Problems with lithium-ion technology has forced Toyota to
back away from plans to roll out the vehicles between 2008 and 2010. Lutz says the lithium-ion battery being discussed by GM is safer and manages heat better than the technology Toyota was using. He
also hopes to be first to market with a pure electric vehicle that has a piston engine as an emergency backup, similar to the Chevrolet Volt prototype that the company unveiled at the North American
International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
A123 expects to have the batteries, which would be flat and similar in appearance but larger than those that power cell phones, ready for GM to test in vehicles by October. GM still hopes to have electrically powered vehicles on the market by the end of 2010.
advertisement
advertisement