Hybrid car batteries.

• Author: Hays, John
• Position: READERS' FORUM: VIEWS ... COMMENTS ... SUGGESTIONS - Letter to the editor

* I found the February article "Converting U.S. Car Park to Hybrids Should be Priority One" by Michael Frodl and John Manoyan to be dynamic and interesting.

There is one topic that seemed to be missing: the batteries in these cars will eventually need to be disposed of permanently. It may be from old age or car accidents, but in any case, these batteries should be disposed of properly. What are the procedures and related costs associated with discarding these batteries in an environmentally friendly manner? Imagine this on a large scale, when after 30 to 50 years there are as many as 50 percent of the nation's cars using these batteries.

Can and will they be recycled by the car manufacturers?

John Hays

San Diego, CA

The authors respond:

* You raise a good question. Battery disposal is no laughing matter. The day when 50 percent of the U.S. car fleet is hybrid and has batteries is probably a lot less than 50 years away. It's a problem not just for disposal, but also for first responders. Some fire departments are wary of exposing their...