The British Technology Awards, inspired by the publisher of technophile magazines Computeractive and Personal Computer World, seeks to celebrate Britain’s national love of technology.
In the case of the Prius, the crucial technology responsible for helping this vehicle bring electric and hybrid cars into the realm of both hip and green is the inclusion of a viable battery system. This particular issue had long been the bugbear of vehicle designers, as not only were batteries limited in range, their lifespan was also lacking. To counter this, the engineering team working on the Prius calculated that keeping the battery back between 40% and 60% charged would extend the battery’s life to around that of other vehicle components, between seven and ten years.
That problem overcome, and equipped with a hybrid engine designed based on a TRW Automotive patent from the mid-70’s and a 288 volt battery weighing 57 kilograms. In following models this battery has become progressively lighter, and the Sealed Nickel-Metal Hydride unit shipped with the new 2009 model Prius weighs a markedly trimmer 45 kilograms (despite the actual car gaining bulk over the years) and has an expected lifespan of 150,000 miles, based on Toyota’s laboratory bench testing.
The rest is history. It may not have been the first hybrid vehicle on the market, or even the first Toyota hybrid, however the Prius caught the world’s attention and fast became a celebrity fashion essential. So, love it (as did Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz) or hate it (think Jeremy Clarkson, who famously had one shot to pieces during an episode of Top Gear and then stated “it’s not beautiful, it’s not fast, it’s not particularly economical, it’s not desperately safe, and now it turns out it isn’t even bullet-proof”) this is the car – a million units sold as of May 2008 – that has brought hybrid technology and NiMH batteries into the automotive mainstream, a technology, as the award indicates, with much green potential. (Tyres & Accessories/Staffordshire, U.K.)
