It's the Batteries, Stupid!

[Iz]

There are many new nano tech battery posts in this thread (and under solar tech too). It can not happen soon enough.

How does a fast discharge battery help an EV? I understand the other points but not this one. Thanks.

 

[JRP3]

If a battery has fast discharge capability it has low internal resistance and won't be stressed by high current draws, or C rates, and should prolong cycle life. Also a smaller pack can put out higher power without damage. Usually fast discharge also translates into fast charge acceptance as well though it may not be symmetrical.

 

[Iz]

If a battery has fast discharge capability it has low internal resistance and won't be stressed by high current draws, or C rates, and should prolong cycle life. Also a smaller pack can put out higher power without damage. Usually fast discharge also translates into fast charge acceptance as well though it may not be symmetrical.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[TEG]

Great for drag racers where you don't need a lot of range, but you want minimal weight with lots of power. A123 excels in that department right now.

 

[JRP3]

So do the Dow Kokam cells and some are experimenting with the hobby LiPoly cells that can do 90C! Might be the highest power density yet. Of course Current Eliminator was using Altairnano's NanoSafe cells which also has high C rates, don't know if they are still racing.

 

[TEG]

I think I recall that Zombie and Wrightspeed use the Dow Kokam too.

 

[vfx]

Batteries For Electric Cars Have Barely Begun To Get Better

 

[rolosrevenge]

I've been using the cell phone analogy a long time now when I talk to people. It's so true. Not to mention, there hasn't been a need for a long battery life, because the consumer electronics are usually replaced after 3 years or so, making a battery to last longer was pointless until recently.

 

[roblab]

The shoe phone was not all battery. Electronics have shrunk a great deal, too. Compare original shoe phone that could barely make a local call, to iPhone that does just about everything.

 

[JRP3]

Interesting that our old buddy Kent actually made a rational, relevant comment on that article! Or at least one of his personalities did.

 

[TEG]

Sluggish demand for electric car forces layoffs at battery maker Ener1 | Indianapolis Business Journal | IBJ.com

 

[qwk]

Sluggish demand for electric car forces layoffs at battery maker Ener1 | Indianapolis Business Journal | IBJ.com

I don't even think the "think" is available for sale to the public yet. What a joke.

 

[JRP3]

I wonder if that "sluggish demand" has anything to do with the fact that the Think is more expensive yet less capable in all respects than a LEAF?
http://www.plugincars.com/think-quietly-raised-price-city-electric-car-41695-106966.html

 

[zack]

Non-tech writers shouldn't write tech articles. "The pallet-size batteries were destined for a shipping container that ultimately would hold 1 megawatt of power." Wow, 1 megawatt of power! What's that equivalent to? 6 hundred feet of gasoline?

On edit: Sorry, I meant square feet.

 

[doug]

Wow, 1 megawatt of power! What's that equivalent to? 6 hundred feet of gasoline?

On edit: Sorry, I meant square feet.

Not sure is you were trying to be ironic here, but you seem to be mixing up energy with power and area with volume.

 

[zack]

A sad attempt at irony, I'm afraid. I'm sure they meant 1 million watt-hours, but you know, if someone makes that mistake, what other mistakes are they making?

 

[JRP3]

In this video Balqon exec claims they've tripled energy capacity in 18 months and expect to see the same in another 18 months. I'm not sure what he's talking about since they are using Winston, (Thunder Sky), cells which have certainly not tripled their energy capacity in the last 18 months but I know they are working on a newer denser lithium sulfur cell. Unless Balqon is already using the lithium sulfur cell.
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/67197946/

 

[dpeilow]

They are already selling the Lithium Sulphur cell.

 

[JRP3]

Any link? Because Jack Rickard from EVTV.me tried to purchase them directly from Winston and was told they wouldn't be available for about a year, and Winston is a sponsor of his.

 

[Norbert]

Batteries that Recharge in Seconds - Technology Review

A new way of making battery electrodes based on nanostructured metal foams has been used to make a lithium-ion battery that can be 90 percent charged in two minutes. If the method can be commercialized, it could lead to laptops that charge in a few minutes or cell phones that charge in 30 seconds.