm letting google be your friend here. No direct link ...but the flameage from SOME lithium batteries is Soooo not an issue anymore.
i think that Li-Ion has gotten a bad rep due to a infamously large batch of defective batteries and several utube videos. i have dealt with Li-ions for years and have never had an issue. i can remember when they first came out, especially in laptops, they would get so hot, you could not have them in your lap if you had shorts on, they would literally give you first degree burns. but that was also in laptops where all the heat control was on the processor and the battery was ignored. i feel that basic steps to monitor the pack, heat control along with changes to the chemistry, will go a long way towards eliminating most of the "explosive" issues
li-ion batteries are very safe. Don't let the sony disaster play mind games... anything that is defective can be dangerous. If you had defective wrist pins in your engine and a bunch went boom, would you then think all engines have a tendency to have holes blown through the side of them? There are quite a few fail safes built into li-ion cells, not to mention manufactured packs.
