Australian breakthrough paves way for cheaper hybrids

Scientists in Australia have developed a new hybrid car battery that they claim is cheaper, more powerful and longer-lasting than those currently on the market.

The UltraBattery has been produced by CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, and lasts four times longer and produces 50 per cent more power than traditional lead acid batteries.

It is also 70 per cent cheaper to manufacture CSIRO said making it an attractive alternative to those batteries used in today's hybrid cars.

The battery - which for the first time combines electric energy storage with lead acid power - has been tested in a hybrid vehicle in England for the past 12 months and this week racked up 100,000 miles of driving.

CSIRO's low emissions transport leader David Lamb told BusinessGreen that while the battery was still not as effective as the types used in mobile phones and cameras, its selling point was its cost.

"It's not as good as the high-tech alternatives and because it's heavier the fuel economy is 3 per cent worse [than other hybrids]," he said. "But it's a hell of a lot cheaper. It's a way of sexing up very old technology and because we use non toxic materials it's more environmentally friendly."

Lamb said he expected the product to be commercialised within two to three years and initially incorporated into Japanese hybrid vehicles.

"We have worked with the Furukawa Battery Company in Japan, which supplies batteries to car makers like Toyota, Suzuki and Honda," he commented. "They would be going to their customers and saying 'try this'. I would bet that within a couple of years we will see a model of our technology."