[Yaesu] Re: Opening Yaesu handheld battery packs for cellreplacement

[Robert Nickels]

rbethman wrote:
> The electric car batteries are NOT NiMH.  They are Lithium Ion 
> batteries.  A wholly different animal than the others being discussed.
>
Actually, various battery types have been used in true production BEV 
(battery electric vehicles) - The first generation EV1s used lead-acid 
batteries in 1996 (as model year 1997) and a second generation batch 
with nickel metal hydride batteries.  If we include hybrid electric 
vehicles, then both the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight use 
rechargeable Nickel-Metal Hydride cells.   1.2 volt NiMH cells similar 
to "D" size are connected to form a 273 volt battery in the Prius and a 
144 volt battery in the Insight.

Since the powertrain in a hybrid always includes an electric motor, I 
think it's fair to say that Andy's statement is correct, although 
electric vehicles  are certain to move to new battery technologies as 
they become available.  It's not well known, but the batteries in the 
Prius are only charged to 40-60% of capacity to maximize life and allow 
a reserve for regenerative braking.

The secret to getting good life out of any battery is to understand how 
to care for it in the intended application.  You would not want to 
manage your radio battery the same way the Prius does.  There are many 
good resources on the web on NiMH care -  here's one aimed at law 
enforcement users, who like most hams, just need their radio batteries 
to work when needed: http://www.copquest.com/battery_care.htm
> I'd suggest some Web searching on your own to get the info that you 
> need.  It usually works out for the better.  
Indeed it does.
> Not because you are offending anyone NOR because you are embarrassing 
> yourself!  Sometimes folks "mean" well, BUT do not necessarily have 
> the full set of facts!
QED.

73, Bob W9RAN