As petrol prices continue to rise, motorists will continue to look for better fuel economy.
The hybrid vehicle whether pure or assist will be the way of the future as this is the only technology that will offer both fuel economy and range. Pure electric vehicle will still need a huge breakthrough in battery technology to overcome safety, capacity, reliability and cost issues.
There are one billion cars in the world today and with many of the worlds most populated countries fast embracing vehicle ownership this number can only increase at a faster rate. Of this total only about 4 million are hybrids.
Here is a good informative video. It does not cover what happens when the batteries start to degrade and lose capacity. It only looks at the issues from a new car perspective.
The two main perceptions holding this technology back are.
1) Hybrids are expensive : In Australia a standard Toyota Camry sells for A$ 28,988 and the Toyota Camry hybrid sells for A$ 36,990. It is about 27.6% more expensive.
2) When they break down hybrids are expensive to fix : The hybrid battery used in the vehicle is expected to last 7 to 10 years after which it is expected to be replaced which can cost about $4000. In anybody’s book this is an expensive fix and it negates all the fuel savings made.
What we need is a battery that can last the whole life of the vehicle. With the invention of the Power Jockey this is now a reality. Generation 1 Prius are still running on their original batteries after 14 years with the Power Jockey installed. We expect the same battery to last many more years, possibly 20 to 25 years with the occasional repairs
How the Power Jockey works.
Every time a load is placed on the battery, it experience a dip in voltage which recovers after the engine kicks in. This dip in voltage gets deeper as the battery ages until the point is reached when a cell collapse and the battery fails. From the graph above we can see that this dip in voltage is averted when the Power Jockey is installed.
We believe that if the Power Jockey was installed from new, the battery can last more than the 7 to 10 years expected currently.
We have only been installing the Power Jockey in vehicles where the battery has already failed which we have reconditioned and repaired.
We have had batteries last more than 2 years after reconditioning and with the Power Jockey we are confident that we can make the original battery last the whole life of the vehicle. Extending battery life from 8 years to 16 years or more would be the biggest factor in overcoming the perception that the hybrid vehicles are expensive to fix when they break down.