I've been wondering about something, and I'm hoping to find an answer. Current batch of promised EVs (Ford Transit Connect, Ford Focus, Nissan) are promising 100 miles of range with Li-ion batteries. However, the Toyota RAV4-EV, some of which are still on the road, and have gone over 100K miles, are still hitting upwards of 140 miles on a full charge from a 1997-2003 model year vehicle. http://www.evnut.com/rav.htm http://www.evnut.com/rav_owner_100k.htm Is it simply a matter of the EV-95 battery being no longer available, without paying a hefty sum to Cobasys, that's keeping 100+ mile range EVs off the market? Is the 100 mile range touted for Li-ion EVs a marketing campaign balancing act between economics and viability? 100 miles is magical and of little real meaning since there is no practical difference between a 99 mile range and a 101 mile range. But anything more than 100 miles and the Li-ion battery packs will make the vehicle cost prohibitive.

Chevy Volt or Focus EV?

Decisions, decisions.

The 100+ mile range advertised by Ford, Nissan, etc, for their LiIon batteries likely represent the manufacturer's tradeoff between weight, cost, and range. The manufacturers could certaintly put more cells into the battery pack to increase range to 200+ or more, but cost and weight will also increase.

The average American commutes 40 miles round trip a day, so the 100+ range of an EV allows the average American to make it to and from work, and do a bunch of errands each day as well.

I am friends with Darell, the "EV" nut and can confirm that I have seen several RAVs with over 100kmi on their original battery packs. Chevron no longer owns the controlling share of the EV-95, so we may seem them make a comeback. I suspect that within 5 or so years, there will be several battery chemistries to choose from.

Where did you hear that Chevron doesn't control the ni-mh patent anymore? Who does control it???

mine i purchased for focus. it performs well. i guess it is better to choose it. well that's just my idea. i don't know if it will satisfies you. honestly i just purchased it months ago now i don't find any sign of failure. and i am learning the manual for me to recognize and easily to perform the Ford Focus repair.

Talking about LiION VS NiMh I just point out few difference which will clearly define them
LiION Plus points:

• LiION have better energy density
• LiION have better power density
• LiION have better cycle life for deep cycles
• LiION base materials are far less expensive and more abundant

NiMh Plus points:

• NiMh is more robust to low voltage abuse
• NiMh proven to last hundreds of thousands of cycles in real world "low stress" applications (parallel hybrids like Toyota Prius and Ford Escape)

And on the Other side:

• LiION - not much in the way of real world history
• NiMH - shown in a real world application to need a good BMS and charging regimen otherwise shortened life should be expected.

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4x4 pickup Trucks