The Toyota Prius contains a 1310 kWh battery composed of 28

The Toyota Prius contains a 1.310 kWh battery, composed of 28 modules. Each battery module is made of six individual 1.2 V 6.5 Ah NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) cells in series forming a 7.2 V 6.5 Ah module. Each module contains an integrated charge controller and relay. These modules are connected 28 in series to form a 201.6 V 6.5 Ah battery, also known as the Energy Storage System (ESS). The computer controlled charge controller and battery management computer systems keep this battery between 38% and 82% state of charge, with a tendency to keep the average state of charge around 60%. By shallow cycling the battery, only a small portion of its net available energy storage capacity is available for use by the hybrid drive system However, the shallow computer controlled cycling dramatically improves the cycle life, thermal management control, and net long term calendar life of the battery Independent tests show no significant loss of battery performance over 10 years and 200,000 km of use.

Solution

Energy storage is the capture of energy produced at one time for use at a later time. A device that stores energy is sometimes called an accumulator. Energy comes in multiple forms including radiation, chemical, gravitational potential, electrical potential, electricity, elevated temperature, latent heat and kinetic. Energy storage involves converting energy from forms that are difficult to store to more conveniently or economically storable forms. Bulk energy storage is dominated by pumped hydro, which accounts for 99% of global energy storage.

Some technologies provide short-term energy storage, while others can endure for much longer.

A wind-up clock stores potential energy (in this case mechanical, in the spring tension), a rechargeable battery stores readily convertible chemical energy to operate a mobile phone, and a hydroelectric dam stores energy in a reservoir as gravitational potential energy. Fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline store ancient energy derived from sunlight by organisms that later died, became buried and over time were then converted into these fuels. Food (which is made by the same process as fossil fuels) is a form of energy stored in chemical form.

Ice storage tanks store ice frozen by cheaper energy at night to meet peak daytime demand for cooling. The energy isn\'t stored directly, but the work-product of consuming energy (pumping away heat) is stored, having the equivalent effect on daytime consumption.