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Old 04-18-2013, 08:36 AM   #5 (permalink)
Blue Angel
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5 View Post
I don't think so. The batteries have less energy density than conventional Li-Ion batteries, and the article makes no mention of durability.
All true, but the two biggest things holding today's li-ion batteries back are cost and charge/discharge properties.

From a hybrid point of view this general idea makes a lot of sense. The capacity of todays batteries has to be quite large compared to the capacity that's actually used, and mainly because the charge/discharge rates limit the amount of power you can suck from the cells. With drastically increased charge/discharge capabilities a MUCH smaller and lower capacity pack could be used to store energy from regen braking.

From a pure EV point of view, yes, capacity is king, but even if they were able to get close to today's li-ion energy densities the issue of range anxiety would be greatly reduced simply because mid-trip charging becomes feasible. Who cares if your batteries are getting low if you can pull into a charging station and recharge in 2-3 minutes? Heck, roadside assistance could show up with a larger battery and give you a quick charge dump to get you home if you ran out of juice.

Generally speaking, as charge/discharge rates increase, the need for higher capacities decreases. If the need for higer capacities goes down, then so does the cost of the battery as long as the $/kWh stays constant.

Time-to-charge is one of the biggest concerns with EVs. I see a breakthrough like this as a significant leap forward, as long as the cost isn't prohibitive. THAT is the biggest remaining question IMO... if it costs too much it doesn't matter how good it is. Also, this new "technology" is in its infancy... still pretty much an experiment. Given time to mature, it's possible that it will get better with time.
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redpoint5 (04-18-2013), Rokeby (04-18-2013), wdb (04-20-2013)