This time very nicely done, and *really* well written. I didn't know auto journalists had it in them. 2011 Chevrolet Volt vs 2011 Nissan Leaf SL vs 2011 Toyota Prius III Comparison - Motor Trend
Dennis Simanaitis over at Road & Track does a very good job of covering alternative vehicles. Recalibrating the Toyota Prius - Find the Latest Auto News at RoadandTrack.com http://www.roadandtrack.com/column/i-ll-raise-you-one-dysprosium
What a great review. I love his quote regarding the Leaf which had gone into turtle mode because the battery was depleted, "...I happened to stop at a crosswalk, and when I put my foot down again-nothing. The car had lapsed into a coma..." The writer gives Prius kudos for it's indestructable hybrid battery. That's good news especially for PriusChatters who fear expensive battery replacement costs. However, the author does not like the uncertainty of Volt and Leaf lithium batteries. Finally, the author favors a gas/electric hybrid versus a pure electric. He definitely wants a two driveline system, and seems to favor Prius because of the short time it takes to pump fuel without having to additionally pump electric into the battery.
The NiMH battery has been around for quite q while and has extensive history on space craft. So, its characteristics over a long life time (20+ years on some spacecraft) is well understood. The Li-Ion battery technology has not been around as long. However, it has been extensively life tested and is in use on some space craft. Early on, some people were worried about reported explosions due to overheating of Lithium-based batteries (there were some serious problems with laptop batteries a few years ago). However, the causes of these problems is now well understood, and changes have been made in the chemistry and in the charge control algorithms. While state of charge is critical with the Lithium batteries, the NiMh is much more forgiving. Charge rate control and ambient temperature are still the important items to watch.
