Anyone venting their battery into their air intake?

[Isaac Zachary]

Maybe if you had a solar panel on the roof that kept the battery topped off (and off-gassing) and had a way of collecting that while the vehicle sits (would be an explosion hazard.

I don't think it's enough to make that much of a difference though. Maybe if you had a DIY hybrid with a truck bed full of lead acid batteries it would help a tenth of a mile per gallon.

[Logic]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Maybe if you had a solar panel on the roof that kept the battery topped off (and off-gassing) and had a way of collecting that while the vehicle sits (would be an explosion hazard.

Hmmm... interesting idea!
A balloon in a box perhaps... Bit then you need some sort of metering system, or a solenoid at the least.
That, along with a small bubbler and weight and effort start adding up to 'Not worth the trouble'.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

I don't think it's enough to make that much of a difference though. Maybe if you had a DIY hybrid with a truck bed full of lead acid batteries it would help a tenth of a mile per gallon.

Oh I don't think even the most rigorous testing would show any difference in a std car no.
Perhaps if one kept careful logs for a year or more.
This is more about 'hugging a bunnies' I assume people are into that here?

Perhaps in a hybrid (with the balloon reservoir or similar) there may be enough outgassing to notice.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Logic

Perhaps in a hybrid (with the balloon reservoir or similar) there may be enough outgassing to notice.

AFAIK the batteries of hybrids have a much different chemistry, yet I'm not so familiar with them.

[Piotrsko]

Unless it's odd or home built, a hybrid wont have FLA chemistry to outgass. If your hybrid batteries outgass you have a pontential battery death and an possible fire event. The solvents in my volt pack are organic hydrocarbon based.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

If your hybrid batteries outgass you have a pontential battery death and an possible fire event...

Flooded non-sealed batteries do best if you overcharge them from time to time, which causes them to off-gas. The reason is that as they charge and discharge, the heavier sulfuric acid will tend to accumulate on the bottom which causes you to use literally less of the battery and wear it out faster. An occasional overcharge causes the electrolyte to "boil" from the hydrogen and oxygen which mixes up the electrolyte. For this reason, you're also supposed to check your electrolyte levels from time to time and top it off with distilled water as keeping the electrolyte topped off is also important for battery life for the same reason.

Also for this reason, flooded lead acid batteries come with an explosion warning and is also the reason you should try to avoid any sparks near the battery such as placing the last jumper cable on the frame away from the battery when jumping. They have been known to have a mini explosion inside them which causes them to burst and spray acid everywhere.

[Piotrsko]

Didn't read the first line? Or perhaps the last line?

[Isaac Zachary]

As far as I know, flooded lead acid batteries, when overcharged, produce the most amount of hydrogen, which (if you top off the electrolyte with distilled water) doesn't hurt them and actually is beneficial for them.

This is unlike any other battery type as excessive off-gassing is usually a bad thing.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

This is unlike any other battery type as excessive off-gassing is usually a bad thing.

I remember seeing the battery of a tablet puffing and off-gassing. I thought it would explode. And the smell was unpleasant to say the least...