America can learn from
RAV4-EV and
Formula One Racing
On May 25, a Panasonic EV-95 NiMH Battery powered 2001 Toyota RAV4-EV with 48,000 miles, sold for $89,200 on E-Bay. Almost three times the original cost after incentives. A few days later from the Wall Street Journal we hear that Formula racing is going Hybrid.
The buyer of this car and the Formula One racing people must know something the rest of America needs to understand.
While GM is filling around looking for a breakthrough in Lithium Battery Technology for their Chevy Volt, this RAV4-EV has been running for seven years on the original batteries.
These cars were first produced in 1998. Fifteen Hundred of these cars were manufactured. Many of these cars have over 100,000 miles on the original batteries.
Formula One racing, which usually leads automobile technology, is following the Toyota Prius, now at one million Hybrid cars world wide. All of these cars use the same battery technology introduced in the Toyota RAV4-EV, NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) Batteries.
The difference between the RAV4-EV and the Prius battery is capacity. The original Panasonic EV-95 battery is 95 ah. The Prius battery is 10ah.
At the same time Toyota made the RAV4-EV, GM produced the EV1. As the GM cars came off lease, they were crushed. GM sold its interest in the company holding the patents for NiMH battery technology to then Texaco now Chevron/Cobasys. Chevron/Cobasys sued Panasonic and Toyota for 30 million dollars. Panasonic stopped EV-95 Battery production and Toyota stopped production of the RAV4-EV.
Yes, we have the technology, and the Toyota RAV4-EV is the proof. You can bet the Formula One people won’t be bashful about making their cars Hybrids if it makes them more powerful and fuel efficient. For them the less pit stops for fuel the better.
Al Lococo