Banking on Batteries | Green Energy News

Banking on Batteries | Green Energy News: "one estimate using cost per watt, lithium-ion batteries are 4 times more expensive than nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries like those used in the current Prius and, to put things in perspective, 25 times pricier than the lead acid batteries used in the first generation EV1. (At the time those batteries were considered expensive.) Simply put, if the cost lithium batteries the Three want to use to achieve adequate all-electric drive range doesn’t approach NiMH prices, then the vehicles they are developing would likely end up in the expensive niche bin. In the short term niche cars might be good for imagine but not for the bottom line."