Have you ever wondered whatever happens to the batteries from hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs)? Do they get recycled or are they just thrown away? The answer is no: Toyota Motor Corp wants to try using nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries in residential applications at a low cost.
Residential batteries are usually large and heavy and while you would need many automotive batteries to reach the right capacity, it’s still better to use them for homes before recycling them for reuse in EVs. So Toyota started a field test to see just how suited they would be for this purpose.
The company knows what it’s talking about: it has a history of dismantling NiMH batteries no longer good for HEVs, giving them a reduction treatment and revamping them for HEVs again. The plan is to employ them as stationary batteries and then ultimately for HEVs.
Nissan and Mitsubishi are on a similar track as well, it’s just that they’re trying instead with lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries previously used in electric vehicles. So wait to see how it goes, maybe you’ll wind up having a car battery in your house…
[via TechOn]
