Auto giant Daimler says it will be the first in the world to mass-produce a hybrid-powered car that uses a lithium-ion battery.

Thomas Weber, chief development officer at Mercedes Group, called the combination of technologies a "technical breakthrough" that would spread through the motor industry.

German components group Continental developed the electronics and French battery system manufacturer Johnson Controls-Saft had engineered the lithium-ion cell, he said in Stuttgart, Germany.

The world's best-known hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, uses a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery as its rechargeable energy storage system. Hybrids, praised for their low emissions, usually have petrol engines as their primary energy source.

Weber said the key a lithium-ion cell's long life was to keep its temperature optimal using the car air-conditioning system. The electronics will ensure the battery keeps between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius.

Lithium ion batteries are in wide use in other sectors, but Daimler said it was the first company to make them robust enough for automotive use. Weber said Daimler had obtained 25 patents for the new technology.

Weber said in autumn 2007 that a lithium-ion hybrid would go into production in 2009, spoke of a different battery partner, A123 of the United States.

From: auto viewpoint/news