stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
The problem with that idea is you not only have to swap the assist pack every stop, but you also have to charge the car every stop too since you will consume energy from the main pack. That does not satisfy the criteria for faster than gas fill up. Also I use 25kg (55lbs) because that is the limit that you can expect an average person to carry/lift.Well, you're assuming a serial range-extender that fully drives the car at any speed. If you think of it instead as an assist pack, you could have a half-size pack providing 10kW and then you'd only be drawing 5-10kW from the main pack, which would also get the benefit of any regen.
http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-efficiency-and-range
This is a much better idea, but again quite hand-wavy. You are forgetting the battery tray and connections needed for each of these cartridges. Keep in mind that an Al-air cell only has a nominal voltage of 1.2V, so you would have to wire these cells in series. Also don't forget you need to refill with water after using every 1/5 of the pack (Phinergy says every 200 miles for their 1000 mile pack) and there would need to be plumbing for this too, making it even more difficult for the cartridge idea (otherwise you would have to refill water for every cartridge separately).There is *no* need for it to be a single 50 kg block. Make it into 5 cartridges @ 10kg each or something similar.
None of this sounds like an elegant solution compared to plugging in a cable or swapping one pack as a whole, so I doubt this will appeal to Elon. I think Elon would much prefer a rechargeable metal-air battery that does not involve all this complication for the user.
- - - Updated - - -
You add water every 200 miles according to Phinergy. Otherwise you would need a large water container.If you have e.g. a 1000 mile al-air battery, do you add water for all 1000 miles? Or do you add it for e.g. 250 miles at a time and then replace it?
In the case of the latter you would have a period water fill-up which can be 'faster than a gas fill-up', and can be done 'anywhere in the country'.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news...mile-aluminum-air-battery-on-the-road-in-2017