While we are on the subject, I thought I'd share some information I got at a lecture on battery
technologies given by one of the developers of the baterries for the Chevy Volt.
The maximum energy density for liquid fuels such as octane, methanol, etc. is 11 000 W-h/kg.
The energy density for the Chevy Volt batteries is 150 W-h/kg, with a maximum theoretical value for
the current chemistry is about 500 W-h/kg.
The next generation battery chemistries (Ni-Co-Mn, Li-Ti-O) currently being developed will give us
three times the current energy density, but not be available on the market until after 2020.
This is why vehicle range will continue to hinder the development and sales of electric vehicles going
forward.
In addition, a 2007 vehicle report in which the lifetime costs, from producing raw materials to usage to
disposal, were reported for a wide range of vehicles indicated that the costs of hybrid sedans are three
times greater than the costs of a conventional sedan. One of the reasons why hybrids are more
expensive is that there is a much greater number of different kinds of materials that go into them, and
many of these materials have to be produced all around the world, processed, pre-formed, and
transported to the assembly location. The disposal costs are also greater. This isn't an economies of
scale problem, so the prices cannot come down that significantly with greater sales volume.