Today while I was taking a break and eating lunch at Liberty Station across from the US Navy Submarine base I saw a white Prius with "POWERGENIX.COM HYBRID 2.0" on the side with some graphics. Upon further reading on their site, their main facility is actually right next to my high school in the business park. PowerGenix :: The Next Generation Battery "Nickel-zinc technology offers more energy density than the nickel metal hydride batteries being used in HEV's today, providing for up to a 40% smaller and lighter battery"
Great, but what is the "life" of the batteries? How do they perform in weather like the recent subzero temps we had here in the Midwest? It's always cool to see new technology...but it needs to be time tested before Toyota will jump on board.
This could be of value: "Nickel-zinc battery solutions for an HEV are less expensive than nickel metal hydride because you need 35+% less cells, and the materials used in a nickel-zinc battery are less expensive than those used in a nickel metal hydride battery. Expensive safety power control systems and manufacturing processes required by lithium-ion batteries are not necessary for a nickel-zinc battery, making a nickel-zinc about 1/2 the cost per watt hour of a lithium-ion battery." PowerGenix :: The Next Generation Battery This could be a good route to go for entry-level economy cars. (note: "economy car" refers to the cost of the car; not the fuel cost)
Now, if we can just convince Honda to take advantage of nickel-zinc technology. That could mean either longer range for the Insight (since we can run in battery-only mode for a longer period of time) if they a nickel-zinc battery with the same weight as the new Insight battery pack) or reduce the weight by over 100 pounds (since Honda can use a smaller-sized battery pack to generate the same power as the current NiMH battery pack). It also means a Powergenix battery pack would make it possible for a Honda Fit IMA hybrid, since the battery "deadweight" would be relatively low.
