New tech extends li-on battery life

Wow -- 500WH/L at 10k cycles is pretty impressive. Let's see if the hype turns into real deployment....

 

What are they not telling us?

 

With regard to batteries, I would think most current and future EV owners would list requirements in this order:

-Range
-Charge time
-Life

 

Not me. As a Roadster owner charge time is more than adequate. Range is mostly fine, more would be nice. Life of battery is my big looming expense. So I would list the importance of improvement over what we have now as:

-Life
-Range
-Charge time

 

Tdave, thanks for offering your real-life perspective. The 10k cycle would be very welcome by current Roadster owners.

 

It's wierd, once you own an EV amd get over range anxiety, it really rearranges what you'd want out of the second battery. I don't want to give up range, but from here longer life and lighter weight seem like the next best step.

 

Let's not forget cost. If it's cheap enough, and light enough, you can buy more range and replace it more easily. So I guess cost per cycle would be the proper metric.

 

"It's wierd, once you own an EV amd get over range anxiety"

I'll have to take your word on that. But I would say if I can't make a trip from the middle of Illinois to Chicago in an EV then I'm going to have a problem. Currently the Tesla Roadster would leave me stranded in Joliet. Granted it would be smooth sailing to St Louis. Yes for the average week an EV would be no problem for my household. But we take frequent weekend trips where an EV unfortunately at the moment would be a fail whale. In some cases it might glide in with an almost empty battery pack.

Iz had the right thought. But for us poor people cost is a big factor. Truly wish I could lead by example. Just not enough cash. At this point I wish I could find a company wanting a real person to test a mule. But no go.

 

I expect that with a normal income anyone needing more than about 100 miles of range can only have an EV as a second car or be stuck with hybrids for quite a while. Or be willing to rent an ICE for longer trips.

 

Then the car is not right for that application.

The loss of range anxiety does not increase the mileage of an EV. If merely increases your confidence and ability to plan effectively.

 

If EVs are going to become mainstream, there must be some type of solution that addresses range anxiety. It could be in the form of batteries that provide excellent range (400+ miles) without weighing 1000 lbs and/or very quick charging (5-15 minutes). I would not be one to go for the battery swap, not knowing “where they’ve been”. If filling station owners added 1 or 2 level-3 chargers it would help reduce range issues.

 

I think the point is that for the near term the only way to deal with range anxiety is to have realistic expectations. It's going to be years before there are enough fast charging stations to make a big difference, and it's going to be years before battery technology is cheap enough and/or light enough to get 400+ mile range. Unless there is some unforeseen breakthrough of course. In the meantime most of the world can get by quite comfortably with 150-200 mile range.

 

Planes and trains? :wink: When you live in a small densely populated area (as I do), 250 miles is roughly 50 miles beyond the end of the world.

Perhaps this whole range thing is more acute in the US than it is in Europe. There just too much of nothingness between US cities!

-Raymond.

 

Indeed, and too many people seem to feel they have to travel to entertain themselves. If you can't find enough interesting things within 100 miles you're either not trying hard enough or you live in the wrong place. Too much of our "culture" is based on cheap transport fuel and many people don't want to face the idea that those days may be over.

 

Bingo!

 

And the problem is many urban areas have been designed with cheap auto transportation in mind. Things are spaced far apart. Although there is a Chili's in every berg...