Lithium battery for many vehicles seen a ways off ARGONNE
NATIONAL LABORATORY, Illinois (Reuters) - Vast improvements are
needed to extend the life and lower the cost of lithium
batteries before they can efficiently power vehicles, a U.S.
government official who tracks high-power battery development
said on Monday. Lithium-ion batteries are widely predicted to
replace nickel metal-hydride batteries currently used in most
hybrid vehicles, such as Toyota Co's hot-selling Prius. But
among the challenges to overcome are extending the life of high-
power lithium batteries and bringing down their relatively high
cost, Tien Duong of the U.S. Department of Energy said on the
sidelines of a lithium battery conference held at this
government laboratory. "Life means 10 years, plus. For hybrids
we know (their batteries) last 10 years plus. For the PHEV
(plug-in electric vehicle), we don't know," Duong said. He did
not specify what the costs should be. "One of the phenomenons
that cuts short the life of the battery is powe