Lithium-ion batteries, which are already in wide use in laptops and other gadgets, are smaller yet more powerful than the nickel-metal hydride batteries now used in gas-electric hybrids like the Prius. But lithium-ion batteries will not be used in the Prius, which has been on sale for a decade and is the most popular hybrid on the market, according to Toyota.
The lithium-ion battery will be used in a plug-in hybrid, which would recharge from a regular home power socket and travel longer as an electric vehicle than the Prius.
Toyota has started tests on its plug-in hybrid, but has not shown a model using the new battery.
Masatami Takimoto, an executive vice president who oversees technology, said that Toyota’s lithium-ion battery was almost ready for mass production, but would not start up until after 2008.
Katsuaki Watanabe, the president of Toyota, said that hybrids would be a pillar of Toyota’s growth in the years ahead, and reiterated the company’s plan to offer hybrid versions of all its models after 2020.
