Lithium Battery power Delivers Electric Vehicles to Market
As increased energy efficiency, and particularly fuel
Hybrid Technologies Inc., a manufacturer and
efficiency, becomes a greater concern, hybrid and
marketer of lithium-ion battery-EVs, based in Las Vegas,
electric vehicles gain greater prominence in the
Nevada, and with research and manufacturing facilities
market. Electric vehicles (EVs), in particular, provide an
in Mooresville, North Carolina, entered into a Space Act
attractive option as they produce no emissions during
Agreement with Kennedy Space Center to determine
operation, isolating any potential emissions and effluents
the utility of lithium-powered fleet vehicles. Under this
in the manufacturing and energy-generation streams.
agreement, the company supplied a fleet of cars for the
The necessary energy stores to support a shift to EVs
engineers at Kennedy to test. In return for the engineering
already exist, as utilities constructed to address peak
expertise supplied by the NASA employees, the Center was
demands have off-peak surpluses sufficient to charge
given the opportunity to use the zero-emission vehicles
about 180 million plug-in hybrid or all-electric cars.
for transportation around the Kennedy campus. NASA
According to a report from the U.S. Department of
contributed engineering expertise for the cars’ advanced
Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, there is
battery management system, and vehicles selected
enough excess generating capacity during the night and
for use in the Kennedy fleet included the Hybrid PT
morning to allow more than 80 percent of today’s vehi-
Cruiser, lithium smart fortwo, and a high-performance
cles to make the average daily commute solely using this
electricity. Effective energy management sees its ultimate
The vehicles were powered by Ballard Power Systems’
realization in the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept, in which
312V 67 MS electric drive system, which has a 32kW
plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles can be used to balance
continuous rating and delivers a peak power of 67kW,
energy demand and consumption. In a V2G system, mil-
with torque of 190 Nm (140 lb-ft). Hybrid Technologies
lions of automotive batteries could absorb excess power
selected this motor based on its proven track record and
generated, and release it back into the grid at times of
Hybrid Technologies worked with Kennedy Space Center in
excellent power-to-weight ratio. The electric PT Cruisers
insufficient supply. With a several kilowatt-hour storage
the testing and development of its line of electric vehicles.
have a top speed in excess of 80 miles per hour and a
capacity per vehicle, millions of operational plug-ins could
are encouraging more and more consumers to consider
range of 120 miles. Charge time is 6-8 hours with either
act as a safety net for the power grid, supplying backup
electric and hybrid vehicles. In addition, a study by the
110-120 V or 220-240V, and the lithium-ion battery
power in an outage, with the vehicle owners credited for
U.S. Department of Transportation has indicated that
pack has a cycle life of more than 1,500 charges.
power returned to the grid. This smoothing of excess and
plug-in cars capable of 50 miles per day would meet the
In addition to the vehicles supplied to NASA, the
deficiency in the power grid would also help stabilize
needs of 80 percent of the American driving public, the
company provided a fleet of lithium-ion battery-powered
intermittent sources of energy such as wind power and
vehicles for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection
NASA has taken a keen interest in battery-powered
Historically, the primary obstacles to the widespread
vehicles, and is encouraging their continued development.
application of EVs were lack of infrastructure
The “NASA Official Fleet Management Handbook,”
development and a lack of sufficiently robust battery
regarding the use of alternative fueled vehicles, states:
Hybrid Technologies deployed the first all-electric taxi
technologies to consistently power vehicles for an
“Ideally, all Centers should have on-site alternative
in New York City and has begun demonstrating smart
extended duration and at performance levels suitable to
fuel facilities . . . . Centers are encouraged to use NEVs
fortwo conversions like the ones used at Kennedy. The
a modern urban environment. Technology may at last
[Neighborhood Electric Vehicles] to fill inventory
company also delivered an additional two PT Cruiser-
have caught up with the need, and rising petroleum prices
based electric taxis and an electric Chrysler Town &
Country minivan to the city of Sacramento for use by a
private para-transit nonprofit organization. Most recently,
displays its NASA heritage and boasts a range of 120 miles at
Hybrid Technologies has produced an EV version of the
popular MINI Cooper, which debuted in the December 2007 Sam’s Club catalog. The EV MINI Cooper proudly displays its NASA heritage, sharing the STS-128 designa-tion with an upcoming Space Shuttle Endeavor mission. It boasts a range of 120 miles at 75 miles per hour, and is driven by a 40kW electric motor and powered by a 30kWh battery pack. The appeal of the electric MINI is strong and widespread, and Hybrid Technologies conver-sions have already attracted celebrity fans.
Also available from Sam’s Club, the 2007 Hybrid
Technologies lithium-powered smart fortwo EV (also available as a limited edition STS-118 smart fortwo) has an estimated range of 150 miles, a top speed over 70 mph, and takes only 4 hours to charge at 220 volts. There are two electric motors that can be used in the vehicle, one from Ballard and one from Siemens VDO. The lithium polymer battery pack comes from Kokam America Inc., and the battery management system is Hybrid Technologies’ own. As an introductory offer,
conversions, Hybrid Technologies offers PT Cruiser and
Sam’s Club included a behind-the-scenes trip to Kennedy
and attendance at a space shuttle launch, with purchase
Even more impressive than its line of conversions,
of one of the EVs. When asked about the availability of
Hybrid Technologies now also offers a series of purpose-
amenities such as air conditioning and heating, comforts
built lithium electric vehicles dubbed the LiV series. The
not always incorporated into EV conversions, Richard
LiV series is designed from the ground up at Hybrid
Griffiths, Strategic Relations for Hybrid Technologies,
Technologies’ Mooresville plant. The LiV Wise is aimed
stated “The [smart fortwo EV] has absolutely every option,
at the urban and commuter environments, and is larger
Hybrid Technologies offers the LiV series of purpose-
every feature that a regular, production smart car has.”
and offers more interior space than the smart car, the
built lithium electric vehicles, which also includes custom
Griffiths estimated the extra amenities consume about
conversion of which is called the LiV Dash. Hybrid
motorcycles, utility vehicles, and mobility scooters.
5 percent of the vehicle’s battery capacity. “We’re offering
Technologies has rounded out the LiV line with custom
the fully electric smart car to Sam’s Club members as it
motorcycles, utility vehicles, mobility scooters, bicycles,
LiV™, Wise™, and Dash™ are trademarks of Hybrid
represents the latest in advanced lithium technology . . . .
and even a military vehicle. Hybrid Technologies plans
This limited edition STS-118 smart car will be the perfect
to offer these vehicles to the U.S. market on a wider scale
MINI Cooper® is a registered trademark of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.
addition for car collectors or the environmentalist wanting
by 2009, and is especially focused on developing a system
PT Cruiser®, Town & Country®, and Crossfire® are registered
to make a difference by driving a zero emissions vehicle.”
that will seamlessly integrate LiV Wise cars in small mar-
In addition to the MINI Cooper and smart fortwo
smart® and fortwo® are registered trademarks of Daimler AG.
Original Publications (Takehiko Kamijo, M.D., Ph.D.) 1. Ichikawa M, Yanagisawa M, Kawai H, Kamijo T, Komiyama A, Akabane T Spontaneous improvement of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis after T lymphocytosis with suppressor phenotype and function. J Clin Lab Immunol. 1988 Dec;27(4):197-201. 2. Kamijo K, Kamijo T, Ueno I, Osumi T, Hashimoto T Nucleotide sequence of the human 70 kDa peroxisom