Posted on 08/14/2015 7:36:11 AM PDT by Red Badger
Ohm is a 6-pound drop-in replacement for your car battery. What's not to like about what it claims to deliver. It never needs jump-starting. Works on the coldest days (in temperatures as low as -40C). Lasts more than twice than lead-acid batteries, which go for three years. Here, you are looking at a 7-year average lifetime. No lead, no acid. When Ohm says it is a drop-in replacement they mean that it is installed in the same way.
The site says to "remove the positive and negative leads from your old battery, drop in Ohm, and reattach the lead to Ohm (red/positive lead first to prevent sparking)."
Also, Ohm is "smart" enough to prevent accidental draining if the driver forgets to turn off the lights. It can automatically turn itself off when critically low and switch back on when the driver starts the car.
How it works: There is a "burst of energy" for starting the engine which comes from a bank of supercapacitors. When the engine is not running, the supercapacitors are kept charged by a small array of batteries.
As for materials the company said its supercapacitors are mostly carbon. The batteries are LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate.)
As for dimensions, Ohm's are 9.0"x6.8"x6.8", and will fit Group 35 batteries. "It will also fit in most cars above Group 35, but may require some extra fixturing, " according to the site.
When will you see Ohm in the marketplace? Not yet. Greg Kumparak, an editor at TechCrunch, reported that Ohm is in private beta testing and they plan to roll out a crowdfunding campaign in the next month or so. The website, meanwhile, said they plan to ship Ohm early to mid-2016.
Kumparak of TechCrunch addressed the question of price. He said he was told by the company that they aim for a price point of around $200. Kumparak said that would put it "on the high end of what you'd normally pay for a battery ($120-$180) if you wandered into your local auto parts store."
Nonetheless, viewers might find the pricing amenable considering how long it lasts and some other benefits."Conventional car batteries contain dangerous acid and are responsible for over 24 million pounds of environmental lead contamination each year. Ohm has no lead, no acid, and is safe for the environment." Another promotion point being highlighted by Ohm is its light weight. "It's the easiest, most affordable way to instantly drop 30 pounds or more from your curb weight by switching from a lead-acid battery."
Explore further: New battery could lead to cheaper, more efficient solar energy
More information: www.getohm.com/
Those who do will be Capacitive reactionaries....
There are Lithium batteries inside the box...................
I hope so....................
www.getohm.com/
Specs
550+ CCA (Cold Cranking Amps)
7 year average lifetime
Rated for -30°C to +50°C
Weighs 6 pounds
10 Amp hour reserve capacity
Group 35 form factor
Never needs jump-starting
Reactive architecture
LiFePO4 battery chemistry
EDLC supercapacitor chemistry
Dimensions: 9.0”x6.8”x6.8”
- See more at: http://www.getohm.com/#sthash.5uymspqF.dpuf
Yeah especially if your car is garaged.
“When the engine is not running, the supercapacitors are kept charged by a small array of batteries. “
How often do you have to replace those batteries ?
Well, they’re inside it so their website says 7 years.......................
And probably even harder to resist as time goes by.
I don’t believe it’s a deep cycle.
Yeah, I kinda thought they buried the lede; FreedomPoster nailed the initial market: cars with premium parts that would love the lighter ride.
Thanks. I was informed of that by one of my younger relatives, who knows more about batteries/electric motors than most of us.
The price is the only problem I see.
Conventional battery’s fail prematurely because of poor maintenance.
I have a factory one in my 04 Dodge all I have done is kept the terminal contact areas clean and drive the truck regularly.
We do have mild weather in Washington state (western) cold is 22°F Hot is 95°F that probably does help too.
Seems hard to justify paying double in my opinion.
I do like new technology and would buy one if they match prices with conventional batterys.
My Jeep battery lasted 11 years. My Savana battery lasted 11 years also. In Michigan. These cars were daily drivers, and I think that makes all the difference in the world. My boat batteries (27 series x 3), 5 - 7 years MAX.
Ping to the top. Car batteries have TWO important ratings: Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) and also Reserve Capacity (RC) which relates to the total energy the battery will deliver. This "battery" may be able to deliver the CCA necessary for a single start, but will have a tiny fraction of the RC stored in a conventional lead acid battery.
Additionally, I live in the cold Midwest, and get seven to ten years on my car batteries, not the three years stated in the article. I consider a three year old battery "new". This may not be true in desert climates, but is sure the case for a large majority of the country.
Available now ?
Would be great for my old 88 Toyota 4x4 that gets used rarely these days shy of hunting, fishing and snow storms to plow the road to the house.....
Guess I could just retire, do more hunting and fishing and go wheeling all the time.......:o)
I’m just jealous—I love real, raw metal. The new cars look and run sweet, but nothing says American muscle like 50s and 60s.
You must be in the lead/acid car battery business, no? :)
Agree entirely. I've never heard of a battery being dead after 3 years.
Get a charger with a desulfation mode and bang it every year.
Sulfation is what kills batteries. The lead plates corrode into nothing.
My “Smart” brand charger has one.
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