[GOPJ]

Battery cars today are just better versions on the battery cars of the late 19th century with the same fundamental limitations.

All good points especially the last...pure fun. That said, the direction of technology is always smaller, faster, cheaper or from a different direction... Years ago a friend who knew a lot about computers for the time he lived in - explained there was an absolute limit to how much data a floppy could hold...which was true and also not relevant today. Maybe a type of 'transformer' is needed to make energy taken from the air convert it to usable energy for a car. Where is Nikola when we need him?

[from occupied ga]

I can’t speak about some totally unknown energy storage system, but part of my background was a thorough grounding in thermodynamics and chemistry. although a long time ago. Lithium is the best electron donor element at -3.05v sodium isn’t quite as good at -2.71. Lithium atomic weight = 7 sodium 23. One way to make EVs less expensive is to substitute much less expensive sodium for lithium, but it is not as good an electron donor, so you need more of it specifically 3.05/2.71 more of it. And also since each atom of sodium is about three times heavier than lithium you need 23/7 more weight. Altogether the sodium component would weigh about 3.7 times as much as the lithium component.

A Tesla model S weighs about 4600 lb. That’s more than my old Ford Econoline long wheelbase van weighed. Of which i think 138 lb is actually lithium and the battery overall is about 1300 lb. Going to sodium would be 511 lb adding about 373 lb to the overall weight of the car bringing it to 4973. Since all other factors being equal increasing the mass of the car increases the energy needed to move the car you’d need 4973/4600=1.081 times as much energy so your range would decrease by about 8%. Not a disaster, but another irritation. I personally think there are so many negatives to EVs I’ll never buy one, but I can see a niche market for a commuter car charge at home at night as long as it’s not your main means of transportation.

[from occupied ga]

Lithium runs $80,000/mt. Sodium about $2,000/mt going by that a Tesla model S has about $5,000 worth of lithium, and the sodium equivalent would have about $463. A considerable saving probably worth the 8% drop in range.