Quite a sales pitch when oil sits at $125.

Personally… all this hybrid crap is too little too late.

Name the Cube the “NOID”

All you’ll need is a Briggs and Stratton two-stroke generator spewing blue smoke from the trunk…

global,

I’ve been saying that for ages. Serial Hybrids are the only real way to the automobile’s future. Not Toyota’s parallel, “dual-power”, sham-mobile hybrids.

The batteries are nice too. But not necessarily cost effective or entirely needed right now. Super-caps (capacitors) are good enough for the next 10-20 years. Tighter, dirtier cities like say, New York and LA for example, would benefit by this.

But I would be happy to know what the formulation of the ETM (electron transfer medium) is. A123 uses Iron Phosphate ETM which is more durable longer lasting, and safer (It won’t combust on its own – you have to set the thing on fire yourself) and will attain an 80% charge in a few minutes unlike typical Alcohol-based ETMs which is less efficient producing heat and oxygen that leads to combustion during charging and some discharge situations.

If NISSAN is going to roll out the Alcohol based ETM batteries, then they are going to have problems. Nothing like the Pinto was for FORD, but it will still be a headache for the company.

I wonder what the price penalty is? If Nissan can mass produce battery packs at a rate of 65,000 units per year, they would be able to steamroll GM as I believe they were talking like less than 20,000 units in the first few years.

The unknown is who has the superior battery in terms of lifetime costs of the vehicle.

Actually LLN is inaccurate. Batteries will be manufactured by joint venture with NEC. NEC owns the technology. It is similar to Sony batteries, that did not fare all that well, but those problems happened 2 years ago. Things progress, especially in Japan, where batteries for gizmo’s are in high demand.

**** electric cars! That **** is so 1990’s. If it’s got to be electric than it better fly like George Jettson’s!!!

… or if it costs $2 to “fill” and drive 120 miles, people will be screaming “**** GASOLINE ENGINES!!!!!!!!!”

How can anyone be idiotic enough to dismiss hybrids as too little too late, or argue with electric cars. If I told an engineer that I could put a motor in their car with nearly infinite torque at any RPM, 1/4th the weight, one that makes power when you brake and can get you from zero to sixty in four seconds, would that person argue? No, because engineering requires having common sense and a brain in their head. Go look at reviews of the Fisker and Telsa roadsters; google search electric dragsters and plug-in hybrids. You can have amazing performance AND electric and laugh all the way to the bank — or you can lie down and rot like the dinosaurs that made the oil you use did.

@Blakkar:
Honda experimented with ultra-capacitors in their fuelcell vehicles. The production FCX, however, will have a Li- battery. Capacitors can hold a lot of energy but have bulk and weight issues.
There is a lot of work being done to improve batteries, but I think we still need a revolutionary new design. I’ve worked with Al-O2 batteries in the military. Those things could hold a lot of charge for their weight but couldn’t recharge. And don’t ask about the cost…

global_lightning (#11),

As I understand it, Capacitors are a better choice owing to lower cost and less weight and bulk. Mercedes-Benz, among others, have been testing them for use with their hybrids for the near future instead of using batteries for that reason. That and keep up performance which heavy battery packs would cut into.

Granted Capacitor arrays don’t have the range, maybe a couple of miles, but they generally charge faster, last longer, and are more durable, on top of being less expensive, lighter, and smaller than batteries. They are good for launching and passing power without having to tax the engine or generator.

Maybe Battery technology has really made up the difference. I’d still have to see it in application to believe it though. I’ll need to check up on that again. But that is my understanding.

As for the military, I can not comment on the lousy state of their choice in battery technology. But consumer battery options are vastly better that the ones Uncle Sam uses apparently. The US military is typically ten years behind when it comes to most common field technology. If they could make or acquire a rechargeable version of their AI-02 then I think they would actually be ahead of the curve there.

Way to go nissan, you made your “brand new” vehicle look exactly like the worst selling toyota scion. HaHa Take your ideas back to Japan

*note* America doesnt squint like your people, we can see what an ugly piece of sh*t you build. Take it to JAPAN