Li-ion batteries will be one of the key components in the next generation of hybrid and eco-friendly cars.  Nearly all portable electronics today are using Lithium-ion based batteries because of their light weight vs. high energy density - and several other reasons as well. As of now, hybrid and electric cars are lugging around nickel metal hydride batteries. Although they may be cheaper and more durable than the Li-ion models, they just don’t pack the same punch.

A lot of big names in the auto industry are now making deals with electronic manufacturing companies for the mass production of Li-ion batteries which will be used in their new car models. Toyota has already partnered with the owner of Panasonic, and Nissan has formed a similar deal with the Japanese giant NEC Corp. In an attempt to catch up with is competitors, Volkswagen will also be joining up with Sanyo.

But incorporating Lithium-ion batteries into cars will have to done with many improved safeguards – at least before I put one of them under my hood. For instance, Li-ion batteries are very dangerous if mistreated and are extremely sensitive to high temperatures (like next to a car engine). Plus, storing a lithium-ion battery in a warm place will cause it to degrade at a much faster rate and significantly reduce its life.  It is also known that a small percentage of li-ion batteries will surely fail and burst into flames, not exactly what we want to happen on the freeway – or at the drive-thru for that matter.

My Toyota Vios will be due it’s 20,000 km service in the next week or two, I had been thinking of changing it shortly but considering the amount of kilometers I’m putting on it I think I will just keep it.

I bought it brand new in December 2006, it was a recent face lift model so I expected to be seeing a new model in the next couple of years, but they released the mew model in Febuary, just 2 months after I bought mine. The nice girl at the Toyota dealer said that I could return mine and get a new model without it costing me too much (though she did not specify how much) and I figured that it might be a sensible move. Trouble is that I just cannot make up my mind about the new model, and when I bought this car I expected to keep it a few years not just a few months!

I really like my Vios, for those of you not familiar with the model they are built by Toyota Thailand and marketed in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. It has a 1500cc VVTI Twin Cam Fuel Injected engine which is sooo sweet. They are priced at the lower end of the market, mine was just 480,000 baht with a discount, though I upgraded the wheels to the ones in the picture above which took it to 498,000 baht. I got loads of free extras including 12 months first class insurance, over mats, tinted windows etc.

My only real gripe is that wish I had not got a black one! The black paint looks fantastic when it’s clean, but Thailand is such a dusty country that it’s never clean.

Thailand is not the sort of country where you wash your own car, it’s either baking hot or it’s dark..not much in between. When I do wash it myself I end up drenched in sweat and it looks like I pointed the hose at myself. Also, it’s cheap enough to get it professionally cleaned every week or so and it helps keep the local car cleaning lads in a job. The cost of a proper hand wash and valet inside and out about 100 baht ($2.20), shockingly cheap compared to the west.. but hey, why do you think I live in Thailand?