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Filed under: Emerging Technologies , EV/Plug-in , South/Latin America Asia and Michigan, watch out. It's a long-term goal, but Bolivia is looking to capitalize on its large in-ground lithium supply by producing li-ion batteries by 2018. While lithium might not ever be in short supply , Bolivia certainly has the advantage of not needing to import the valuable material. The country's deputy minister of Science and Technology, Roger Carvajal, said this week that the basic outline of the government strategy to commercialize the lithium deposits (estimated to be about half of the world's supply) have been decided on. They include making lithium carbonate on a commercial scale in 2013 and possibly an electric car factory after that. [Source: Latin American Herald Tribune ] REPORT: Bolivia will make its own lithium-ion batteries by 2018 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds ... details >>>

Filed under: Hybrid , Daimler Mitsubishi Fuso is moving full speed ahead in the hybrid truck market. The Japanese truck maker that is 85 percent owned by Daimler recently made the first deliveries of its Canter EcoHybrid in Europe and is also developing more advanced hybrid and full electric trucks. The Dublin, Ireland-based utility Electric Supply Board has purchased 10 of the hybrid trucks for service use. Another ten trucks are headed for Australian customers soon. The two orders are the first for the truck outside of the Japanese market since its debut in July 2006. Earlier this year, Daimler declared that Mitsubishi Fuso would be its global center for developing truck based hybrid systems. More here: Mitsubishi Fuso delivers hybrid trucks in Europe, getting lithium batteries from SK Energy ... details >>>

Filed under: EV/Plug-in 2011 Chevy Volt - Click above for high-res gallery Why does (ok, ok, might ) the Chevy Volt cost around $40,000? The main reason the car will cost so much more than a comparable sedan is the 16 kWh lithium ion battery pack running down the floor of the cabin. The exact price of that pack is still a GM secret, but it's probably in the $8,000-10,000 range. That's a lot of money, and the price of a battery pack is a tremendous factor in the high cost or any EV that's coming soon. Considering the high upfront cost, how can the economics of an electric vehicle make sense? By being able to use that battery after the car dies. Our friend Paul Scott says that the economics of owning or leasing an EV may be better than are immediately apparent and has put together a post on the value of plug-in vehicle batteries in the afterlife . More: The economics of electric vehicles and end-of-life battery use ... details >>>

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Toyota For the first time, Toyota may be looking beyond Panasonic EV Energy Company for batteries for its hybrid vehicles. The automaker is reportedly planning to buy lithium ion batteries from Sanyo for upcoming hybrids beginning in 2011. High demand in Japan and elsewhere for its hybrid models is pushing Toyota to look beyond its joint venture that has supplied nickel metal hydride batteries for a decade. Panasonic is currently in the midst of taking over Sanyo and is awaiting regulatory approval. Sanyo already has deals to supply lithium batteries to Volkswagen Group in the coming years. Panasonic EV Energy, meanwhile, is believed to be trailing many of its competitors in the race to develop automotive-grade lithium ion batteries. It's not known if Toyota would use the Sanyo batteries in upcoming non-plug hybrid models or in the plug-in version of the Prius. View post: Report: Toyota could go to Sanyo for ... details >>>

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Manufacturing/Plants With lithium ion batteries expected to play an ever increasing role in future transportation, the problem of dealing with the batteries at end of life is now starting to come to the fore. Multiple battery companies are planning on building manufacturing facilities in the U.S. in the next few years, and some of these will also be able to recycle the packs at the end of their useful automotive life. The batteries' bulk means it won't make sense to ship them overseas for recycling. California-based Toxco is already in the business of recovering materials from lead acid and nickel metal hydride batteries at a plant in Lancaster, Ohio. Toxco also has the only lithium battery recycling facility in North America in Trail, British Columbia. Toxco was the recipient of a $9.5 million grant from the Department of Energy as part of the recent announcements of grants for battery manufacturing More here: Toxco... details >>>

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Legislation and Policy It's not just the US government that is handing out money to companies involved in advanced battery development. The government of Ontario has decided to put up to $16.7 million into Electrovaya. The company is based in Mississauga, just west of Toronto. The money will be used to further the company's research efforts and help them move toward commercialization of the technology. Electrovaya is developing what it calls a lithium SuperPolymer battery platform. The company's focus is on some of the underlying principles of the cell construction rather than specific chemistry. View post: Electrovaya gets $16.7 million investment from Ontario government ... details >>>

Volvo plug-in hybrid - click above for hi-res gallery Volvo is building several plug-in hybrid prototypes of its V70 station wagon to begin field tests this fall in Europe. The cars are using lithium ion battery packs that will be supplied by Indiana-based Ener1. The 11.3 kWh packs will provide 31 miles of electric driving range through the rear wheels. Once the batteries reach the depletion point, the standard diesel engine at the front takes over. It's not known at this point if the car will use regenerative braking to replenish the battery and provide conventional hybrid operation. If it does, this would be a through-the-road hybrid system similar to the one being developed by Peugeot and branded as HYbrid4 . Volvo's intent is to get its plug-in hybrid system into full production by 2012. While this collaboration with Volvo is good for Ener1, what of the company's other Scandinavian partner, Th!nk More here: Ener1 to supply batteries for Volvo PHEV... details >>>