[bwilson4web]

This is inaccurate:

Originally Posted by Drive Stick

. . . Batteries are extremely hazardous and hard to dispose of. . . .

The reasons why:












Hands on experiments suggest traction batteries, in particular the NiMH, are a joy to work on. The nickel is biologically inert and too valuable to abandon whereas lead is an environmental toxin and cheap enough that abandoned lead-acid batteries are easy to find. The NiMH electrolyte, a saturated KOH solution, is all but identical to lye, NaOH, that is sold in grocery stores.

It turns out that NiMH traction batteries can be refurbished to like new capacity. Only a small portion have to be recycled and they are too valuable to abandon as Toyota has a $200 premium on old traction batteries.

Bob Wilson