http://www.performanceautoblog.com/battery-proves-good-small-packagesNew Battery Proves Good Things Come in Small PackagesPerformance Automotive Blog

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Good things come in small packages. Toyota is proving that with the development of a new lithium-ion battery.

Along with researchers from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba and Ibarki Prefecture, Toyota Motor Co. has developed solid electrolyte membrane technology. This technology allows lithium-ion batteries to be trimmed down in weight and size without the risk of fire traditional lithium-ion batteries carry.

Traditional lithium-ion batteries have high fire risks due to dangerous chemical reactions. However, the solid electrolyte membrane technology has eliminated that risk, making the batteries much safer.

In addition to being safer, the solid electrolyte batteries are considerably smaller than traditional lithium-ion batteries. Toyota, along with the other researchers, has test produced 6,000-nanometer-thick batteries. That’s about the size of 17 sheets of paper stacked together.

Information on when the new batteries will hit the market hasn’t been released, but they should eventually replace traditional lithium-ion batteries in electric and gas-hybrid vehicles. They’ll take up less space in the vehicles and should be more efficient.