[News] Electric car batteries with five-minute charging times produced

[SEWDONIM]

The 2nd biggest barrier to combating climate change is infrastructure.

The 1st being governments....

 

[Driver8]

Given that over 150000 Teslas have just been recalled for dashboard screen problems it’s not problem free motoring yet.

Have I mentioned that I find Electric cars lack any soul at all? Maybe that makes me biased. If you want A to B motoring on the cheap (after a high purchase price) and don’t care if the car is interesting to drive that probably won’t matter

What makes a car interesting to drive? My Tesla is by far the quickest and best handling car I have ever owned and I have had a lot of cars. Just because it doesn’t make a noise doesn’t make it uninteresting to drive.

 

[Icy Gull]

What makes a car interesting to drive? My Tesla is by far the quickest and best handling car I have ever owned and I have had a lot of cars. Just because it doesn’t make a noise doesn’t make it uninteresting to drive.

We are all different. I have been in a Tesla that pisses all over any car I have ever owned for acceleration but I need the sound of a glorious engine note (normally an Alfa) and the satisfaction of a gear change at the right revs. It is a completely personal thing and I have plenty of friends who feel like you. A whining rocket ship just doesn’t do it for me. Nor does Driver Assistance which virtually drives the car for you. I am a DINOSAUR in motoring, I accept

Do you like the giant Ipad for a dash? It actually offends me

 

[zefarelly]

In order to make it worthwhile, yes it would. The technology is still very expensive now.

Besides, any underwater instruments will render the river unpassable except at the time of the highest tides.

I wasn't thinking about a massive power station, just enough to light up Shoreham so we can become a principality

A Lock for pleasure craft etc, most of them never go anywhere, the yacht club is for drinking not sailing!

 

[Driver8]

Do you like the giant Ipad for a dash? It actually offends me

It took some getting used to but yes. It doubles as a TV or games console when charging so what’s not to like!

 

[zefarelly]

We are all different. I have been in a Tesla that pisses all over any car I have ever owned for acceleration but I need the sound of a glorious engine note (normally an Alfa) and the satisfaction of a gear change at the right revs. It is a completely personal thing and I have plenty of friends who feel like you. A whining rocket ship just doesn’t do it for me. Nor does Driver Assistance which virtually drives the car for you. I am a DINOSAUR in motoring, I accept

Do you like the giant Ipad for a dash? It actually offends me

Doesn't Have to be an Alfa, there are a few key things any proper car should have though.

Weber carbs
Oil pressure gauge
Rev counter.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

But with government subsidy, when does it become economical?

I suspect the government defines 'economical' as 'not requiring government subsities'.

In other words a different set of rules in comparison with, say, offering a subsidy in the form of favourable tax arrangements . . . .

In other words, this is a political decision dressed up as an economic decision.

 

[Audax]

past the headline...


so jam tomorrow. 4 years from being delivered, need special charges and even then considerably poorer range than existing. this is not the solution you are looking for, move along.

By the time it gets to mass production for use in a car, it will be. Or a derivative of this will be. No doubt in my mind that within the next 5 years we'll see the tipping point where electric really starts to compete toe-to-toe with petrol/diesel, and from there it'll only be a short hop-skip-and-jump to the point where electric becomes a no-brainer.

Note: this isn't the only new battery tech on the way> There's others at various stages of development that offer either fast charging, or longer range, or both in some combination. We may even end up with electric cars carrying two batteries - one slower charge-long range, and the other fast charge-short range.

 

[CheeseRolls]

I think that, even now, electric car manufacturers are missing a trick.

At present, most people's concern - and part of the whole culture of driving - is in not running out of fuel. And with a petrol station rarely more than 10 miles away, even in rural areas, you'd do well to cock up your fuel tank.

An idea - get owners of electric cars to pay on a contract basis, like a mobile phone or broadband, for electric fuel cell usage. That way, when they're out on the road, and the battery needs a charge, you simply pull into an electric battery refuelling station (no reason why it can't be where petrol stations are), put your card in a slot, and simply take your old battery out, and replace it with a fully charged one off the shelf in the station.

Then the old battery gets re-charged for the next person to use.

A battery may only get you 100 miles but (a) as technology improves, so does the distance and (b) you have the peace of mind of knowing the infrastructure is there.

It may be a bit of a pain in the arse right now, but that's the nature of where we're at.

The obsession people have with range is deranged. How many people regularly drive hundreds of miles in a car day in day out?
What I would like to see is vehicles fitted with batteries with a modest range say 200 miles. If there was then a spare slot for a generic range extender battery, as per your suggestion, when a long drive is required carrying around the extra battery weight can suddenly be justified.

Your earlier point on Hydrogen cars was a little extreme. I followed a Hydrogen Hyundai into Lewes, maybe 2 years ago. The vehicle costs are higher than either Petrol or Electric but nowhere near your mini suggestion. I think a tank of fule is roughly 80 quid, so again not competitive right now, but not a million miles away.

 

[schmunk]

What I would like to see is vehicles fitted with batteries with a modest range say 200 miles. If there was then a spare slot for a generic range extender battery, as per your suggestion, when a long drive is required carrying around the extra battery weight can suddenly be justified.

"Spare slot", you say...?

 

[middletoenail]

Fair points. But compare the size of Alan Turing's computer in the 1940s to the gradual miniaturised computers - far more powerful - that you carry in your pocket.

Even compare it to the desktop computers just 30 years after he made his first computer.

This time around, with precedent in place, I'd be confident of a replaceable battery within 10-15 years. Gawd knows how it will happen, I just am...

You might want to check out Nio, the Chinese brand. They're already doing something similar and their share price is flying.

Check out how impressive this is.

https://youtu.be/hTsrDpsYHrw

 

[beorhthelm]

The obsession people have with range is deranged. How many people regularly drive hundreds of miles in a car day in day out?

we do give it undue weight, mostly because its a proxy for convienence. we dont have to think about fueling much. though there are alot of commuters, sales, trade drivers that would hit this problem. what we should be doing is looking at the many travel scenarios and having vehicles based on best fit. and not obsessing with eradicating ICE where that is the most appropriate, especially in hybrid setups. ie electric for town runarounds, hybrid for motorways.

 

[albion534]

Me and the wife have considered an electric car, but I work at Gatwick, or near to there, so I’d happily consider 1 when more charger points appear.


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