OT: Electric car batteries

[Huge]

Which is what is meant by "packaging" when talking about cars. Fitting all the bits in.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Of course it's been thought of - and a long time ago when car batteries had an even shorter life than now.

The bid snag is an empty battery is worth about the same as a full one, and a considerable sum. So very different from an empty calor gas cylinder which is worth very little.

[James Wilkinson]

Why is that a snag?

[Capitol]

It was proposed in the 60s. The battery was Zinc air. I think these are lighter than Li.

[James Wilkinson]

Presumably the charge density or cost or something is not comparable, or they'd be using those now instead of LiIon.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Zinc air not ;lighter than LI.

Lithium air lightest technology there is, but almost impractical to even consider, so far.

However, lithium air *could* be light enough for commercial aircraft.

It is in my ten years interest in the subject the only battery technology *potentially* capable of equalling diesel/kerosene.

No working examples exist outside the laboratory.

[Brian Gaff]

I'm sure this is done in some circles. Certainly a buss I saw being discussed did exactly this to keep it going all day. It rather reminded me of the old dairy where all the electric vehicles were on charge during the day and early evening before being filled with bottles for the morning round. It always struck me as very perverse to invent a quiet vehicle then deliver the stuff in glass bottles which make one heck of a racket at night. Is this just the English way? Come to that, what about a giant slot car in reverse so on motorways, you simply poke a peg down a slott in the road and run of the power from two conductors in the slot?

Come to that, whyy not turn the car into a trolley buss system with overhead wires? Brian

[Brian Gaff]

The first electrically powered model aircraft used some kind of battery you had to put water in, but I never had one to test. Apparently the cells only lasted a few months in those days.

Brian

[NY]

Ah, like a giant Scalextrik.

For a moment I thought you were going to suggest the other peg-in-a-slot model cars which had no motor but the slot contained a continuous spiral spring which was dragged around the slot by a track-side motor, and the cars had pegs which engaged with the spring so they all went round with the spring.

[James Wilkinson]

What about those nanocarbon batteries?

[James Wilkinson]

Doesn't sound as fun to drive.

[Syd Rumpo]

Not wires, you'd need some sort of overhead electrified grid and a metal road. You'd also need a turntable with very noticeable wow and heavy distortion playing 'Monkey Spanner'.

Cheers

[charles]

what other material would you have used in the 1930s?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The vast investment needed. A Calor Gas supplier will have lots of cylinders in stock ready to go. A car battery pack can cost 10,000 quid and more.

And of course they don't last forever.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Goatskin bottles? ;-)

[Capitol]

Experience!

[Chris Hogg]

Ha! Yes, my thought also, well, leather anyway. On a more practical note, stoneware. Lots of stuff sold in them, notably beer and ginger-beer.

[James Wilkinson]

Experience tells you that a wind farm cannot be in a different place to the consumer? WTF?

[Capitol]

Thanks for the correction. IIRC it was GE looking at Zn air.

[Capitol]

Not much use in no wind, look at Gridwatch, if that's not too difficult for you to understand.