Lithium Batteries Cheaper by 2017, Public Poll Shows 48% Would Like Opportunity To Manage Home Energy

The lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles are going to be a lot cheaper by 2017, says a new report from Pike Research. Better manufacturing efficiencies and the availability of more lithium means battery prices will drop by a third – a change car manufacturers and buyers alike will certainly be glad to see.  The current costof lithium iron batteries is thought to be one of the primary obstacles to widespread adoption of Electric Vehicles.  The market for Lithium -ion batteries will be driven primarily by plug-in hybrid electric vehicles which require a  larger battery pack than a hybrid.

A new Harris poll says almost half (48%) of the 2,056 people surveyed online would likely install and manage a computerized dashboard in their homes to control energy use and cut their power bills. While the 48% number sounds surprisingly high, particularly considering that many observers and industry analysts (including SGN) have repeatedly said consumers are not likely to adopt new energy saving technologies.  This percentage shows that they will take the time to monitor and manage it.