US: Ford’s hybrids halve rare earths use

Ford says its third-generation hybrid system, which replaces nickel-metal hydride batteries with lithium-ion batteries, could reduce the company's use of rare earth metals by up to 500,000 pounds a year, and cut the cost of the hybrids’ batteries by 30%. The lithium-ion batteries are also 50% lighter and 25-30% smaller Subscribe to Automotive World to … Continued

• By Webmaster
• September 13, 2012