New British Initiative to Develop Low-cost Hybrid Battery Technology

Leading British vehicle engineering company Ricardo and technology specialist QinetiQ are to jointly develop an advanced lithium-ion battery that costs a third of the price of today's equivalent, and weighs half as much. The two-year collaboration aims to dramatically reduce the price of manufacturing hybrid vehicles. Batteries currently represent about a third of the additional cost of adding hybrid technology to a production car, and add significantly to its weight, too.
Last year Ricardo showed a Citroen Berlingo diesel-hybrid prototype, developed with QinetiQ and PSA Peugeot Citroen, which achieved 100g/km CO2 emissions - this new project, called RED-LION (REDuced-cost Li-Ion) concentrates on reducing the cost of the technology, a major reason why there are not more hybrid models on offer today.
Ricardo has long experience in vehicle engineering, particularly with diesel technology, while QinetiQ's work with high energy lithium-ion batteries for military applications have given it much experience in this field. If the project is successful, Ricardo will be hoping to sell the technology to major car manufacturers, including PSA. The project is part-funded by the Energy Saving Trust, through its Low Carbon R and D programme for the Department of Transport.