Quarter 2 Article 4

Debate rages over future of plug-in hybrids

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By using plug in or hybrid cars, especially in cities like LA the photochemical smog will decrease do to less greenhouse gasses being released into the air.

Hybrid car advocates have taken aim at a government study that predicts it will take decades and hundreds of billions of dollars before the vehicles reach viability. President Obama's stimulus bill set aside billions in grants to build batteries and electric cars and offered new purchasing incentives. Both the White House and the Energy Department have trumpeted electric-drive vehicles as the wave of the clean-energy future. As of now the the batteries in the plunge in cars are not as strong as they need to be, but lithium-ion technology may be the way to go.

Lithium-ion-- is a type of rechargeable battery in which the cathode (positive electrode) contains lithium. The anode (negative electrode) is generally made of a type of porous carbon. Note that the broad term 'Lithium-Ion battery' covers a wide variety of battery types with different battery chemistry mixes wherein each battery chemistry has a different set of performance, cost, and safety characteristics.