What kind of batteries are in hybrid cars?

Question

I have heard that NASA was conducting research on power plants that make hybrid batteries and they have found that there is a 1 mile dead zone around the power plant because of the nickel produced in some batteries.

Answer 1

Current hybrids use nickel metal hydride batteries.  Nickel is a pollutant, but as Bob pointed out, it's on a local scale.  Additionally, hybrids will very soon start to have lithium ion batteries, which are better and will solve the nickel problem.

Answer 2

I believe that many hybrids use Nickel metal hydride batteries.  Ni-Cads are not reliable enough.. and Li -ion batteries have heat problems in hybrid applications (they heat up and can explode in high charge and high drain applications)

However, power plants do not make batteries they make power.  Battery plants make batteries from raw materials they buy from other plants, etc..    

The so called "dead zone" you mention is in Sudberry, Ontario, Canada which has the largest Nickel mines and refinery operations in the world.  I do not know if NASA is involved but the dead zone is because of decades (if not a hundred years) of pollution from these Ni operations -- not just because of recent developments in batteries. Nickel has been used for many many years in many industrial and consumer applications including stainless steel, chrome plating, coins,

Answer 3

If, they found Nickle, I assume these are Nickle-Cadmium Batteries. But, I not make a promise.

I looked around some may be "nickel metal hydride".

Here a link about a battery MIT working with;

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/17/mit-r...

Answer 4

I can only comment on the Ford/Mercury product Hybrids as I am most familiar with American vehicles.

Escape Hybrid's innovative nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery is completely sealed and securely encased. It's stored neatly at the flat load floor of the spacious cargo area. What's more, the regenerative braking system recharges the NiMH battery each time you brake, so there is never any need to plug it in.

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Answer 5

The nickel plant in Canada is where the majority of nickel for these nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are produced.

The pollutant that caused the dead zone is sulfur dioxide.  It causes acid rain.  The acid rain caused the dead zone.  To suggest that makes it a local problem is to suggest that emitting CO2 at my house is a local problem.  We have be reducing SO2 pollution in this country for years because of it's effect on the environment.

Not to mention the around the world trip it does take to become a battery.  Buy a small car with a small engine that gets economy close to that of a hybrid, unless you are rich and want the hybrid status symbol.

Answer 6

No doubt they are referring to the INCO nickel plant in Sudbury, Ontario.  The dead zone is left over from before they put real emission controls on the plant.  Early on they tried the superstack and that didn't work, so they put on modern emission controls that did work, about 30 years ago.  

There was a recent incident of some deluded anti-eco people trying to claim this environmental damage was recent and due to Priuses.  The same people claimed that Hummers were more ecological than Priuses.

Answer 7

There are some nickel plants in operation now that pollute.  But it's a local problem, not a global one.

And there's nothing that says we can't clean up the plant.  Or that hybrids have to use nickel-based batteries.  Some are now using lithium-metal hydride instead.

We should focus on the real problems.  Clean up the nickel plants for local good.  Use hybrids for global good.  Develop better batteries for hybrids.

Rejecting hybrids because a few nickel plants pollute is a bad idea.

Answer 8

Hybrid cars use Nickel Metal Hydride batteries.

Scrap NiMH batteries are not considered a hazardous material or hazardous waste.