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Software Upgrade to Prius PHEV NiMH Conversion Kit Enables All-Electric Driving At Up to 70mph

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kWh NiMH plug-in hybrid (PHEV) conversion kit that enables all-electric mode driving at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (until the battery pack is depleted) in a converted Prius. What we’re essentially offering is all-electric performance for about 25 miles at highway speeds. Kim Adelman, PICC founder and president.

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Forecast: Lithium Ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles to Approach $8 Billion in Sales by 2015

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PHEV/EV Models 2010-2012 by Battery Chemistry. In the near term, the Li-ion market, and the electric vehicle (EV) industry in general, will be largely fueled by government subsidies, incentives, and production goals, the report says. 2012 will be the make or break year for the electric vehicle market. Source: Pike Research.

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Toyota launches Prius in Japan; forecasts delay in deliveries of the new model

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The Prius α is available in two interior configurations: a five-seat, two-row model and a seven-seat, three-row model, the latter’s third row enabled by a space-saving lithium-ion drive battery—a first for a Toyota-brand mass-produced hybrid vehicle—in the center console. The five-seat model uses a NiMH battery pack.).

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Toyota launches Corolla hybrid models in Japan

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The vehicles feature the fuel-efficient Atkinson-cycle engine, as well as a cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system to further improve engine efficiency. The water pump is driven by an electric motor, thus eliminating the need for a drive belt.

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Toyota launches Aqua compact hybrid in Japan; targeting 12,000 units per month in sales

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Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) launched the Aqua gasoline-electric compact hybrid—to be marketed as the Prius c in the US—in Japan. A cooled Exhaust-Gas Recirculation (EGR) system improves efficiency in the high-expansion-ratio Atkinson cycle engine. The Aqua hybrid. Click to enlarge. The Aqua features a small 1.5-liter

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ETV Motors Demonstrates Proof-of-Concept Microturbine-Based Range-Extended Electric Prius

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(ETVM) completed a proof-of-concept test of its Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) architecture using a gas microturbine for the range-extending generator. ETVM replaced the OEM NiMH pack with a large-format lithium-ion battery, and retrofitted a liquid-fueled, gas turbine generator to the car for the range extender.

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Near-Term Prospects for Automotive Li-ion Batteries: 21% of Hybrid and EV Market by 2011

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Representative battery pack size is below each segment. In the near-term (2011), lithium-ion batteries could grow to represent about 21% of the hybrid and EV advanced battery market, according to Dr. Menahem Anderman, President of Advanced Automotive Batteries and the organizer of last week’s Advanced Automotive Battery Conference 2009.

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