Got the car back today with a brand new battery pack courtesy of Honda, all is well. Found this article today, you guys may be interested:

http://chargedevs.com/newswire/new-b...n-two-minutes/

The latest battery breakthrough comes from Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore), where researchers have developed a lithium-ion battery that they say can be recharged up to 70 per cent in only two minutes, and can endure more than 10,000 charging cycles.

NTU Singapore’s scientists replaced the traditional graphite anode with a new gel material made from titanium dioxide, an abundant, cheap and safe material that’s commonly used as a food additive or in sunscreen lotions. They developed a simple method to turn titanium dioxide particles into tiny nanotubes, which speed up the chemical reactions, allowing for superfast charging.

Associate Professor Chen Xiaodong and his team published their findings in the latest issue of Advanced Materials.

NTU professor Rachid Yazami, who was a co-inventor of the lithium-graphite anode used in most lithium-ion batteries today, said Professor Chen’s invention is the next big leap in battery technology.

“While the cost of lithium-ion batteries has been significantly reduced and its performance improved since Sony commercialized it in 1991, the market is fast expanding towards new applications in electric mobility and energy storage,” said Professor Yazami. “There is still room for improvement and one such key area is the power density, which directly relates to the fast charge ability. Ideally, the charge time for batteries in electric vehicles should be less than 15 minutes, which Professor Chen’s nanostructured anode has proven to do.”

 

congrats!

This has already gone around some of the forums and IMHO isn't huge news. Our packs achieve 70% charge in about 5 minutes, and I'd almost bet a nut that these new Li batteries can't handle the 15C discharge rate the NiMh can provide. That said, the improvement in cycle life is very encouraging.

Steve

 

I was thinking along the lines of pure electric cars - if they could be charged up in minutes rather than hours (again keep in mind I'm still trying to "crash course" all this

 

I first refurbished my 2006 HCH battery pack July 2013. Since then I have refurbished four battery packs. Some for myself and some for over people. I found that if I map my charge and discharge cycles, do them one stick at a time, and balance the pack with sticks that are alike, then I can get about 6 months problem free driving before recals start to set in. I then will grid charge more and more often until I need to pull the pack and replace it with a new one. I found a place that will sell me HCH battery packs for $250 so I can rebuild one until mine needs replacing. The money I have made replacing other peoples batteries, has got me to the point where I have at least broke even in cost of my equipment and batteries. My HCH now has 188,000 miles on it and other than needing the upstream catalytic converter replaced, she runs great and I get about 43 MPG. As long as the motor and trans hang in there I will just keep doing what I'm doing.

 

I wish it lasted more than 6 months

 

Once a pack is operated to the point that an IMA code is thrown, there has been actual deterioration on a cell level and likely damage.

Life can be significantly extended by monthly to quarterly grid charging following a stick level refurb.

 

How much more life do you think it gives it?
Let's say a 100,000 Miles base.

 

Based on what I've read at Insight Central, Insight users using only a grid charger with an occasional deep discharge have squeezed another 1-2 years out of a pack. Some take it to the extreme and grid charge weekly just to keep limping along.

Hybrid Revolt and Bumblebee encourage periodic grid charging even under warranty as they acknowledge it improves longevity by keeping the cells balanced.

I can't equate it to a mileage, and I'm going out on a limb by nailing it to a time period. Too many factors come into play. If you drive long distances without frequent stopping on flat terrain in a mild climate, you can probably expect your battery pack to last a very long time even without grid charging; however, if you're in AZ with a hilly commute, you're going to cook a battery sooner due to the heavy cycling and extreme temps.

My HCH2 pack was doing great during my commute. 1 quick recal at the outset of my commute, and it stayed strong the remainder of the trip. I was able to maintain 52 mpg with conservative driving. She drove it for a couple weeks while I was working on the other HCH2, and my pack threw an IMA light and has deteriorated to 3-4 recals per trip. It's now been replaced with one of my refurbed salvage yard units, and I'm hopeful It will last a long time, but I will put it on the grid charger every quarter or once recals exceed 1/day.

 

I have a Prius which has needed a cell in the battery replaced. I have replaced a couple for friends. Now a friend of s friend has asked me to fix her 2006 honda hybrid. With IMA light and check engine light is on. I have taken the battery out and now need a method for finding what needs to be replaced. I measure the voltage of the Prius cells and pull the low one and replace it and its all good. I am puzzled by what I'm seeing in the honda cells. I'm measuring the pair welded together and I'm seeing three or four around 15 V most of them around 14.5 V and one pair at 14.22 V with one outlier at 15.60. This battery has been out of car for 3 hours. Does anyone have any advise as to what I should look for? Thanks in advance I'm Stuck!!

 

Have a charger/discharger to measure its capacity in Mah?