There are hundreds of thousand hybrid cars on the roads in the U.S. In addition, more and more hybrid cars are being sold and the dealerships of these fuel efficient vehicles are celebrating the record sales. But several environmentalists this might lead to a problem. They are afraid that the hybrid outbreak might turn into nickel hydride battery pollution. Environmentalists say hybrid cars batteries, since they do not last lifelong, would end up scattered in landfills and contaminate the soil. But isn’t it true that conventional gas-powered vehicles have batteries too and they can cause soil contamination without proper disposal?

According to several environmental researchers, that is not the problem. There are several kinds of hybrid car batteries. Some of these batteries are less toxic, while some contain more toxic elements. For instance, Lead-Acid and Nickel-Cadmium batteries are not environmentally friendly, but still, their toxic levels and their impact to the environment are low.

The production of Lithium-Ion batteries is growing rapidly. Most of today’s hybrid cars use Lithium-Ion batteries as one of their power supply. Toyota was the very first company to use this type of battery in its vehicle. Toyota Vitz, a small compact car which is only available in Japan, uses Lithium-Ion battery packs to power the air conditioner, lights in the gauges, head lights, and the heater while the car is in idle, allowing the car to save gasoline.

By far, the wildest vision of the Lithium-Ion battery is featured in Volvo 3CC. This concept electric car, unveiled in 2004, depends exclusively on its 3,000 Li-ion cells which provide all the power. Each cell is approximately the size of a AA battery. The battery pack gives the vehicle 105 horsepower and reduces the car’s emission to zero.

By using batteries, hybrid cars are less powerful and slower, but the researches are still going on to improve the functionality of these cars and to make it faster and safer.



By: Gellert Varga

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